Registered Dietitians (RDs) in the US earn an average of $77,130 per year or $33.50 per hour. This guide breaks down RD pay by state, specialty, and work setting.
Pay at a Glance (BLS Data)
Bureau of Labor Statistics wage estimates for dietitians and nutritionists, across all industries:
Percentile
Annual Wage
Hourly Equivalent
10th (entry level)
$49,090
$23.60
25th
$63,080
$30.33
50th (median)
$76,400
$36.73
75th
$89,340
$42.95
90th
$103,720
$49.87
Average (mean)
$77,130
$37.08
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, for Dietitians and Nutritionists (all industries). Hourly figures are annual wages divided by 2,080 hours. “Not published” means BLS withheld the estimate, usually because wages are above its top reporting limit.
Quick Answer: Registered Dietitian Salary
Metric
Amount
Average annual salary
$77,130
Average hourly wage
$33.50
Entry-level salary
$52,000
Top 10% earn
$95,000+
Total employed
79,000
Registered Dietitian Salary by State
Rank
State
Avg Salary
Starting Salary
Median Salary
1
California
$98,780
$72,780
$98,850
2
Alaska
$87,810
$70,100
$87,980
3
New Jersey
$87,460
$62,670
$84,450
4
Oregon
$86,210
$65,400
$84,180
5
Washington
$85,170
$62,100
$84,220
6
New York
$84,760
$62,100
$82,480
7
District of Columbia
$84,530
$50,010
$82,150
8
Hawaii
$84,050
$65,330
$81,920
9
Arkansas
$83,050
$44,700
$65,540
10
Massachusetts
$82,390
$63,310
$76,660
11
Connecticut
$82,260
$61,570
$80,600
12
West Virginia
$81,860
$55,350
$89,440
13
Delaware
$81,180
$57,810
$78,060
14
Maryland
$80,860
$61,470
$77,800
15
Vermont
$80,280
$61,960
$77,450
16
Colorado
$78,730
$59,840
$75,510
17
Minnesota
$77,620
$62,660
$77,540
18
Illinois
$77,060
$51,330
$73,520
19
Rhode Island
$75,820
$51,060
$71,300
20
Virginia
$75,730
$44,940
$77,380
21
Georgia
$74,860
$47,250
$73,200
22
Wisconsin
$74,320
$58,040
$74,930
23
Nevada
$73,910
$35,820
$69,030
24
Florida
$73,270
$49,920
$76,050
25
New Mexico
$72,860
$56,260
$74,730
26
Montana
$72,750
$60,280
$71,580
27
Texas
$72,670
$40,040
$74,440
28
North Dakota
$72,550
$59,860
$70,040
29
Maine
$72,160
$35,360
$64,610
30
Iowa
$71,310
$50,720
$72,690
31
Louisiana
$71,130
$49,230
$70,460
32
Kansas
$71,110
$56,320
$66,830
33
Nebraska
$71,090
$57,340
$70,160
34
South Carolina
$69,800
$40,630
$69,970
35
Idaho
$69,790
$47,870
$71,610
36
North Carolina
$69,050
$48,910
$67,560
37
Alabama
$68,920
$50,970
$66,190
38
Ohio
$68,690
$36,970
$69,530
39
Oklahoma
$68,270
$39,580
$69,560
40
South Dakota
$68,220
$50,260
$64,890
41
Pennsylvania
$68,000
$43,370
$67,410
42
Tennessee
$67,910
$40,860
$67,620
43
Michigan
$67,750
$48,420
$66,850
44
Wyoming
$67,640
$42,770
$64,370
45
New Hampshire
$67,420
$33,280
$71,840
46
Indiana
$66,780
$43,050
$66,450
47
Utah
$66,410
$35,860
$65,310
48
Missouri
$66,330
$43,980
$65,450
49
Kentucky
$65,570
$31,820
$69,520
50
Mississippi
$65,160
$42,810
$63,700
51
Arizona
$64,960
$43,150
$64,410
—
National
$77,130
$49,090
$76,400
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 estimates, fetched 2026-09-29. Figures cover Dietitians and Nutritionists (cross-industry). Some states are omitted where BLS did not publish a reliable estimate.
Registered Dietitian Salary by Specialty
Specialty
Average Salary
Renal dietitian
$80,000
Oncology dietitian
$78,000
Sports dietitian
$75,000
Eating disorder specialist
$74,000
Diabetes educator
$72,000
Pediatric dietitian
$70,000
Clinical dietitian
$68,000
Community/public health
$62,000
School nutrition
$58,000
Private practice
$50,000-$120,000+
Registered Dietitian Salary by Setting
Setting
Average Salary
Outpatient care center
$78,500
Hospital
$72,450
Specialty practice
$71,200
Government/military
$70,890
Consulting/private practice
$60,000-$120,000
Nursing home/SNF
$68,450
Community health
$62,300
School nutrition
$58,000
Food industry
$75,000+
Registered Dietitian Salary by Experience
Experience
Average Salary
Entry level (< 1 year)
$52,000
1-3 years
$58,000
3-5 years
$65,000
5-10 years
$72,000
10-15 years
$78,000
15+ years
$85,000+
Director/manager
$90,000-$110,000
How to Become a Registered Dietitian
Step
Time Required
Cost
Bachelor’s degree in dietetics
4 years
$40,000-$160,000
Master’s degree (required 2024+)
2 years
$20,000-$60,000
ACEND-accredited internship
6-24 months
$3,000-$25,000
RD exam (CDR)
1 day
$200
State licensure
Varies
$50-$200
Total
6-8 years
$63,000-$245,000
Registered Dietitian Certifications
Certification
Description
Salary Premium
RD (Required)
Commission on Dietetic Registration
Baseline
CNSC
Nutrition support
+$3,000-$5,000
CSR
Renal nutrition
+$4,000-$6,000
CSO
Oncology nutrition
+$3,000-$5,000
CSSD
Sports dietetics
+$5,000-$8,000
CDE
Diabetes educator
+$3,000-$5,000
Registered Dietitian Salary After Taxes
Gross Salary
Federal Income Tax
Social Security + Medicare
Take-Home Before State Tax
Monthly
$52,000
$4,060
$3,978
$43,962
$3,664
$77,130
$8,139
$5,900
$63,091
$5,258
$80,000
$8,770
$6,120
$65,110
$5,426
$95,000
$12,070
$7,268
$75,662
$6,305
2026 federal income tax for a single filer taking the standard deduction ($16,100), plus Social Security and Medicare. Not included: state and local income tax, retirement contributions and other pre-tax deductions. For your own situation, use the take-home pay calculator.
WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.
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