Dietitians employed in the United States generally earn salaries in the range from $38,794 to $71,439 a year including bonuses according to the salary information reported by Payscale. Dietitians with the professional qualification of Registered Dietitian (RD) typically report earning an annual pay in the range from $38,676 to $65,232, while those with the qualification of Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) generally make between $48,177 and $67,236 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
Based on the salary figures provided by Salary.com, 10% of dietitians earn $66,038 a year or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale earn an annual salary of up to $45,589 a year. The middle 50% of dietitians make between $50,326 and $61,029 annually.
Salary range
Dietitians’ yearly salaries can vary depending on a number of different factors, including work experience. Dietitians with 1 to 4 years of experience generally make between $35,047 and $57,120 a year, and those with 5 to 9 years of work experience typically earn between $40,852 and $68,220 annually.
Professionals with 10 to 19 years of experience under their belt usually report earning an annual pay in the range from $43,703 to $79,463, and those with 20 or more years of work experience are typically paid an income in the range between $40,695 and $68,784 a year according to Payscale’s salary statistics.
Dietitians’ annual pay can also vary depending on the area of specialty. Dietitians who specialize in nutrition earn salaries in the range from $38,705 to $66,960 a year, and those specializing in counselling are typically paid between $35,937 and $65,920 annually. Professionals specializing in patient education usually report earning an annual salary in the range from $39,213 to $65,184, and those who work as diabetes educators typically make between $41,156 and $66,910 annually according to Payscale.
Dietitian salaries also vary from industry to industry. Professionals employed in the health care sector typically earn salaries in the range from $34,508 to $68,125 a year, those employed at kidney dialysis centers are generally paid between $39,748 and $61,250 annually, and dietitians working at hospitals usually make between $39,680 and $71,749 a year.
Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Women generally earn an income in the range from $39,329 to $61,736 a year and men are typically paid between $25,451 and $96,958 annually according to Payscale.
Starting salary
The average starting salary for dietitians in their first year on the job is typically in the range from $33,433 to $50,868 a year according to the salary figures provided by Payscale. Dietitians with less than a year of work experience typically earn an hourly wage in the range between $17.85 and $23.21.
Average salary
The average salary for dietitians working in the United States is $50,061 a year including bonuses according to Payscale’s salary data, $55,528 a year not including bonuses based on the salary data reported by Salary.com, and $55,240 a year according to the data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Based on the BLS salary figures, 10% of dietitians earn $77,590 a year or more, and the 10% of dietitians with the lowest annual income earn salaries of up to $34,500 a year. The middle 50% of these professionals report an annual pay in the range from $44,190 to $67,540.
Salary by state
Dietitians’ annual salaries depend on geographical location among other factors, and can vary considerably from state to state. Dietitians employed in New York generally earn an income in the range from $39,121 to $63,500 a year, those based in Texas are typically paid between $39,565 and $70,469 annually, and professionals working in Ohio earn salaries in the range from $39,336 to $59,425 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
Dietitians employed in California are typically paid between $45,150 and $99,666 annually, and those based in Florida earn between $41,212 and $57,391 a year. Professionals working in Virginia generally make between $32,556 and $56,010 a year, and those employed in Pennsylvania are paid between $32,215 and $62,478 a year according to Payscale.
Salary by city
Dietitians’ salaries can also vary from city to city. As reported by Payscale, professionals working in New York generally earn an annual pay in the range from $49,416 to $58,975, and those based in Houston are paid between $43,236 and $58,981 annually.
Dietitians employed in Atlanta typically make between $36,000 and $49,000 a year, and those working in Cleveland are generally paid a yearly income in the range from $40,000 to $56,496 according to Payscale’s salary data.
Benefits
Dietitians usually get a variety of benefits and perks along with their annual salary and bonuses. Their benefits packages can sometimes reflect their yearly income.
Dietitians who have paid vacations and holidays typically earn salaries in the range from $39,022 to $68,915 a year, and those who get reimbursement for professional training, education, tuition, or certification are usually paid between $38,000 and $70,000 a year.
Professionals who have 401(k) plans as part of their benefits package generally make between $39,724 and $63,832 a year, those who have paid sick leave are typically paid between $38,900 and $68,510 annually, and dietitians who have 403(b) plans earn salaries in the range from $38,588 to $63,023 a year.
