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Boston Career Explorer

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Dietitians and Nutritionists

Plan 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.

Also called: Clinical Dietician, Clinical Dietitian, Clinical Nutritionist, Dietitian, Nutritionist, Oncology Dietitian

Median pay in Greater Boston
$77,840
$37.43/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,000
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+4.1%
180 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
plus Internship/residency

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$64,520$72,500$77,840$94,910$107,570

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
  • Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations.
  • Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
  • Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
  • Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans.
  • Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure85 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 91
  • Language-model AIOE 90
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 74

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

Dietitians and nutritionists have higher AI exposure, and observed AI use is some. AI tools can help with reviewing health information and lab results, and with drafting diet plans. Counseling people and families and shaping plans around culture, religion, and personal preferences depend on trust and conversation. Massachusetts projects 4.1% job growth from 2024 to 2034.

Likely to change

  • Drafting dietary-care plans
  • Reviewing lab tests for recommendations

Still relies on people

  • Counseling patients and families face to face
  • Fitting plans to culture and beliefs

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

10 programs near Boston (plus 15 graduate)

Related occupations

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