Highest Paid Dietitian Jobs By Location

By Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN and Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN

The Top Highest Paid Dietitian Jobs by Location

Curious about the highest paid dietitian jobs? Here is a summary of the Highest Paid Dietetic Jobs by Locations in the United States from the annual 2019 Compensation and Benefits Survey by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. We also included a breakdown of which cities pay dietitians the most money along with practice areas that have the highest pay rate. 

Some of the results are expected, but there are some results that were actually surprising. The state of Oregon has interesting results in states ranking with the highest paid dietitians. Does this change where you want to work? Does it make you want to do something about how your state ranks?

The survey results can give you negotiation power at the job interview stage of job searching or during a performance evaluation. 

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also publishes a Salary Calculator, located here. This is helpful if you want to drill down for a specific location and practice area for job searching and salary negotiation.

Top 10 States for the Highest Paid Dietitians

If you are thinking of moving, you may want to consider relocating to one of these states which pay dietitians the most money. The results are based on total cash compensation for those employed full-time for 1 or more years. 

This report obviously doesn't take cost of living into account but it is interesting to see what locations have the highest pay rates for dietitians. It's not surprising that California ranks in the top 5, at number 1. But it is surprising to see Oregon ahead of New York, ranking in position number 3.

Rank is ordered according to the 50th percentile - 90th percentile. 

1. California - $87,4000 - $126,5000

2. New Jersey - $79,800 - $161,900

3. Oregon - $79,200 - $108,000

4. New York - $76,700 - $123,200

5. Connecticut - $74,000 - $127,200

6. Washington - $72,600 - $102,800

7. Massachusetts - $73,200 - $112,000

8. Maryland - $72,300 - $120,00

9. Utah - $70,300 - $147,600

10. Texas- $69,400 - $102,300

There are 3 additional states that have high ranking total pay compensation for dietitians for the 50th percentile but only show a range up to the 75th percentile because of low values (based on participation).

1. Rhode Island - $77,100 - $93,400 (75th %ile)

2. District of Columbia - $73,200 - $95,700 (75th %ile)

3. Nevada - $71,900 - $79,900 (75th %ile)

Top 22 Cities for the Highest Paid Dietitians

This information is based on being employed full time for at least 1+ years, according to the Survey. Come join us in San Francisco! The annual salary is indicated by the 50th%ile. 

1. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA - $99,800 

2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA - $96,800 

3. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA - $90,200 

4. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA - $86,400 

5. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA - $83,200 

6. Portland, Vancouver, Hillsboro - OR-WA - $82,000 

7. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY - $81,500 

8. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ - $80,000 

9. Riverside-San Bernadino-Ontario, CA - $79,600 

10. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA - $79,000 

11. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT - $77,100 

12. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV - $75,300 

13. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA - $75,100 

14. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH - $74,000 

15. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX - $72,300 

16. Madison, WI - $71,800 

17. Salt Lake City, UT - $72,600 

18. Richmond, VA - $71,500 

19. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD - $71,100 

20. Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY - $71,100 

21. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX - $70,100 

22. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO - $70,000 

The Top Annual Pay for Dietitians Based on Census Division Location 

Here is another look at the pay rate for dietitians based on location according to Census breakouts. 

This information is based on the 50th %ile to the 90th %ile range from the Survey results.

1. Pacific - $83,200- $119,900

2. New England - $73,800- $112,000

3. Middle Atlantic - $72,000 - $116,000

4. Mountain - $68,400 - $105,200

5. West South Central - $67,000 - $100,000

The LOWEST annual pay for dietitians based on census division location

Well, this is not a pretty breakout but good to know.

This information is based on the 50th %ile to the 90th %ile range from the Survey results.

1. East South Central - $59,900 - $84,500

2. East North Central - $63,000 - $97,000

3. West North Central - $65,000 - $95,700

Practice Areas

We also summarized the top pay by practice area, job setting, and area of focus, as a dietitian. It's interesting to note in which niche areas dietitians are practicing that are making the most money, but how few dietitians are actually in these areas of practice. 

