Dietitians

Employment of dietitians and nutritionists will grow by 8 percent, much faster than the average for all careers, through 2029, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has caused diet and nutrition specialists to focus even more attention on safe and nutritious food for people. Dietitians continue to be needed to provide guidance on healthy diets. Employment growth of dietitians is also expected to continue because of the public's increasing awareness of the importance of nutrition. Another is the fact that the average age of the population is increasing rapidly, which will bring about a growing need for nutritional counseling and planning in hospitals, residential care facilities, schools, prisons, community health programs, and home health care agencies. A third factor is that obesity in America continues to rise, from 31 percent of U.S. adults obese in 2000, to more than 42 percent of U.S. adults obese in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control. This is prompting growing demand for dietitians to help obese people live healthier lives.