← All 785 jobsFile 19-1012
Food Scientists and Technologists
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 6.2% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #300 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +6.2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $88,720 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 14,100 in the US, with about 1,000 openings a year
The work, 10 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Research technology designs or applications31%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 149 conversations, and it got them there 89% of the time.
Still yours: Inspect facilities or equipment11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Evaluate production inputs or outputs11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise9%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 237 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Test characteristics of materials or products8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Coordinate with others to resolve problems7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 738 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
AI does this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,089 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop technical specifications for products or operations5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 898 conversations, and it got them there 85% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 502 conversations, and it got them there 54% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 106 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 1,000 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 28% of the workChemical Engineers12% AI does, against 24% here+4.7% by 2035 · $125,040 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 25% of the workLife, Physical, and Social Science Technicians17% AI does, against 24% here+4.4% by 2035 · $62,280 · Associate’s degree
- Shares 21% of the workFood Science Technicians0% AI does, against 24% here+4.8% by 2035 · $52,130 · Associate’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Planet front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.26, higher than 82% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 19-1012 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Check another job.
Know someone in this job? Send them the file.