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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

29-1126 Respiratory Therapists

Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment.


National estimates for Respiratory Therapists
Industry profile for Respiratory Therapists
Geographic profile for Respiratory Therapists

National estimates for Respiratory Therapists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Respiratory Therapists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
129,910 0.6 % $ 35.73 $ 74,310 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Respiratory Therapists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 24.99 $ 29.93 $ 33.91 $ 39.23 $ 48.33
Annual Wage (2) $ 51,970 $ 62,260 $ 70,540 $ 81,610 $ 100,520


Industry profile for Respiratory Therapists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Respiratory Therapists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Respiratory Therapists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Respiratory Therapists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 97,800 1.75 $ 35.69 $ 74,240
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 7,720 2.85 $ 34.90 $ 72,600
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 4,950 0.37 $ 33.54 $ 69,770
Employment Services 3,280 0.08 $ 50.55 $ 105,130
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 2,490 0.35 $ 30.58 $ 63,610

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Respiratory Therapists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 7,720 2.85 $ 34.90 $ 72,600
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 97,800 1.75 $ 35.69 $ 74,240
Rental and leasing services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only) 2,460 0.75 $ 28.62 $ 59,520
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 4,950 0.37 $ 33.54 $ 69,770
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 2,490 0.35 $ 30.58 $ 63,610

Top paying industries for Respiratory Therapists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises 80 (7) $ 51.34 $ 106,780
Employment Services 3,280 0.08 $ 50.55 $ 105,130
Outpatient Care Centers 1,930 0.19 $ 49.83 $ 103,640
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 110 0.03 $ 41.86 $ 87,070
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 220 (7) $ 41.08 $ 85,450


Geographic profile for Respiratory Therapists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Respiratory Therapists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Respiratory Therapists, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of respiratory therapists by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Respiratory Therapists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 15,730 0.89 1.02 $ 46.23 $ 96,150
Texas 11,450 0.88 1.00 $ 35.54 $ 73,930
Florida 8,600 0.93 1.06 $ 33.04 $ 68,710
New York 6,530 0.72 0.82 $ 43.95 $ 91,410
Ohio 5,820 1.08 1.23 $ 33.43 $ 69,540


Map of location quotient of respiratory therapists by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Respiratory Therapists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 1,120 1.65 1.87 $ 29.17 $ 60,670
Kentucky 3,070 1.62 1.84 $ 29.04 $ 60,410
Mississippi 1,550 1.37 1.56 $ 27.34 $ 56,870
Louisiana 2,480 1.34 1.53 $ 30.19 $ 62,790
Alabama 2,490 1.24 1.41 $ 27.08 $ 56,330


Map of annual mean wages of respiratory therapists by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Respiratory Therapists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 15,730 0.89 1.02 $ 46.23 $ 96,150
New York 6,530 0.72 0.82 $ 43.95 $ 91,410
Alaska 160 0.52 0.59 $ 42.54 $ 88,490
District of Columbia 290 0.41 0.47 $ 41.46 $ 86,250
Washington 2,430 0.71 0.81 $ 41.41 $ 86,130



Map of employment of respiratory therapists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Respiratory Therapists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 6,750 0.74 0.84 $ 45.40 $ 94,440
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 5,310 0.87 0.99 $ 44.24 $ 92,010
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,710 0.84 0.96 $ 34.81 $ 72,400
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 3,080 0.81 0.92 $ 37.70 $ 78,410
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,010 0.99 1.12 $ 37.23 $ 77,430
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,600 0.94 1.07 $ 36.60 $ 76,120
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 2,570 0.98 1.12 $ 32.97 $ 68,570
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 2,320 1.04 1.19 $ 34.37 $ 71,500
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,260 0.83 0.94 $ 39.54 $ 82,240
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,870 1.00 1.14 $ 31.88 $ 66,310


Map of location quotient of respiratory therapists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Respiratory Therapists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Morgantown, WV 260 4.09 4.66 $ 31.74 $ 66,020
Victoria, TX 110 2.83 3.23 $ 30.50 $ 63,440
Saginaw, MI 210 2.71 3.09 $ 30.67 $ 63,800
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA 110 2.66 3.03 $ 30.56 $ 63,570
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 370 2.22 2.53 $ 29.45 $ 61,250
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 100 2.18 2.48 $ 29.06 $ 60,440
Texarkana, TX-AR 120 2.10 2.40 $ 32.57 $ 67,750
Tyler, TX 220 2.07 2.36 $ 32.06 $ 66,690
Rome, GA 80 2.07 2.36 $ 33.69 $ 70,080
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 250 1.96 2.23 $ 30.40 $ 63,230


Map of annual mean wages of respiratory therapists by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Respiratory Therapists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,690 0.71 0.80 $ 56.28 $ 117,060
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,080 0.97 1.10 $ 55.82 $ 116,100
Santa Rosa, CA 180 0.89 1.01 $ 51.80 $ 107,750
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 170 1.22 1.39 $ 51.72 $ 107,570
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 1,120 1.09 1.24 $ 50.24 $ 104,500
Modesto, CA 220 1.18 1.34 $ 47.15 $ 98,080
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 80 0.67 0.76 $ 46.89 $ 97,530
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 130 0.62 0.70 $ 45.50 $ 94,630
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 6,750 0.74 0.84 $ 45.40 $ 94,440
Stockton-Lodi, CA 260 0.93 1.06 $ 44.98 $ 93,570

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Respiratory Therapists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 340 0.88 1.00 $ 29.59 $ 61,550
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 300 0.93 1.06 $ 29.86 $ 62,100
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 290 1.77 2.02 $ 26.87 $ 55,890
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 290 1.29 1.47 $ 25.08 $ 52,170
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 290 1.54 1.76 $ 28.89 $ 60,100

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Respiratory Therapists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 240 2.42 2.75 $ 25.36 $ 52,750
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 260 1.78 2.02 $ 27.73 $ 57,670
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 290 1.77 2.02 $ 26.87 $ 55,890
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 290 1.54 1.76 $ 28.89 $ 60,100
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 280 1.54 1.75 $ 26.15 $ 54,380

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Respiratory Therapists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 110 1.07 1.22 $ 46.09 $ 95,870
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 40 0.40 0.45 $ 44.58 $ 92,730
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 40 0.40 0.46 $ 44.34 $ 92,230
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 60 0.95 1.08 $ 43.57 $ 90,630
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 90 0.89 1.01 $ 40.32 $ 83,860


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023