Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2003

19-1010 Agricultural and Food Scientists

This broad occupation includes the following three detailed occupations:

19-1011 Animal Scientists
Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.

19-1012 Food Scientists and Technologists
Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.

19-1013 Soil and Plant Scientists
Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
17,530 4.0 % $25.81 $53,690 1.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.06 $17.42 $23.85 $32.48 $41.80
Annual Wage (2) $29,250 $36,230 $49,610 $67,560 $86,930

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Colleges and universities 2,650 $20.74 $43,150
Federal government (OES designation) 2,580 $31.47 $65,450
Scientific research and development services 2,180 $29.72 $61,820
Misc. nondurable goods merchant wholesalers 950 $26.88 $55,910
Other food manufacturing 910 $30.65 $63,740

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Federal government (OES designation) 2,580 $31.47 $65,450
Other food manufacturing 910 $30.65 $63,740
Management of companies and enterprises 680 $30.45 $63,340
Grain and oilseed milling 380 $29.99 $62,370
Professional and similar organizations 40 $29.93 $62,250

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
North Dakota 280 $21.85 $45,450 0.089%
South Dakota 260 $19.51 $40,580 0.071%
Nebraska 520 $23.07 $47,990 0.059%
Iowa 810 $25.30 $52,630 0.057%
Oregon 740 $21.36 $44,430 0.048%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 130 $36.52 $75,970 0.022%
Connecticut 230 $33.39 $69,450 0.014%
Massachusetts 210 $32.01 $66,570 0.007%
Alaska 50 $31.68 $65,900 0.017%
Michigan 280 $31.22 $64,930 0.006%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN MSA 170 $19.48 $40,510 0.168%
Madison, WI MSA 450 $20.30 $42,220 0.161%
Corvallis, OR MSA 50 $31.43 $65,380 0.142%
St. Joseph, MO MSA 60 $36.20 $75,300 0.135%
Lincoln, NE MSA 170 $23.43 $48,730 0.117%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX PMSA (7) $37.84 $78,710 (7)
St. Joseph, MO MSA 60 $36.20 $75,300 0.135%
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 470 $35.56 $73,960 0.017%
New Haven-Meriden, CT PMSA 120 $35.36 $73,550 0.047%
Lubbock, TX MSA 30 $34.87 $72,530 0.026%

About November 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

November 2003 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 19, 2005