How Much Does a Nutritionist Make?
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- Nutritionists can launch their careers with a bachelor's degree and field experience.
- States vary on certification and licensing requirements for dietitians and nutritionists.
- A nutritionist's salary depends on their location, specialty, and industry.
- A certified nutritionist's salary can exceed $80,000.
If you’re looking to make a comfortable living by giving food recommendations, you might consider a career as a nutritionist.
Nutritionists advise patients on healthy eating habits, which can include developing meal plans to treat diseases or conditions like obesity and anorexia. For those services, nutritionists earned a median of $66,450 per year as of 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Nutritionists must have a bachelor's degree to enter the field, and most states also require nutritionists to hold certification or licensure. Many nutritionists go on to pursue a master's degree. As of January 2024, the minimum degree requirement for dietitians changed from a bachelor's to a master's.
Clinical nutritionists working in healthcare must have supervised field experience. Other popular nutritionist jobs include community nutritionists and management dietitians.
Featured Online Nutrition Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
What Is the Average Nutritionist's Salary?
The average nutritionist's salary in the U.S. was $69,350 in May 2022, with the top 10% of earners making just over $95,000, according to the BLS. Individual salaries, however, are dependent on things like location, qualifications, and experience — similar to any job in the U.S.
The setting a nutritionist works in is also a key determinant of their pay. For example, per the BLS, you can make $10,000 more working at an outpatient care facility than if you were a nutritionist at a nursing home.
Beginner nutritionists likely enter the field with a bachelor's degree to gain experience. However, you’ll likely want to earn a master's degree if you are chasing a higher-paying nutritionist job.
Are Nutritionists In Demand?
The BLS projects faster-than-average growth of 7% for nutritionist jobs from 2022-2032. While that outpaces the national average of 3% for all jobs, it’s down slightly from years prior. The BLS projected 11% job growth for the occupation in 2020.
Many upcoming nutritionist jobs will likely stem from the increasing demand for preventative healthcare, especially for diet-related illnesses including diabetes and heart disease.
How Much Do Nutritionists Make by State?
Nutritionist salaries can vary widely based on what state you live in. Ten of the 12 states where nutritionists make the most, on average, lie along the East or West Coast of the U.S.
It’s important, however, to keep in mind that the cost of living in each state plays a significant role in median salaries.
Nutritionist Median Salary by State, 2022
Expand for Complete Nutritionist Salary Data
| State | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $60,320 |
| Montana | $60,840 |
| Alaska | $74,340 |
| Nebraska | $63,180 |
| Arizona | $65,440 |
| Nevada | $64,300 |
| Arkansas | $53,990 |
| New Hampshire | $67,840 |
| California | $80,270 |
| New Jersey | $80,140 |
| Colorado | $74,700 |
| New Mexico | $63,960 |
| Connecticut | $75,680 |
| New York | $76,640 |
| Delaware | $63,420 |
| North Carolina | $60,110 |
| District of Columbia | $85,380 |
| North Dakota | $64,820 |
| Florida | $63,240 |
| Ohio | $62,650 |
| Georgia | $61,660 |
| Oklahoma | $61,850 |
| Hawaii | $77,490 |
| Oregon | $75,160 |
| Idaho | $62,530 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,320 |
| Illinois | $63,970 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,790 |
| Indiana | $61,700 |
| Rhode Island | $67,590 |
| Iowa | $61,360 |
| South Carolina | $61,610 |
| Kansas | $62,590 |
| South Dakota | $60,030 |
| Kentucky | $61,910 |
| Tennessee | $61,490 |
| Louisiana | $62,290 |
| Texas | $63,690 |
| Maine | $67,630 |
| Utah | $59,170 |
| Maryland | $71,770 |
| Vermont | $72,900 |
| Massachusetts | $66,050 |
| Virginia | $68,940 |
| Michigan | $63,680 |
| Washington | $75,570 |
| Minnesota | $66,530 |
| West Virginia | $68,310 |
| Mississippi | $52,000 |
| Wisconsin | $62,650 |
| Missouri | $59,590 |
| Wyoming | $63,510 |
Featured Online Nutrition Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Where Can I Make the Most Money as a Nutritionist?
A nutritionist's workplace address can have a significant impact on their bi-weekly paycheck. The gap between the highest- and lowest-paying states for nutritionists is nearly $30,000 per year. In the U.S., the District of Columbia and Maine paid nutritionists the most with annual mean wages of $85,380 and $82,480, respectively, in 2022.
Highest-Paying States for Nutritionists
The states below pay nutritionists the highest salaries. These states tend to have a higher cost of living, which can help partially explain the higher pay.
