It’s more important now than it was before to eat healthily and avoid processed foods, which is why the best states for dietitians and nutritionists are probably also the healthiest.
Dietitians and nutritionists are the experts on food and health who advise their patients on living healthy lifestyles to achieve their goals. If you’ve ever watched The Biggest Loser or any type of show like this, you’re likely familiar with these people and the work they do, as they tend to function as consultants for the contestants to help them not only lose weight but learn how to do so in a healthy way. Dietitians and nutritionists aren’t just for weight loss; they often help people who may fall into a lower weight class develop ways to be healthier. It’s pretty common for people to eat really poorly these days and making healthy choices isn’t always easy.
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To become a dietitian or nutritionist, you have to complete a Bachelors degree in something nutrition-related, pass an exam, and acquire a license to practice. I’m surely diluting the process here a bit, but it’s a similar process to entering a lot of different fields. I think it’s also important if you’re going to enter this career that you also live a healthy lifestyle. You can’t very well tell people to eat healthily and live a certain way if you yourself don’t follow through on that. I don’t think people will listen to your advice. The same could probably be said for those living and working in the 25 Best States For Dental Hygienists.
In order to create this list of best states for dietitians and nutritionists, we collected the average salary and an estimate on how many people are working as dietitians and nutritionists in each state from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We also found the cost of living index for each state from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. It’s important to look at the cost of living in comparison to the average salary because if a state is expensive to live in, the amount of money you make matters slightly less. The best state to live in will be one with the lowest cost of living and the highest annual salary, so in order to rank these, we averaged those two criteria.
Continue reading to find out the best states for dietitians and nutritionists.
25. Georgia
Cost of Living Index: 91.4
Annual Mean Salary: $52,930
Hourly Wage: $25.44
Number of Employees: 1,760
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24. Florida
Cost of Living Index: 99.0
Annual Mean Salary: $57,430
Hourly Wage: $27.61
Number of Employees: 2,950
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23. Iowa
Cost of Living Index: 91.7
Annual Mean Salary: $53,220
Hourly Wage: $25.58
Number of Employees: 650
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22. Oregon
Cost of Living Index: 115.4
Annual Mean Salary: $67,040
Hourly Wage: $32.23
Number of Employees: 720
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21. Colorado
Cost of Living Index: 102.1
Annual Mean Salary: $59,800
Hourly Wage: $28.75
Number of Employees: 910
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20. Illinois
Cost of Living Index: 95.5
Annual Mean Salary: $56,390
Hourly Wage: $27.11
Number of Employees: 2,210
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19. Minnesota
Cost of Living Index: 101.1
Annual Mean Salary: $59,810
Hourly Wage: $28.75
Number of Employees: 1,190
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18. Nebraska
Cost of Living Index: 91.3
Annual Mean Salary: $54,030
Hourly Wage: $25.97
Number of Employees: 550
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17. Alabama
Cost of Living Index: 91.2
Annual Mean Salary: $54,000
Hourly Wage: $25.96
Number of Employees: 850
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16. Virginia
Cost of Living Index: 100.2
Annual Mean Salary: $59,380
Hourly Wage: $28.54
Number of Employees: 1,220
15. Kansas
Cost of Living Index: 90.4
Annual Mean Salary: $54,300
Hourly Wage: $26.10
Number of Employees: 600
14. Washington
Cost of Living Index: 107.1
Annual Mean Salary: $64,630
Hourly Wage: $31.07
Number of Employees: 1,160
13. Oklahoma
Cost of Living Index: 88.6
Annual Mean Salary: $53,590
Hourly Wage: $25.76
Number of Employees: 730
12. Idaho
Cost of Living Index: 89.6
Annual Mean Salary: $54,640
Hourly Wage: $26.26
Number of Employees: 270
We’re halfway through our list of best states for dietitians and nutritionists, and now, let’s see the other half.
11. Delaware
Cost of Living Index: 102.6
Annual Mean Salary: $62,760
Hourly Wage: $30.17
Number of Employees: 180
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10. Tennessee
Cost of Living Index: 89.8
Annual Mean Salary: $55,210
Hourly Wage: $26.54
Number of Employees: 990
9. Kentucky
Cost of Living Index: 90.8
Annual Mean Salary: $55,960
Hourly Wage: $26.90
Number of Employees: 850
8. West Virginia
Cost of Living Index: 95.7
Annual Mean Salary: $58,980
Hourly Wage: $28.35
Number of Employees: 360
7. Arkansas
Cost of Living Index: 88.5
Annual Mean Salary: $54,790
Hourly Wage: $26.34
Number of Employees: 460
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6. Ohio
Cost of Living Index: 93.0
Annual Mean Salary: $57,910
Hourly Wage: $27.84
Number of Employees: 2,340
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5. Michigan
Cost of Living Index: 88.2
Annual Mean Salary: $55,320
Hourly Wage: $26.59
Number of Employees: 1,760
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4. Indiana
Cost of Living Index: 87.9
Annual Mean Salary: $55,680
Hourly Wage: $26.76
Number of Employees: 1,100
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3. Nevada
Cost of Living Index: 104.5
Annual Mean Salary: $66,230
Hourly Wage: $31.84
Number of Employees: 330
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2. Texas
Cost of Living Index: 90.7
Annual Mean Salary: $59,010
Hourly Wage: $28.37
Number of Employees: 4,610
1. Mississippi
Cost of Living Index: 86.0
Annual Mean Salary: $59,810
Hourly Wage: $28.76
Number of Employees: 1,190
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That concludes our list of the best states for dietitians and nutritionists. If you’re in that career path and looking for a new place to live and work, let this list be a guide for you.
