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Role hub · Dietetic Technicians

Dietetic Technician: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of dietetic technicians earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$37,640
Hourly
$18.09
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Dietetic Technicians assist in the provision of food service and nutritional programs, under the supervision of a dietitian. The median pay is $37,640 a year ($18.09 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is an associate's degree (35% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$37,640
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
31,560
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Most common education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
35% of workers
Key facts

Dietetic Technicians at a glance

  • Dietetic technicians in the United States earned a median annual wage of $37,640 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for dietetic technicians in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of dietetic technicians in the United States to grow 2.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 31,560 people were employed as dietetic technicians in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Dietetic Technicians

SalaryDietetic Technician salary

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The work

What dietetic technicians do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Observe and monitor patient food intake and body weight, and report changes, progress, and dietary problems to dietician.
  2. Conduct nutritional assessments of individuals, including obtaining and evaluating individuals' dietary histories, to plan nutritional programs.
  3. Prepare a major meal, following recipes and determining group food quantities.
  4. Supervise food production or service or assist dietitians or nutritionists in food service supervision or planning.
  5. Plan menus or diets or guide individuals or families in food selection, preparation, or menu planning, based upon nutritional needs and established guidelines.
  6. Develop job specifications, job descriptions, or work schedules.
  7. Attend interdisciplinary meetings with other health care professionals to discuss patient care.
  8. Provide dietitians with assistance researching food, nutrition, or food service systems.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all dietetic technician jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Hospitals; state, local, and private41.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $44,500
  2. Nursing and residential care facilities39.1% of all jobs in this occupation · -0.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $36,050
  3. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals5.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $45,540
  4. Administrative and support services4.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $33,420
  5. Ambulatory healthcare services3.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +14.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $47,190
  6. Food services and drinking places2.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $37,790

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

SpeakingcoreActive ListeningcoreSocial PerceptivenesscoreInstructingService OrientationComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingReading ComprehensionWriting

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Mathematics, Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management.

Tools and technology

Software dietetic technicians use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • MEDITECH softwareMedical softwareHot technology
  • Axxya Systems Nutritionist ProAnalytical or scientific software
  • Computrition Nutrition Care Management NCM SelectMedical software
  • ESHA Research The Food ProcessorAnalytical or scientific software
  • Food Service Solutions FoodCoInventory management software
  • GnutritionAnalytical or scientific software
  • NutriGenie Optimal NutritionAnalytical or scientific software
  • Patient electronic medical record EMR softwareMedical software
  • The Nutrition Company FoodWorksAnalytical or scientific software
  • Microsoft AccessData base user interface and query softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology

Also called: Cook Chill Technician (CCT), Diet Assistant, Diet Clerk, Diet Tech (Diet Technician), Diet Tech (Dietetic Technician), Diet Technician Registered (DTR).

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.