Dietitians and Nutritionists vs Exercise Physiologists: $76K vs $59K Median Pay

Dietitians and Nutritionists vs Exercise Physiologists: what changes?

Consider Dietitians and Nutritionists if you want to plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. Consider Exercise Physiologists if you would rather assess, plan, or implement fitness programs that include exercise or physical activities such as those designed to improve cardiorespiratory function, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, or…. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Dietitians and Nutritionists and Exercise Physiologists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Dietitians and Nutritionists

National median pay (2025): $76,400
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate: Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 5,700

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Dietitians and Nutritionists brief

Exercise Physiologists

National median pay (2025): $59,460
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,400

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (21,200 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Exercise Physiologists brief

How the national numbers differ

Dietitians and Nutritionists has the edge on annual openings

Dietitians and Nutritionists is at 5,700 annual openings, compared with 1,400 annual openings for Exercise Physiologists.

Dietitians and Nutritionists has the edge on median pay

Dietitians and Nutritionists is at $76,400, compared with $59,460 for Exercise Physiologists.

Typical preparation differs.

Dietitians and Nutritionists: Bachelor's degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements Exercise Physiologists: Bachelor's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Exercise Physiologists has the edge on projected growth

Exercise Physiologists is at 12.8% projected growth, compared with 7.7% projected growth for Dietitians and Nutritionists.

59.2/ 100

Dietitians and Nutritionists

49.6/ 100

Exercise Physiologists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Dietitians and Nutritionists vs Exercise Physiologists

Dimension	Dietitians and Nutritionists	Exercise Physiologists
Median pay (2025)	$76,400	$59,460
Pay percentile	66.7 percentile	47 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	7.7%	12.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	5,700	1,400
2025 employment	86,300	21,200
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Dietitians and Nutritionists brief Read Exercise Physiologists brief

Dietitians and Nutritionists vs Exercise Physiologists: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Dietitians and Nutritionists

Exercise Physiologists

How the national numbers differ

Dietitians and Nutritionists has the edge on annual openings

Dietitians and Nutritionists has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Exercise Physiologists has the edge on projected growth

Dietitians and Nutritionists vs Exercise Physiologists

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