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Food Science Technicians pay in Michigan and Virginia
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Food Science Technicians is $52,130 per year in Michigan. It is $65,360 per year in Virginia. Michigan is 20.2% below Virginia 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 250 wage and salary jobs in Michigan and 150 in Virginia. 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