Food Science Degree in Wilmington, NC — Salary & ROI 2026
Food Science degree analysis for Wilmington, NC. COL-adjusted salary data, local tuition costs, ROI calculator, and job market outlook.
Starting Salary
$48K
COL-adjusted
Mid-Career
$74K
COL-adjusted
ROI Payback
4.8 yrs
in Wilmington
Cost of Living
95
index (100 = avg)
Food Science in Wilmington, NC Overview
While Wilmington has a smaller college scene with 5 institutions, Food Science students benefit from lower tuition costs. Room and board averages $9,779/year, and the car-friendly layout shapes the student experience. Food Science enrollment is stable nationwide, with steady demand for graduates skilled in Food Safety and Food Processing. The adjusted starting salary in Wilmington is approximately $47,500, growing to $74,100 by mid-career.
Category
STEM
Local Colleges
5
Public Tuition
$7,287/yr
Private Tuition
$34,393/yr
Room & Board
$9,779/yr
Avg Fin. Aid
$13,831/yr
Unemployment
6.8%
Graduation Rate
48%
Food Science Salary in Wilmington (COL-Adjusted)
Salaries adjusted for Wilmington's cost of living index of 95 (national average = 100).
Note: National average Food Science salary: $50,000 starting, $78,000 mid-career, $95,000 senior level.Wilmington adjustment factor: 0.95x based on the local cost of living index.
Food Science ROI Calculator for Wilmington
Estimate your return on investment for a Food Science degree using local Wilmington tuition and cost of living data.
Public avg: $7,287 | Private avg: $34,393
Wilmington avg aid: $13,831/yr
Federal avg: 6.5% | Private: 4-14%
Total Education Cost
$68,264
tuition + room & board - aid
Annual Earnings Premium
$14,250
vs HS diploma in Wilmington
ROI Payback Period
4.8 years
to break even
Lifetime Return in Wilmington
$387,736
Lifetime earnings premium ($456,000) minus total education cost ($68,264)
Student Loan Payoff for Food Science in Wilmington
Standard Plan (10 years)
Aggressive Plan (5 years)
Colleges in Wilmington for Food Science
University of North Carolina Wilmington
public
$7,287/yr
$29,148 total
Community Colleges (2-Year Transfer)
Cape Fear Community College
$2,864/yr
Top Employers for Food Science in Wilmington
Wilmington offers opportunities in Tech companies, Research labs, Government agencies for Food Science graduates. National top employers in this field include:
Key Wilmington Hiring Sectors for STEM
Tech companies
Research labs
Government agencies
Startups
Consulting firms
Common Food Science Job Titles
Food Science in Nearby North Carolina Cities
Charlotte, NC
$45K starting · COL 89
39 colleges
Raleigh, NC
$42K starting · COL 83
21 colleges
Greensboro, NC
$46K starting · COL 91
17 colleges
Durham, NC
$55K starting · COL 109
25 colleges
Winston-Salem, NC
$53K starting · COL 106
26 colleges
Fayetteville, NC
$45K starting · COL 90
15 colleges
Cary, NC
$54K starting · COL 108.5
7 colleges
High Point, NC
$42K starting · COL 84.5
5 colleges
Other STEM Majors in Wilmington
Prompt Engineering
$48K starting · 1.5 yr ROI
Computational Linguistics
$90K starting · 2 yr ROI
Computer Science
$81K starting · 2.8 yr ROI
Software Engineering
$84K starting · 2.7 yr ROI
Data Science
$78K starting · 3 yr ROI
Actuarial Science
$48K starting · 3 yr ROI
Cybersecurity
$76K starting · 3 yr ROI
Robotics Engineering
$48K starting · 3 yr ROI
Food Science Degree in Wilmington — FAQ
Data Sources: Salary data from BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Cost of living from BLS Regional Data. College data from NCES/IPEDS. Updated March 2026.
Explore More
Compare Food Science ROI in other cities, or explore other majors in Wilmington.