What Is the Average Income for a Dietitian?
Dietitians help people plan their meals to help resolve health issues like obesity, and to help maintain proper health. There are an estimated 53,220 dietitians in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2010-2011 occupational handbook. The bureau expects this number to grow by 9 percent by 2018. The average hourly wage and annual wage varies for dietitians vary widely depending on where he works, with the top five biggest employers being hospitals, nursing care facilities, local governments, outpatient care centers and special food service companies.
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National Average
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The average American dietitian brings in $25.59 an hour, ringing up to an annual average of $53,230. Dietitians in the upper 90th percentile earn $74,690. In contrast, those in the bottom 10th percentile bring in $33,230. This accounts for an average hourly wage of $35.91 and $15.98, respectively.
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
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When it comes to the top five employers of dietitians, surgical and general hospitals employ more dietitians than the other four categories combined. Here, the average dietitian earns $25.75 an hour, or $53,560 a year.
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Nursing Care Facilities
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Nursing care facilities, more commonly known as nursing homes, often have dietitians on staff to help residents follow a healthy dietary plan for the management of chronic problems like diabetes. In a nursing home, the average dietitian nets $25.55 an hour, or $53,130.
Local Government
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Local governments, such as municipalities and counties, may occasionally employ dietitians for the purpose of educating the government staff and public. On average, such dietitians earn an hourly wage of $23.63, or an annual salary of $49,150. This makes this category of employment the poorest paying sector among the top five employers of dietitians.
Outpatient Care Centers
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When medical treatment doesn't require hospital staff or overnight stays, people typically go to outpatient care centers instead of a hospital. In such centers, dietitians make an average hourly rate of $26.17 or an annual salary of $54,440.
Special Food Services
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Specialized food service companies provide tailored food services to customers. For example, this could include chefs who prepare food in a customer's home. Dietitians sometimes work for such companies to provide nutritional insight. They're also the second lowest paid among the top five employment categories, bringing in $23.72 an hour or $49,340 a year.
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