Dietitians who have life and disability insurance typically report earning an annual pay in the range between $39,467 and $67,756, and those who have free drinks at work generally earn an income in the range between $35,479 and $98,633 a year according to the salary figures reported by Payscale.
Hourly rate
The hourly salary for dietitians depends on a number of factors, including work experience. Dietitians with 1 to 4 years of experience typically earn between $17.19 and $30.90 per hour, and those with 5 to 9 years of experience make between $19.19 and $31.09 per hour. Professionals with 10 to 19 years of experience are typically paid an hourly wage in the range from $23.14 to $44.70, and those with 20 or more years of experience generally make between $19.48 and $50 per hour according to Payscale’s salary data.
The hourly wage can also vary from state to state. Dietitians employed in California typically earn between $23.70 and $45.15 per hour, those based in Texas make between $18.25 and $31.65 per hour, and professionals working in Pennsylvania earn an hourly pay in the range from $22.28 to $27.49. Dietitians working in New York are generally paid between $19 and $35 per hour, and those based in Washington earn between $20.43 and $32.61. Professionals employed in Missouri earn between $17.57 and $22.18 per hour, and those employed in North Carolina are generally paid between $24.17 and $29.77 per hour according to Payscale’s salary data.
Dietitians’ hourly pay also varies from city to city. For example, professionals employed in Houston earn between $19.25 and $25.46 per hour, those based in Dallas are paid between $22.43 and $28.57 per hour, and dietitians working in San Jose generally earn an hourly wage in the range from $33 to $47.50 according to Payscale.
In terms of employer type, dietitians working at hospitals are usually paid between $17.90 and $31.09 per hour, those working for companies earn between $20.14 and $40.55 per hour, and professionals employed by non-profit organizations report earning an hourly pay in the range from $18.12 to $35.04.
Dietitians working for private practices and firms make between $15.21 and $32.55 per hour, those employed by the state or local government are typically paid between $16.85 and $27.96 per hour, and professionals who work as contractors make between $23.97 and $29.89 per hour. Dietitians working for other organizations generally report earning an hourly salary in the range from $28.56 to $43.87 based on the salary figures provided by Payscale.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean hourly salary of $27 and a median wage of $26.56 per hour for dietitians and nutritionists. The 10% of the best paid dietitians earn $37.30 or more per hour, and the 10% with the lowest salaries are paid up to $16.59 per hour. The middle 50% of these professionals typically report earning an hourly wage in the range from $21.25 to $32.47.
Other income factors
Dietitians’ annual income also depends on the size of the company or organization that employs them. Dietitians working for organizations that employ 1 to 9 people generally earn between $38,363 and $65,889 a year, those working for organizations with 50 to 199 employees typically make between $40,547 and $69,754 annually, and professionals working for companies with 200 to 599 employees report earning an income in the range from $49,495 to $58,621 a year.
Dietitians working for organizations with 600 to 1,999 employees are usually paid between $40,752 and $54,848 a year, those working for companies with 2,000 to 4,999 employees earn an annual pay in the range from $52,822 to $63,900, and professionals working for organizations that employ between 5,000 and 19,999 people typically make between $38,520 and $64,111 a year according to the salary data reported by Payscale.
Employer type is another factor that can affect a dietitian’s annual wage. Dietitians working at hospitals are generally paid between $37,463 and $60,015 a year, those employed by companies earn salaries in the range between $38,401 and $68,480 annually, and professionals working for non-profit organizations generally make between $36,524 and $66,999 a year according to Payscale’s data.
Dietitians employed by universities and colleges generally earn between $33,451 and $62,237 a year, those employed by the state or local government make between $40,100 and $62,500 annually, and professionals working for private practices and firms report an income in the range from $44,979 to $53,458 a year.
Dietitians working for schools or school districts generally earn salaries in the range from $39,998 to $64,000 a year, those employed by the federal government are typically paid between $48,980 and $72,414 annually, and professionals working for other organizations report earning an annual pay in the range from $39,305 to $50,868. Dietitians working as contractors generally make between $39,839 and $44,494 a year according to the salary data reported by Payscale.