Start with the answer
Food Science Technicians pay in Columbus, OH and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Food Science Technicians is $86,300 per year in Columbus, OH. It is $53,530 per year in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA. Columbus, OH is 61.2% above San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 19-4013 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 40 wage and salary jobs in Columbus, OH and 80 in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