Three of the five states with the highest median nutritionist salaries — California, New Jersey, and Connecticut — also ranked within the top five for states with the highest cost of living in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Hawaii and New York ranked 13th and eighth, respectively, in cost of living.
| State | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $85,380 |
| California | $80,270 |
| New Jersey | $80,140 |
| Hawaii | $77,490 |
| New York | $76,640 |
| Connecticut | $75,680 |
Highest-Paying Metropolitan Areas for Nutritionists
California boasts the second-highest median salary for nutritionists, and unsurprisingly, the state is also home to the five highest-paying metropolitan areas in the U.S.
Not only are all five metro areas located within the state, but they are all within a two-hour drive of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Vallejo-Fairfield, California | $102,680 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California | $102,660 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California | $97,760 |
| Santa Rosa, California | $91,960 |
| Modesto, California | $89,540 |
Highest-Paying Nonmetropolitan Areas for Nutritionists
California regions again boast some of the highest nutritionist salaries in the U.S., this time for nonmetropolitan areas. Outside of the state, areas of Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont reported median salaries significantly more than the national average for nutritionists.
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North Valley-Northern Mountains, California | $85,710 |
| North Coast, California | $81,930 |
| Hawaii/Kauai | $79,700 |
| Southwest Maine | $77,230 |
| Southern Vermont | $76,800 |
Highest-Paying Industries for Nutritionists
The data below outlines which industries pay the highest salaries to nutritionists and dietitians, according to the BLS. Health and personal care retailers, including pharmacies and drug retailers, paid nutritionists the highest median salaries in 2022.
| Industry | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Health and Personal Care Retailers | $84,430 |
| Federal Government | $81,660 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $76,980 |
| Administrative and Support Services | $75,620 |
| Insurance Carriers and Related Activities | $75,100 |
How Can I Increase My Salary as a Nutritionist?
There are several ways to increase your salary as a nutritionist, but some of the most direct pathways include continuing your education, pursuing additional certification, or changing industries entirely.
Earn an Advanced Degree or Credential
Earning an advanced degree generally leads to higher earnings in the U.S.
The National Center for Education Statistics found that the median salary in 2021 for someone with a master’s degree or higher was 21.1% higher than for someone with just a bachelor’s degree. The median salary was 65.8% higher than for someone with just an associate degree.
Choose a Specialty
Choosing a niche nutritionist specialty may increase your salary. While many nutritionists focus on clinical or community nutritionist jobs coming out of college, they may eventually look to specialize along a certain path. Specializing may require going back to school to pursue a concentration.
Common subspecialties include:
- Oncology Nutritionist: $61,000 (December 2023)
- Renal Nutritionist: $69,470 (January 2024)
- Gerontological Nutritionist: $55,810 (January 2024)
- Animal Nutritionist: $69,280 (January 2024)
Editor's note: Some of the salary numbers above reported by Payscale may be based on relatively small samples, and potential salaries could vary widely depending on the employer.
Change Industries
The pharmaceutical and nutrition industries are increasingly collaborative in their approach to developing and marketing products. This trend means nutritionists are often paid a top salary by employers in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing for their expertise.
Featured Online Nutrition Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nutritionist Salary
Do nutritionists make good money?
Generally speaking, a nutritionist's salary is high enough to lead to a comfortable lifestyle.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer to what defines "comfortable living," but one metric we can use is 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. That would mean that a family of two would need to make at least $61,320 annually, based on 2024 guidelines. The median annual salary for a nutritionist was $66,450 in 2022, which clears that bar.
Which nutritionist jobs pay the most?
While nutritionist salaries vary by experience, location, and education, professionals who work in outpatient care centers earned a median annual salary of $75,860 in 2022. As in most healthcare settings, clinical nutritionists can earn higher-than-average salaries through private practice.
How much do animal nutritionists make?
Animal nutritionists make $69,280 annually, on average, according to data from Payscale.
This nutritionist specialty works with all kinds of animals -- including domestic, farm, and zoo animals -- to develop diet and nutrition plans. They may also be involved in the development of animal feed formulas to meet the nutritional needs of varying types of animals.
What is the highest salary a nutritionist can make?
Location seemingly has the biggest impact on nutritionist salaries in the U.S. California ranks as the highest-paying state for nutritionists in the nation, paying a yearly wage of more than $80,000 in 2022.
Even within the state, however, salaries can vary. Nutritionists in the Vallejo-Fairfield area of California -- northeast of San Francisco -- earned the highest median salary overall of metro locations listed, at $85,710 in 2022, according to the BLS.
Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges. Page last reviewed February 28, 2024.
