National wage distribution
What is the dietetic technician salary range?
10th percentile
$29,720
One tenth of the occupation earns at or below this figure.
25th percentile
$33,880
The bottom quarter ends here.
Median
$37,640
Half earn more and half earn less.
75th percentile
$45,750
The upper quarter begins here.
90th percentile
$54,020
One tenth earns at or above this figure.
A percentile is a position, not a career stage. The tenth percentile is not a documented starting salary, and the ninetieth is not a ceiling. Experience, setting, local wage levels and the duties attached to the job title can all place a worker at a different point in the distribution.
The occupation includes Diet Technician, Diet Clerk, Diet Assistant, Nutrition Technician and Dietetic Technician Registered among its reported titles. That breadth is why the dietetic technician salary data should be read as an occupation-wide range.
State wage and employment estimates
Dietetic technician salary by state
BLS publishes complete median and employment figures for 45 states in this release. The table is ordered by median wage. These figures have not been adjusted for housing, taxes or other local costs.
| State | Median | 10th | 90th | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $54,670 | $43,580 | $61,990 | 60 |
| New York | $50,420 | $35,620 | $64,950 | 1,580 |
| Colorado | $47,810 | $37,330 | $55,160 | 230 |
| Minnesota | $47,610 | $42,900 | $63,670 | 170 |
| Washington | $47,000 | $41,820 | $62,030 | 290 |
| California | $46,410 | $36,810 | $64,020 | 6,310 |
| Arizona | $45,970 | $37,360 | $58,900 | 370 |
| Hawaii | $43,580 | $34,820 | $53,460 | 130 |
| Illinois | $42,550 | $36,490 | $49,840 | 590 |
| Maine | $42,320 | $39,260 | $50,820 | 40 |
| Connecticut | $42,040 | $35,690 | $53,770 | 330 |
| New Hampshire | $41,830 | $34,890 | $50,360 | 230 |
| Ohio | $41,380 | $31,570 | $58,170 | 660 |
| Delaware | $41,280 | $33,280 | $49,880 | 150 |
| District of Columbia | $40,810 | $38,580 | $52,670 | 190 |
| Utah | $40,580 | $34,340 | $50,000 | 890 |
| New Jersey | $40,530 | $36,640 | $57,980 | 400 |
| Montana | $40,040 | $37,060 | $47,790 | 100 |
| Massachusetts | $39,760 | $37,210 | $54,820 | 910 |
| Rhode Island | $39,400 | $35,930 | $48,670 | 50 |
| Oklahoma | $38,840 | $30,490 | $44,020 | 130 |
| Virginia | $38,790 | $27,870 | $47,530 | 460 |
| Wisconsin | $38,750 | $33,640 | $45,770 | 410 |
| Nebraska | $37,760 | $36,170 | $47,090 | 100 |
| Nevada | $37,630 | $32,390 | $48,340 | 370 |
| New Mexico | $37,580 | $35,820 | $43,030 | 100 |
| South Carolina | $36,770 | $27,630 | $39,080 | 450 |
| Michigan | $36,420 | $30,730 | $39,680 | 3,060 |
| Missouri | $36,100 | $29,560 | $43,510 | 290 |
| North Dakota | $35,890 | $28,110 | $38,900 | 90 |
| Iowa | $35,220 | $25,760 | $40,660 | 350 |
| West Virginia | $35,210 | $26,450 | $37,100 | 260 |
| Kansas | $35,060 | $32,600 | $43,060 | 140 |
| Florida | $34,740 | $31,500 | $39,540 | 2,420 |
| Georgia | $34,240 | $24,810 | $62,870 | 490 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,090 | $29,810 | $45,360 | 2,300 |
| Maryland | $33,710 | $32,290 | $43,070 | 1,670 |
| Idaho | $32,620 | $28,960 | $50,450 | 170 |
| Arkansas | $31,900 | $27,040 | $41,090 | 210 |
| Indiana | $31,660 | $27,570 | $45,820 | 690 |
| North Carolina | $31,010 | $25,340 | $41,260 | 1,300 |
| Texas | $30,280 | $23,940 | $47,800 | 1,360 |
| Kentucky | $28,970 | $22,580 | $38,250 | 430 |
| Louisiana | $28,860 | $20,800 | $36,590 | 190 |
| Mississippi | $28,690 | $22,990 | $37,790 | 120 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 29-2051. States without a complete median and employment pair are omitted from the table.
Size of the state job market
Which states employ the most dietetic technicians?
California
6,310
jobs estimated
$46,410 median
Michigan
3,060
jobs estimated
$36,420 median
Florida
2,420
jobs estimated
$34,740 median
Pennsylvania
2,300
jobs estimated
$34,090 median
Maryland
1,670
jobs estimated
$33,710 median
California has the largest published employment base in this release, at 6,310 jobs and a median of $46,410. A larger job count does not guarantee more openings, but it tells you the wage estimate rests on a broader occupation base than a state reporting a few dozen jobs.
Two separate occupations
Dietetic technician salary vs dietitian salary
SOC 29-2051
Dietetic technicians
$37,640
National median · May 2025
A support occupation that can begin with an associate degree. The direct NDTR route uses an ACEND-accredited technician program.
SOC 29-1031
Dietitians and nutritionists
$76,400
National median · May 2025
The RDN credential now requires a graduate degree, an eligible ACEND pathway, supervised practice and the dietitian exam.
The two medians are $38,760 apart, but that difference describes two occupations. It is not a measured return on one more degree or on the NDTR and RDN credentials. The jobs carry different responsibility, education and legal scope.
Read the dietitian salary distribution beside the dietetic technician career path before you compare the numbers. The shorter technician route can make sense, but it leads to a different job.
Common dietetic technician salary questions
What is the median dietetic technician salary?
What is the dietetic technician salary range?
Which state has the highest dietetic technician salary?
Does the NDTR credential increase a dietetic technician salary?
Do dietetic technicians earn the same as dietitians?
Is the hourly dietetic technician salary based on full-time work?
Sources
- Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics The body that accredits the education pathways leading to the dietetics credentialing exams.
- Commission on Dietetic Registration Issues the RDN and NDTR credentials and sets the eligibility requirements and exams.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Dietetic Technicians May 2025 national and state wage distributions and employment estimates for SOC 29-2051.
- O*NET OnLine, Dietetic Technicians Occupation definition and the job titles grouped into the federal occupation.