How much do clinical dietitians make in 2026?
Clinical dietitians are counted in the BLS dietitians and nutritionists series: OEWS May 2025 reports the SOC 29-1031 national median at $76,400 a year ($36.73 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $49,090 and the top 10% at $103,720. The series pools clinical dietitians with community and food-service nutrition roles, so it is a close rather than exact match, and hospital clinical practice generally sits at or above the median. The credentialing landscape has changed materially: registration as an RDN through the Commission on Dietetic Registration now requires a graduate degree in addition to accredited supervised practice and the registration examination, which raises the entry cost of the profession without an equivalent jump in the published wage. Above the median, pay comes from specialty certification — renal, critical care, oncology, paediatric or diabetes care — and from clinical nutrition management. Employment is projected to grow 5.5% through 2034 with roughly 6,200 openings a year. → Full clinical dietitian career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $76,400 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Clinical Dietitians earn a national median $76,400/yr ($36.73/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1031); the P10 to P90 range is $49,090 to $103,720.
- BLS pools clinical dietitians with community and food-service nutrition roles in SOC 29-1031, so hospital clinical practice generally sits at or above the $76,400 median.
- RDN registration now requires a graduate degree alongside accredited supervised practice and the registration examination, raising entry cost without a matching rise in the published wage.
- Specialty certification in renal, critical care, oncology, paediatric or diabetes care plus clinical nutrition management are the routes toward the $89,340 P75 and above.
US Clinical Dietitian Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do clinical dietitians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1031; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1031, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a clinical dietitian earn at each career stage?
Dietetic pay follows registration, specialty certification and management responsibility. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 29-1031.
By State
Which states pay clinical dietitians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. State law is the practical variable here: most states license or certify dietitians and some restrict the practice of nutrition therapy to licensed practitioners, which affects both employment and private-practice scope. States with broader coverage of medical nutrition therapy also support more outpatient dietetic posts.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($87,860), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay clinical dietitians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a clinical dietitian’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does clinical dietitian pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Clinical Dietitians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify clinical dietitian wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a clinical dietitian actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Clinical Dietitian Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Clinical Dietitian career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring clinical dietitians?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Clinical Dietitian
Everything for clinical dietitians in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full clinical dietitian cluster.