One take away is that the area practice surveyed doesn't fully represent what we all actually do in practice. Our profession has evolved and grown so much over the last few years. for example, my business, running a dietetic job board, isn't fully represented. 

While salary and pay are important, enjoying and thriving in your work is honestly what truly feeds you and ultimately brings you the greatest career satisfaction. Honing in on an area of practice that is both lucrative and interesting is the golden ticket. 

Top Hourly Pay for Dietitians based on Primary Practice Area

This information is based on the 50th %ile to the 90th %ile range from the Survey results.

1. Education and research - $41.32 ($85,000 annually)

2. Consultation and business - $40.87 ($85,000 annually)

3. Food and nutrition management - $39.02 ($82,000 annually)

4. Clinical nutrition - long term care - $32.62 ($67,000 annually)

5. Clinical nutrition - ambulatory care - $32.24 ($67,000 annually)

Top 5 Highest Paid Dietetic Jobs by Work Setting

Based on the based on the 50th %ile.

1. Private Practice - $129,100 annually

2. Pharmaceutical/mfr/dist/retailer - $97,100 annually

3. College/university/academic medical center - $82,000 annually

4. Food mfr/dist/retailer - $80,000 annually

5. Office - $78,000 annually

Top 10 Highest Paid Dietetic Jobs by Focus Area

1. Communications/journalism - $50.00/hour

2. Nutrition and food policy - $43.35/hour

3. Marketing - $41.55/hour

4. Management - $40.87/hour

5. Integrative/Functional medicine - $39.85/hour

6. Quality management - $39.42

7. Disordered eating - $38.46/hour

8. Agriculture - $36.78/hour

9. Sports nutrition - $34.91/hour

10. Culinary nutrition - $34.65/hour

Quick Facts: 

• Did you know the average dietitian has been practicing for about 12 years and this excludes taking time off to return to school, raise a family, or work in other areas not related to dietetics?
• Only 8% of dietitians are self-employed! 
• The majority of dietitians (40%) work at inpatient acute-care facilities. These jobs weren’t in the top 5 highest paid job areas. 
• The hourly average wage of a dietitian was $32.97 in 2019 in the United States.

Diversity in Dietetics

• 95% of practitioners are female. 
• 6% of dietitians classify themselves as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin 
• 10% noted a race other than White (5% Asian, 3% Black/African American, and 2% other).

More Resources

1. How to Make Money Online as a Dietitian
2. Highest Paid Dietetic Jobs
3. Create an All-Star LinkedIn Profile course
4. Resume Essentials course + ebook bundle

For more related articles, check out:

1. - 7 Networking Tips for Dietitians Who Dislike Networking
2. - 10 Best Freelance Dietetic Jobs
3. - 7 Tips to Create Your Dietetics Competitive Advantage 
4. - Dietetic Career Makeover – How to Switch Jobs Within the Dietetic Industry

Reference

1. Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession 2019 (Downloadable). You can access the here. If you are a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics it is free.

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist specializing in Weight Management and Sports Nutrition for youth and adults. She writes articles for multiple publications, provides customized nutrition coaching, and is a brand spokesperson. She is founder of Family. Food. Fiesta.and MIJA. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN, is the Founding Owner of NutritionJobs and an established dietetic career expert. She helps steer dietetic and nutrition professionals to a successful job search process with the top-ranked dietetic job board platform, NutritionJobs. Stacey is the author of The Dietetic Resume Guide and numerous dietetic career actionables. She gives the tools to create a modern standout dietetic resume to land that job interview, help with job interview prep, and with creating All-Star LinkedIn profiles. Stacey has interviewed and hired many dietitians and in running NutritionJobs since 2000, she has reviewed thousands of dietetic resumes. She works closely with dietetic hiring managers and recruiters to know what standout resume elements land a job interview.