Dietitians and Nutritionists
Also called: Clinical Dietitian, Dietitian, Nutritionist, Registered DietitianPlan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. May supervise activities of a department providing quantity food services, counsel individuals, or conduct nutritional research.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 19 of its 28 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 7.7% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 69% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $66,190 | $60,940 to $77,700 | 780 |
| Alaska | $87,980 | $78,330 to $97,510 | 130 |
| Arizona | $64,410 | $43,150 to $78,780 | 1,800 |
| Arkansas | $65,540 | $56,450 to $83,050 | 650 |
| California | $98,850 | $83,270 to $110,660 | 8,720 |
| Colorado | $75,510 | $65,170 to $87,920 | 1,640 |
| Connecticut | $80,600 | $68,830 to $90,020 | 860 |
| Delaware | $78,060 | $65,650 to $95,320 | 290 |
| District of Columbia | $82,150 | $77,210 to $98,430 | 270 |
| Florida | $76,050 | $62,990 to $82,040 | 4,370 |
| Georgia | $73,200 | $62,200 to $83,280 | 2,020 |
| Guam | $60,260 | $43,060 to $77,460 | 40 |
| Hawaii | $81,920 | $76,370 to $94,070 | 370 |
| Idaho | $71,610 | $59,790 to $78,430 | 420 |
| Illinois | $73,520 | $62,800 to $83,010 | 2,840 |
| Indiana | $66,450 | $56,830 to $78,040 | 1,670 |
| Iowa | $72,690 | $62,960 to $80,100 | 630 |
| Kansas | $66,830 | $61,870 to $79,510 | 580 |
| Kentucky | $69,520 | $50,010 to $78,880 | 1,040 |
| Louisiana | $70,460 | $61,940 to $80,880 | 800 |
| Maine | $64,610 | $45,230 to $87,820 | 510 |
| Maryland | $77,800 | $70,490 to $86,900 | 1,430 |
| Massachusetts | $76,660 | $71,540 to $94,530 | 2,860 |
| Michigan | $66,850 | $57,800 to $78,530 | 2,370 |
| Minnesota | $77,540 | $68,020 to $85,140 | 1,180 |
| Mississippi | $63,700 | $48,280 to $77,060 | 540 |
| Missouri | $65,450 | $58,030 to $76,860 | 1,700 |
| Montana | $71,580 | $63,380 to $78,540 | 230 |
| Nebraska | $70,160 | $60,230 to $80,930 | 570 |
| Nevada | $69,030 | $62,970 to $89,230 | 560 |
| New Hampshire | $71,840 | $38,300 to $83,400 | 440 |
| New Jersey | $84,450 | $75,570 to $98,530 | 2,870 |
| New Mexico | $74,730 | $62,320 to $78,320 | 500 |
| New York | $82,480 | $72,040 to $98,100 | 5,330 |
| North Carolina | $67,560 | $59,770 to $78,690 | 2,780 |
| North Dakota | $70,040 | $64,060 to $79,980 | 270 |
| Ohio | $69,530 | $60,390 to $79,110 | 3,060 |
| Oklahoma | $69,560 | $52,000 to $83,390 | 1,230 |
| Oregon | $84,180 | $75,350 to $99,660 | 700 |
| Pennsylvania | $67,410 | $54,810 to $78,850 | 4,270 |
| Puerto Rico | $47,210 | $43,070 to $56,670 | 560 |
| Rhode Island | $71,300 | $64,600 to $86,680 | 360 |
| South Carolina | $69,970 | $58,960 to $79,620 | 950 |
| South Dakota | $64,890 | $59,470 to $77,830 | 210 |
| Tennessee | $67,620 | $57,780 to $77,880 | 1,230 |
| Texas | $74,440 | $60,960 to $84,570 | 5,320 |
| Utah | $65,310 | $50,110 to $81,610 | 1,120 |
| Vermont | $77,450 | $71,510 to $89,990 | 160 |
| Virginia | $77,380 | $59,750 to $88,700 | 1,510 |
| Washington | $84,220 | $72,230 to $99,940 | 1,450 |
| West Virginia | $89,440 | $71,270 to $92,390 | 520 |
| Wisconsin | $74,930 | $65,580 to $82,170 | 1,330 |
| Wyoming | $64,370 | $44,120 to $83,920 | 120 |
Nationally: $76,400. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 19 of its 28 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life. | 0.11% |
| Not much | Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans. | Not published |
| AI alone | Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations. | Not published |
| Not much | Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation. | 0.08% |
| AI + software | Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client. | Not published |
See all 28 tasks
| Not much | Record and evaluate patient and family health and food history, including symptoms, environmental toxic exposure, allergies, medication factors, and preventive health-care measures. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Develop recipes and menus to address special nutrition needs, such as low glycemic, low histamine, or gluten- or allergen-free. | 0.02% |
| AI + software | Coordinate diet counseling services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, conduct, and evaluate dietary, nutritional, and epidemiological research. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan and conduct training programs in dietetics, nutrition, and institutional management and administration for medical students, health-care personnel, and the general public. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop curriculum and prepare manuals, visual aids, course outlines, and other materials used in teaching. | Not published |
| AI + software | Write research reports and other publications to document and communicate research findings. | Not published |
