Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 29-1031

Dietitians and Nutritionists

Median pay sits 77% below the mid peer in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (neighbors include Pediatric Surgeons, Dermatologists, Emergency Medicine Physicians, Radiologists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Dietitians and Nutritionists: Pediatric Surgeons ($559K) , Dermatologists ($329K) , Emergency Medicine Physicians ($336K) , Radiologists ($421K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Dietitians and Nutritionists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional…
  2. 2. Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations
  3. 3. Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality…
  4. 4. Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation
  5. 5. Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans
  6. 6. Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client
  7. 7. Record and evaluate patient and family health and food history, including symptoms, environmental toxic exposure, allergies, medication f…
  8. 8. Develop recipes and menus to address special nutrition needs, such as low glycemic, low histamine, or gluten- or allergen-free
  9. 9. Coordinate diet counseling services
  10. 10. Select, train, and supervise workers who plan, prepare, and serve meals
  11. 11. Make recommendations regarding public policy, such as nutrition labeling, food fortification, or nutrition standards for school programs
  12. 12. Manage quantity food service departments or clinical and community nutrition services

Dietitians and Nutritionists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1031 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Biology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Speaking 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 4.0
  7. 7. Writing 3.9
  8. 8. Monitoring 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Biology 4.4
  2. 2. Medicine and Dentistry 4.3
  3. 3. English Language 4.1
  4. 4. Therapy and Counseling 4.1
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 4.0
  6. 6. Psychology 3.9
Pay vs Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers
-77%
vs mid peer median $335,550
This role $76,400/yr
$76K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
6,200
Annual openings
77,570
Estimated US jobs
Pediatric Surgeons
Highest-pay peer · $559K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Dietitians and Nutritionists

1. Connecticut $80,600
2. West Virginia $89,440
3. New York $82,480
4. California $98,850
5. Alaska $87,980
6. Hawaii $81,920
7. Oregon $84,180
8. New Jersey $84,450
9. District of Columbia $82,150
10. Washington $84,220

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550
  2. 2. Radiologists $420,860
  3. 3. Cardiologists $496,010
  4. 4. Pediatric Surgeons $559,030
  5. 5. Dermatologists $328,730
  6. 6. Anesthesiologists $391,490

Among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers on this card, Dietitians and Nutritionists sits 77% below the mid peer median ($335,550). Its own median is $76,400.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 6,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Connecticut at $80,600. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Pediatric Surgeons at $559,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Dietitians and Nutritionists pay-rank #49 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

On the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table (71 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Dietitians and Nutritionists lands at #49, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Dietitians and Nutritionists pays 77% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Dietitians and Nutritionists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1031

Connecticut · top state for Dietitians and Nutritionists

$81K published median

West Virginia · #2 state pay

$89K · behind Connecticut

Pediatric Surgeons

Highest-pay peer vs Dietitians and Nutritionists · $559K

Dermatologists

Lower-pay peer beside Dietitians and Nutritionists · $329K

Compare Dietitians and Nutritionists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Dietitians and Nutritionists with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Dietitians and Nutritionists

Against another occupation

Pediatric Surgeons card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Dietitians and Nutritionists land on the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table? ▼
Dietitians and Nutritionists is pay-rank #49 of 71 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Acupuncturists ($76K), Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians ($74K), Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars ($68K), Surgical Assistants ($67K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do dietitians and nutritionists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Dietitians and Nutritionists. Leading ones include: Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional…; Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations; Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality…; Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for dietitians and nutritionists? ▼
For SOC 29-1031, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Biology, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Dietitians and Nutritionists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $76,400 as the national median for Dietitians and Nutritionists. The published 10th-90th range is $49,090 to $103,720. Beside Pediatric Surgeons ($559,030), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Dietitians and Nutritionists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Dietitians and Nutritionists is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 6,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Dietitians and Nutritionists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Dietitians and Nutritionists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Dietitians and Nutritionists? ▼
Connecticut ($80,600), West Virginia ($89,440), New York ($82,480) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Dietitians and Nutritionists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Dietitians and Nutritionists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics