Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between dietary aides and nutritionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a dietary aide and a nutritionist. Additionally, a nutritionist has an average salary of $49,877, which is higher than the $28,005 average annual salary of a dietary aide.
The top three skills for a dietary aide include patients, meal trays and food service. The most important skills for a nutritionist are patients, public health, and wic program.
| Dietary Aide | Nutritionist | |
| Yearly salary | $28,005 | $49,877 |
| Hourly rate | $13.46 | $23.98 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 44,494 | 698 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A dietary aide is responsible for assisting food preparations and ensuring that the meals adhere to an individual's specific diet plans. Dietary aides must strictly follow sanitation standards and hygiene procedures to guarantee the safety and quality of the service. They also help in facilitating kitchen maintenance, keeping every area clean and organized. Dietary aides must also have comprehensive knowledge of nutritional guidelines to provide information and share suggestions as necessary to improve the service and preparations.
A nutritionist is a health professional who helps patients choose the right things to eat and advise them on the health effects of certain foods. By being experts in food and nutrition, nutritionists assess a patient's dietary habits and create plan menus for them. They usually work closely with patients who have medical issues such as diabetes or those undergoing chemotherapy. Nutritionists are also required to speak to students or employees about the importance of good nutrition and preventing health problems through proper foods.
Dietary aides and nutritionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dietary Aide | Nutritionist | |
| Average salary | $28,005 | $49,877 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $30,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Lifespan | Cargill |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Finance |
There are a few differences between a dietary aide and a nutritionist in terms of educational background:
| Dietary Aide | Nutritionist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Dietetics |
| Most common college | - | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between dietary aides' and nutritionists' demographics:
| Dietary Aide | Nutritionist | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 15.8% Female, 84.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 9.9% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |