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The differences between dietitians and personal trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a dietitian, becoming a personal trainer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a dietitian has an average salary of $58,480, which is higher than the $37,214 average annual salary of a personal trainer.
The top three skills for a dietitian include patients, medical nutrition therapy and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a personal trainer are CPR, customer service, and resuscitation.
| Dietitian | Personal Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,480 | $37,214 |
| Hourly rate | $28.12 | $17.89 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 6,164 | 34,023 |
| Job satisfaction | 2.5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A dietitian's role is to assist clients in their journey to achieve their health goals. Typically, a dietitian's responsibilities revolve around interviewing and assessing a client's diet needs and goals, learning their preferences and restrictions such as allergies, and crafting a personalized nutrition plan. Moreover, it is essential for a dietitian to monitor a client's progress and maintain information on all accounts. There are also instances where one may promote healthy eating habits to the public, all while keeping abreast of the latest nutrition studies.
A personal trainer is responsible for monitoring the client's fitness goals by assisting the client with specific and customized routines and exercises to promote healthy well-being. Duties of a personal trainer also include evaluating the client's fitness progress, creating safe programs to improve the client's stamina, educating the client with workout benefits, suggesting on a client's best nutrition plans, and motivating clients with their capabilities. A personal trainer should have excellent knowledge of the fitness industry to support the client's needs.
Dietitians and personal trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dietitian | Personal Trainer | |
| Average salary | $58,480 | $37,214 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $78,000 | Between $26,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | University of California | AEA Investors |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Retail |
There are a few differences between a dietitian and a personal trainer in terms of educational background:
| Dietitian | Personal Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Dietetics | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | University of Maryland - College Park | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between dietitians' and personal trainers' demographics:
| Dietitian | Personal Trainer | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3% | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 9.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 13% |