Average Agricultural and Food Science Technician Salary in Australia for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Agricultural and Food Science Technician salary for 2024 in Australia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Australian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the AUD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Agricultural and Food Science Technician Make in Australia?

An Agricultural and Food Science Technician working in Australia will typically earn around 55,500 AUD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 25,800 AUD to the highest average salary of 86,600 AUD.

Average Annual Salary
55,500 AUD
Average Monthly Salary
4,625 AUD

Lowest Annual Salary
25,800 AUD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,150 AUD

Highest Annual Salary
86,600 AUD
Highest Monthly Salary
7,216 AUD

These are average salaries for an Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Agricultural and Food Science Technician to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Agricultural and Food Science Technician salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Agricultural and Food Science Technician Salaries in Australia

So we've looked at the average salaries an Agricultural and Food Science Technician will earn in Australia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Agricultural and Food Science Technician can earn between 25,800 AUD and 86,600 AUD on average in Australia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia is 55,300 AUD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 55,300 AUD, and 50% of the population earn more than 55,300 AUD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Agricultural and Food Science Technician salary in Australia, 25% of the population are earning less than 39,400 AUD while 75% of the population earn more than 39,400 AUD.

75% of the population earn less than 71,900 AUD, and 25% of the population earn more than 71,900 AUD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Agricultural and Food Science Technician Salary by Experience Level in Australia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average agricultural and food science technician salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 32,900 AUD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Agricultural and Food Science Technician salary would increase to 43,200 AUD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Agricultural and Food Science Technician, the average salary would be 58,700 AUD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 72,800 AUD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Agricultural and Food Science Technician with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 75,900 AUD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Agricultural and Food Science Technician with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 81,600 AUD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
32,900 AUD
2-5 Years +29%
43,200 AUD
5-10 Years +38%
58,700 AUD
10-15 Years +24%
72,800 AUD
15-20 Years +7%
75,900 AUD
20+ Years +7%
81,600 AUD

Agricultural and Food Science Technician Salary by Education Level in Australia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 44,500 AUD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 69,700 AUD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
44,500 AUD
Bachelor's Degree +53%
69,700 AUD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Australia is around 37,800 to 114,000 AUD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Agricultural and Food Science Technician Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Australia, a male agricultural and food science technician will earn an average of 56,400 AUD, while a female agricultural and food science technician will earn around 55,700 AUD.

This means that a male agricultural and food science technician earns approximately 1% more than a female agricultural and food science technician for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Australia

Male
56,400 AUD
Female -1%
55,700 AUD

Agricultural and Food Science Technician Average Pay Raise in Australia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia is around 8% every 19 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Australia is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 8 ÷ 19 ) × 12  = 5%

What this means is that an Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 5% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Australia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Australia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Agricultural and Food Science Technician Bonus and Incentive Rates in Australia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Agricultural and Food Science Technician is a moderate bonus based job, with 56% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

44% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
56%
No Bonus
44%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Australia earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
92,500 AUD
Private Sector -5%
87,900 AUD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Agricultural and Food Science Technician

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Agricultural and Food Science Technician in Australia.

Job Title Category Salary
Agricultural and Food Scientist Gardening / Farming / Fishing 130,400 AUD
Agricultural Consultant Gardening / Farming / Fishing 140,700 AUD
Agricultural Engineer Gardening / Farming / Fishing 83,800 AUD
Agricultural Inspector Gardening / Farming / Fishing 79,500 AUD
Agricultural Manager Gardening / Farming / Fishing 134,100 AUD
Agronomist Gardening / Farming / Fishing 116,400 AUD
Animal Attendant Gardening / Farming / Fishing 42,400 AUD
Animal Nutritionist Gardening / Farming / Fishing 79,600 AUD
Animal Trainer Gardening / Farming / Fishing 49,400 AUD
Aquaculture and Seafood Farmer Gardening / Farming / Fishing 46,700 AUD
Bee Keeper Gardening / Farming / Fishing 27,100 AUD
Commercial Horticulturist Gardening / Farming / Fishing 63,200 AUD
Diver Gardening / Farming / Fishing 45,000 AUD
Farm Manager Gardening / Farming / Fishing 107,700 AUD
Farmer Gardening / Farming / Fishing 30,100 AUD
Floral Designer Gardening / Farming / Fishing 37,300 AUD
Foreman Gardening / Farming / Fishing 23,100 AUD
Forestry and Logging Worker Gardening / Farming / Fishing 23,100 AUD
Garden Center Helper Gardening / Farming / Fishing 24,800 AUD
Garden Centre Manager Gardening / Farming / Fishing 66,900 AUD
Gardener Gardening / Farming / Fishing 25,800 AUD
General Farm Assistant Gardening / Farming / Fishing 24,200 AUD
Greenhouse Assistant Gardening / Farming / Fishing 26,600 AUD
Greenhouse Manager Gardening / Farming / Fishing 61,800 AUD
Groundsman Gardening / Farming / Fishing 22,400 AUD
Grower Gardening / Farming / Fishing 29,900 AUD
Horticultural Worker Gardening / Farming / Fishing 27,300 AUD
Tree Pruner Gardening / Farming / Fishing 27,400 AUD
Tree Specialist Gardening / Farming / Fishing 44,800 AUD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Australia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Adelaide 58,700 AUD
Brisbane 63,000 AUD
Canberra-Queanbeyan 55,600 AUD
Gold Coast-Tweed 54,900 AUD
Gosford 52,000 AUD
Melbourne 60,700 AUD
Newcastle 55,500 AUD
Perth 57,400 AUD
Sunshine Coast 50,100 AUD
Sydney 63,500 AUD
Wollongong 53,600 AUD

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