• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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.

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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)
133,410	0.7 %	$ 32.78	$ 68,190	0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Respiratory Therapists:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 22.78	$ 28.50	$ 29.73	$ 37.13	$ 45.93
Annual Wage (2)	$ 47,380	$ 59,280	$ 61,830	$ 77,240	$ 95,540

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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	102,480	1.83	$ 33.00	$ 68,640
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	7,450	2.76	$ 32.00	$ 66,560
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	4,940	0.35	$ 30.25	$ 62,920
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	2,700	0.40	$ 29.07	$ 60,460
Offices of Physicians	2,300	0.09	$ 30.19	$ 62,790

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	7,450	2.76	$ 32.00	$ 66,560
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	102,480	1.83	$ 33.00	$ 68,640
Rental and leasing services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only)	2,200	0.76	$ 26.04	$ 54,160
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	2,700	0.40	$ 29.07	$ 60,460
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	4,940	0.35	$ 30.25	$ 62,920

Top paying industries for Respiratory Therapists:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers	2,130	0.22	$ 46.38	$ 96,470
Employment Services	1,780	0.05	$ 42.02	$ 87,410
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	670	0.02	$ 34.60	$ 71,970
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	102,480	1.83	$ 33.00	$ 68,640
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	80	0.03	$ 32.93	$ 68,490

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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.

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	16,530	1.00	1.06	$ 44.55	$ 92,660
Texas	10,810	0.88	0.93	$ 31.34	$ 65,200
Florida	8,340	0.97	1.02	$ 29.37	$ 61,090
New York	6,590	0.76	0.80	$ 40.15	$ 83,510
Ohio	6,060	1.17	1.23	$ 30.09	$ 62,580

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)
Kentucky	3,060	1.66	1.76	$ 26.54	$ 55,190
Mississippi	1,730	1.57	1.66	$ 25.03	$ 52,060
West Virginia	1,030	1.56	1.65	$ 26.52	$ 55,160
Alabama	2,590	1.34	1.42	$ 25.46	$ 52,950
Louisiana	2,410	1.34	1.42	$ 27.78	$ 57,780

Top paying states for Respiratory Therapists:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	16,530	1.00	1.06	$ 44.55	$ 92,660
Alaska	150	0.50	0.53	$ 40.16	$ 83,530
New York	6,590	0.76	0.80	$ 40.15	$ 83,510
Hawaii	310	0.57	0.60	$ 38.53	$ 80,140
Massachusetts	2,260	0.67	0.70	$ 37.73	$ 78,470

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	6,960	0.80	0.85	$ 41.45	$ 86,220
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	6,020	1.05	1.11	$ 42.30	$ 87,980
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	4,010	0.95	1.00	$ 31.30	$ 65,100
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	2,950	1.02	1.07	$ 32.63	$ 67,870
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	2,930	1.10	1.17	$ 34.23	$ 71,200
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	2,800	0.78	0.82	$ 33.24	$ 69,140
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	2,550	1.04	1.10	$ 29.55	$ 61,470
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	2,490	1.17	1.24	$ 31.64	$ 65,820
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	2,100	1.17	1.23	$ 29.39	$ 61,140
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,990	0.77	0.81	$ 30.98	$ 64,440

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	200	3.26	3.44	$ 27.19	$ 56,560
Jonesboro, AR	170	3.08	3.25	$ 24.31	$ 50,560
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA	110	2.79	2.94	$ 29.28	$ 60,900
Gainesville, FL	350	2.60	2.75	$ 26.06	$ 54,200
Victoria, TX	90	2.48	2.62	$ 28.80	$ 59,900
Dothan, AL	130	2.30	2.42	$ 23.97	$ 49,850
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH	280	2.29	2.42	$ 27.27	$ 56,710
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	370	2.26	2.39	$ 27.63	$ 57,470
Jackson, MS	550	2.25	2.38	$ 26.31	$ 54,730
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL	100	2.25	2.38	$ 26.62	$ 55,380