SOC 29-1031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Dietitians and Nutritionists — Hickory
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC · 10 metro areas compared
In Hickory, NC the median wage is $64,460.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +5.5%
- Openings per year
- 6,200
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
12.2% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Hickory, NC the median wage is $64,460. That is 15.6% lower than the national median of $76,400. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $57,770 and $74,560. The lowest tenth earn under $46,480, while the highest tenth earn more than $79,910.
Employment stands at 80, or 0.5 jobs per thousand held locally. Fayetteville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $77,210. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 98th of 385 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $46,480 | −39.2% |
| 25th | $57,770 | −24.4% |
| Median (50th) | $64,460 | −15.6% |
| 75th | $74,560 | −2.4% |
| 90th | $79,910 | +4.6% |
| Mean | $65,150 | −14.7% |
Other metro areas in North Carolina
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fayetteville | $77,210 | 130 | |
| 2 | Charlotte | $74,930 | 680 | |
| 3 | Durham | $74,630 | 340 | |
| 4 | Asheville | $74,380 | 130 | |
| 5 | Raleigh | $69,210 | 400 | |
| 6 | Goldsboro | $67,270 | 30 | |
| 7 | Greenville | $66,410 | 130 | |
| 8 | Greensboro | $63,910 | 130 | |
| 9 | Winston-Salem | $63,910 | 180 | |
| 10 | Wilmington | $62,080 | 160 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Hickory run 11.5% below the national average, so the median of $64,460 goes as far as $72,836 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 4.7% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$64,460as reported by BLSLocal price level
88.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$72,836US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $64,460 a year, 15.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $46,480 to $79,910 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 80 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Fayetteville, at $77,210.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Dietitians and Nutritionists in Hickory, NC?
The median annual wage is $64,460, or $30.99 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $76,400, so pay in Hickory, NC is 15.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Hickory, NC earns more than $79,910 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $46,480 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Fayetteville, at $77,210 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 80 jobs in this occupation in Hickory, NC. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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