| Not much | Select, train, and supervise workers who plan, prepare, and serve meals. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop policies for food service or nutritional programs to assist in health promotion and disease control. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inspect meals served for conformance to prescribed diets and standards of palatability and appearance. | Not published |
| Not much | Test new food products and equipment. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor food service operations to ensure conformance to nutritional, safety, sanitation and quality standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Purchase food in accordance with health and safety codes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Organize, develop, analyze, test, and prepare special meals, such as low-fat, low-cholesterol, or chemical-free meals. | Not published |
| AI + software | Manage quantity food service departments or clinical and community nutrition services. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise food service managers and organizations on sanitation, safety procedures, menu development, budgeting, and planning to assist with establishment, operation, and evaluation of food service facilities and nutrition programs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Plan, conduct, and evaluate nutrigenomic or nutrigenetic research. | Not published |
| AI alone | Make recommendations regarding public policy, such as nutrition labeling, food fortification, or nutrition standards for school programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare and administer budgets for food, equipment, and supplies. | Not published |
| AI alone | Plan and prepare grant proposals to request program funding. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Coordinate recipe development and standardization and develop new menus for independent food service operations. | Not published |
| Not much | Confer with design, building, and equipment personnel to plan for construction and remodeling of food service units. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 6 of the 28 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 28 tasks fall under 23 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #20 Present research or technical information
- #21 Interpret language, cultural, or religious information for others
- #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
- and 4 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Present research or technical information |
Show all 23 activities
| Interpret language, cultural, or religious information for others | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Compile records, documentation, or other data | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Analyze biological or chemical substances or related data | |||
| Develop recipes or menus | |||
| Develop research plans or methodologies | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Develop public or community health programs |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A recipe or meal plan36%
- Advice or a recommendation22%
- An explanation or answer11%
- A document or report7%
- Data or a spreadsheet5%
How they worked with Claude
4% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for dietitians and nutritionists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 44,975 moves out
- 1 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 7%
- 2 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 6%
- 3 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 4%
- 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Where people moved in from
of 32,452 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 8%
- 2 Fast Food and Counter Workers Moderate +5.8% 6%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 4 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 4%
- 5 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 3% associate's
- 10% bachelor's
- 53% post-bachelor's certificate
- 33% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 30 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 9% high school
- 7% some college
- 4% associate's
- 38% bachelor's
- 32% master's
- 7% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,150 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
8 programs, such as Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General, Human Nutrition and Foodservice Systems Administration/Management.
See all
- Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
- Human Nutrition
- Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, Other
- Nutrition Sciences
- Dietetics/Dietitian
- Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist
- Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
90.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 62.4% | 5.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/29-1031.00