Agricultural Technicians vs Food Science Technicians: $50K vs $52K Median Pay

Agricultural Technicians vs Food Science Technicians: what changes?

Consider Agricultural Technicians if you want to work with agricultural scientists in plant, fiber, and animal research, or assist with animal breeding and nutrition. Consider Food Science Technicians if you would rather work with food scientists or technologists to perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products. Both list associate's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Agricultural Technicians and Food Science Technicians. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Agricultural Technicians

National median pay (2025): $49,630
Route into the job: Associate's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,800

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (19,500 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Agricultural Technicians brief

Food Science Technicians

National median pay (2025): $52,130
Route into the job: Associate's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,000

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (20,800 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Food Science Technicians brief

How the national numbers differ

Food Science Technicians has the edge on median pay

Food Science Technicians is at $52,130, compared with $49,630 for Agricultural Technicians.

Agricultural Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Agricultural Technicians is at 5.4% projected growth, compared with 4.8% projected growth for Food Science Technicians.

Food Science Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Food Science Technicians is at 3,000 annual openings, compared with 2,800 annual openings for Agricultural Technicians.

46.9/ 100

Agricultural Technicians

47.8/ 100

Food Science Technicians

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Agricultural Technicians vs Food Science Technicians

Dimension	Agricultural Technicians	Food Science Technicians
Median pay (2025)	$49,630	$52,130
Pay percentile	31.4 percentile	37.1 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.4%	4.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,800	3,000
2025 employment	19,500	20,800
How you qualify	Associate's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Associate's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Agricultural Technicians brief Read Food Science Technicians brief

Agricultural Technicians vs Food Science Technicians: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Agricultural Technicians

Food Science Technicians

How the national numbers differ

Food Science Technicians has the edge on median pay

Agricultural Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Food Science Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Agricultural Technicians vs Food Science Technicians

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