The salary of a registered dietician is determined by many variables. For example, the average salary of a registered dietician working in New York City will be markedly different from that of one based in Oklahoma or rural North Dakota.
What is the average salary of a registered dietician? Unsurprisingly, salaries can be higher or lower based on education, location, and years of experience. According to our data, registered dieticians in North Carolina earn an average salary of $43,000 annually. The highest-paid RDNs make $65,000+ while the lowest-paid make $29,000 yearly.
The salary for a registered dietician ranges from $40,000 a year to over $100,000. The exact salary offered depends upon the location, years of experience and job title of the professional.
Salary For Registered Dietician Overview
A registered dietician salary ranges from $28,000 to $62,000 per year. The average salary for a nutritionist is about $56,000 per year.
Dietitians are licensed professionals who specialize in helping people achieve their health and wellness goals through healthy eating. They often work with people who have special dietary needs because of health conditions or lifestyle choices like vegetarianism or veganism. Dietitians also work in hospitals, schools, and nursing homes.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the median annual wage for dietitians and nutritionists was $56,990 in May 2016. The lowest 10% earned less than $40,810 per year while the highest 10% earned more than $83,460 annually.
The BLS also reports that there were jobs available nationwide at all levels of education and training so it’s important to do research on your specific area before making any decisions about where you’re going to live or how much money you want to make!
What Dietitians and Nutritionists Do
Dietitians and nutritionists are experts in the use of food and nutrition to promote health and manage disease. They advise people on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or achieve a specific health-related goal.
Duties of Dietitians and Nutritionists
Dietitians and nutritionists typically do the following:
- Assess patients’ and clients’ nutritional and health needs
- Counsel patients on nutrition issues and healthy eating habits
- Develop meal and nutrition plans, taking both clients’ preferences and budgets into account
- Evaluate the effects of meal plans and change the plans as needed
- Promote better health by speaking to groups about diet, nutrition, and the relationship between good eating habits and preventing or managing specific diseases
- Create educational materials about healthy food choices
- Keep up with or contribute to the latest food and nutritional science research
- Document patients’ progress
Dietitians and nutritionists evaluate the health of their clients. Based on their findings, dietitians and nutritionists advise clients on which foods to eat—and which to avoid—to improve their health.
Many dietitians and nutritionists provide customized information for specific individuals. For example, a dietitian or nutritionist might teach a client with diabetes how to plan meals to balance the client’s blood sugar. Others work with groups of people who have similar needs. For example, a dietitian or nutritionist might plan a diet with healthy fat and limited sugar to help clients who are at risk for heart disease. They may work with other healthcare professionals to coordinate patient care.
Dietitians and nutritionists who are self-employed may meet with patients, or they may work as consultants for a variety of organizations. They may need to spend time on marketing and other business-related tasks, such as scheduling appointments, keeping records, and preparing educational programs or informational materials for clients.
Although many dietitians and nutritionists do similar tasks, there are several specialties within the occupations. The following are examples of types of dietitians and nutritionists:
Clinical dietitians and clinical nutritionists provide medical nutrition therapy. They work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, private practice, and other institutions. They create customized nutritional programs based on the health needs of patients or residents and counsel patients on how to improve their health through nutrition. Clinical dietitians and clinical nutritionists may further specialize, such as by working only with patients with specific conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, or digestive disorders.
Community dietitians and community nutritionists develop programs and counsel the public on topics related to food, health, and nutrition. They often work with specific groups of people, such as adolescents or the elderly. They work in public health clinics, government and nonprofit agencies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and other settings.
Management dietitians plan food programs. They work in food service settings such as cafeterias, hospitals, prisons, and schools. They may be responsible for buying food and for carrying out other business-related tasks, such as budgeting. Ma
nagement dietitians may oversee kitchen staff or other dietitians.
What Is the Average Dietitian Salary by State
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| State | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | $62,234 | $5,186 | $1,197 | $29.92 |
| Massachusetts | $60,968 | $5,081 | $1,172 | $29.31 |
| Hawaii | $60,910 | $5,076 | $1,171 | $29.28 |
| Nevada | $60,461 | $5,038 | $1,163 | $29.07 |
| Connecticut | $60,199 | $5,017 | $1,158 | $28.94 |
| Minnesota | $60,035 | $5,003 | $1,155 | $28.86 |
| Rhode Island | $58,797 | $4,900 | $1,131 | $28.27 |
| Washington | $58,512 | $4,876 | $1,125 | $28.13 |
| Wisconsin | $58,183 | $4,849 | $1,119 | $27.97 |
| Alaska | $57,957 | $4,830 | $1,115 | $27.86 |
| New York | $57,897 | $4,825 | $1,113 | $27.84 |
| Oregon | $57,738 | $4,811 | $1,110 | $27.76 |
| Ohio | $57,315 | $4,776 | $1,102 | $27.56 |
| North Dakota | $57,262 | $4,772 | $1,101 | $27.53 |
| Iowa | $56,161 | $4,680 | $1,080 | $27.00 |
| Utah | $55,974 | $4,664 | $1,076 | $26.91 |
| New Mexico | $55,709 | $4,642 | $1,071 | $26.78 |
| Maryland | $55,630 | $4,636 | $1,070 | $26.74 |
| New Hampshire | $54,460 | $4,538 | $1,047 | $26.18 |
| South Dakota | $54,278 | $4,523 | $1,044 | $26.10 |
| Virginia | $54,202 | $4,517 | $1,042 | $26.06 |
| California | $53,610 | $4,468 | $1,031 | $25.77 |
| Vermont | $53,565 | $4,464 | $1,030 | $25.75 |
| Idaho | $53,250 | $4,438 | $1,024 | $25.60 |
| Delaware | $52,934 | $4,411 | $1,018 | $25.45 |
| Nebraska | $52,920 | $4,410 | $1,018 | $25.44 |
| New Jersey | $52,683 | $4,390 | $1,013 | $25.33 |
| Montana | $52,177 | $4,348 | $1,003 | $25.09 |
| Colorado | $52,149 | $4,346 | $1,003 | $25.07 |
| Kansas | $52,101 | $4,342 | $1,002 | $25.05 |
| South Carolina | $51,882 | $4,323 | $998 | $24.94 |
| Arizona | $51,712 | $4,309 | $994 | $24.86 |
| Mississippi | $51,408 | $4,284 | $989 | $24.72 |
| Arkansas | $51,134 | $4,261 | $983 | $24.58 |
| Wyoming | $50,845 | $4,237 | $978 | $24.44 |
| Maine | $50,479 | $4,207 | $971 | $24.27 |
| Michigan | $50,097 | $4,175 | $963 | $24.09 |
| Oklahoma | $49,991 | $4,166 | $961 | $24.03 |
| Indiana | $49,699 | $4,142 | $956 | $23.89 |
| Kentucky | $49,614 | $4,135 | $954 | $23.85 |
| West Virginia | $49,013 | $4,084 | $943 | $23.56 |
| Illinois | $48,775 | $4,065 | $938 | $23.45 |
| Louisiana | $48,485 | $4,040 | $932 | $23.31 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,926 | $3,994 | $922 | $23.04 |
| Missouri | $47,704 | $3,975 | $917 | $22.93 |
| Texas | $47,042 | $3,920 | $905 | $22.62 |
| Alabama | $45,249 | $3,771 | $870 | $21.75 |
| Florida | $43,975 | $3,665 | $846 | $21.14 |
| North Carolina | $43,578 | $3,631 | $838 | $20.95 |
| Georgia | $42,063 | $3,505 | $809 | $20.22 |
