Dietetic Technicians
US occupation · SOC 29-2051
Job titles people report: Cook Chill Technician (CCT), Diet Assistant, Diet Clerk, Diet Tech (Diet Technician), Diet Tech (Dietetic Technician), Diet Technician Registered (DTR), Dietary Aide, Dietetic Assistant, Dietetic Technician Registered (DTR), Nutrition Technician
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $37,640
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $33,880 – $45,750
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 31,560
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +2.7%
- Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 4,200
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- Associate's degree
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Assist in the provision of food service and nutritional programs, under the supervision of a dietitian. May plan and produce meals based on established guidelines, teach principles of food and nutrition, or counsel individuals.
Main tasks
- Observe and monitor patient food intake and body weight, and report changes, progress, and dietary problems to dietician.
- Conduct nutritional assessments of individuals, including obtaining and evaluating individuals' dietary histories, to plan nutritional programs.
- Prepare a major meal, following recipes and determining group food quantities.
- Supervise food production or service or assist dietitians or nutritionists in food service supervision or planning.
- Plan menus or diets or guide individuals or families in food selection, preparation, or menu planning, based upon nutritional needs and established guidelines.
- Develop job specifications, job descriptions, or work schedules.
- Attend interdisciplinary meetings with other health care professionals to discuss patient care.
- Provide dietitians with assistance researching food, nutrition, or food service systems.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- Associate's degree
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Social: helping, teaching and caring for people
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 5 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Health & Nursing
- Dietetics/Dietitian
- Dietetic Technician
- Dietitian Assistant
Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Health & Nursing at the Major step.
Where many students take health & nursing
- Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City, UT · 26% of degrees · 155,088 undergraduates
- Grand Canyon UniversityPhoenix, AZ · 33% of degrees · 73,371 undergraduates
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityManchester, NH · 8% of degrees · 163,164 undergraduates
- The University of Texas at ArlingtonArlington, TX · 36% of degrees · 32,294 undergraduates
- University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL · 13% of degrees · 59,146 undergraduates
- University of South FloridaTampa, FL · 17% of degrees · 37,207 undergraduates
Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.
Other fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer these fields as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for them here.
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
- Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Nutrition Sciences
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Dietitians and Nutritionists
$76,400 median · +7.7% projected
- Health Education Specialists
$64,070 median · +5.6% projected
- Home Health Aides
$35,800 median · +18.1% projected
- Psychiatric Technicians
$45,130 median · +22.3% projected
- Community Health Workers
$51,850 median · +12.7% projected
- Exercise Physiologists
$59,460 median · +12.8% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk