This page compares two distinct NUCC-taxonomy specialties tracked by the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System: Registered Dietitian, which currently counts 64,580 enrolled providers across 55 U.S. states and territories, and Sports Dietetics Nutrition Registered Dietitian, with 255 providers across 40 states. Each clinician on these rosters selected a primary NUCC code at NPI enrollment, so the totals measure how many providers self-identify their primary practice as Registered Dietitian or Sports Dietetics Nutrition Registered Dietitian rather than the total population ever trained or credentialed in either field — dual-certified clinicians show up under whichever code they registered first.

On national volume, Registered Dietitian carries the larger provider roster (64,580 vs 255), and Registered Dietitian has the wider geographic footprint at 55 states versus 40. The top Registered Dietitian concentration sits in California (6,792 providers), while Sports Dietetics Nutrition Registered Dietitian peaks in California (31). The per-capita columns in the table below normalize each state's raw count against 2023 Census population estimates, which matters because absolute provider counts track population scale first and specialty density second — a small state with a strong training pipeline can out-rank a larger state on per-100K availability.

Use this comparison to understand relative availability, not to judge clinical substitutability — Registered Dietitian and Sports Dietetics Nutrition Registered Dietitian are distinct specialties with different scopes of practice, training requirements, and conditions they treat, even when their NUCC categories overlap. Important: PlainDoctor is a directory of publicly available CMS government data, not medical advice, a provider rating, or a recommendation about which specialty a patient should consult. Always work with a licensed clinician to determine which specialty is appropriate for your condition, verify any specific provider through the NPPES NPI Registry and the relevant state medical board, and consult the NUCC taxonomy documentation for the formal scope-of-practice definitions behind each specialty code.