The Average Salary for Dietitians or Nutritionists
Dietitians and nutritionists provide nutritional information, plan food and nutrition programs and may supervise meal preparation and the serving of meals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the medium annual salary for dietitians and nutritionists was $52,150 in May 2009, with 50 percent earning between $42,400 and $63,460.
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Salary by Industry
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The most common work setting for dietitians and nutritionists is general hospitals, where the median annual salary was $53,560. The highest paying industries are management, scientific, and technical consulting services ($75,100), federal executive branch ($68,390) and home health care services ($62,050).
Salary by State
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Median salary was highest in Maryland ($64,600), Nevada ($63,860), California ($63,610) and Hawaii ($62,750). In contrast, the median salary in North Dakota was $47,910 and in Pennsylvania was $49,290.
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Salary by Metropolitan Area
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The two highest-paying metropolitan areas were San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California ($80,470) and Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg, Maryland ($79,610). In comparison, the median salary was $34,470 in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana, and $39,050 in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Current Market
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As of November 2010, the job site payscale.com reports the national salary range for currently posted jobs as $40,353 to $56,886, while the job site indeed.com reports the national average salary of posted jobs for dietitians and nutritionists as $61,000.
Considerations
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Dietitians and nutritionists may specialize in various areas, which also affects salary. For example, clinical dietitians provide nutritional services to patients in hospitals, nursing care facilities and other institutions. Community dietitians typically work in public-health clinics, home-health agencies and health maintenance organizations and provide nutritional counseling to people to prevent disease and promote health. Some dietitians and nutritionists are also in management or work as consultants.
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