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The national median salary for Respiratory Therapists is $80,454 per year ($38.68/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $68,411 and $95,534 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $108,826 per year. There are approximately 136,420 respiratory therapists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+12.1%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
9K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
140K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
19% from new growth81% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
101K
$80,670
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals
NAICS 622300
8K
$80,600
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
NAICS 623100
5K
$75,910
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
NAICS 621300
5K
$91,360
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
3K
$75,240
Wage range across top 5 industries: $75,240 to $91,360 (21% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.76
$61,901
P25
$32.89
$68,411
P50MEDIAN
$38.68
$80,454
P75
$45.93
$95,534
P90
$52.32
$108,826
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average respiratory therapists salary?
The national median salary for Respiratory Therapists is $80,454 per year ($38.68/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $68,411 and $95,534 annually.
How much do top-earning respiratory therapists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Respiratory Therapists is $108,826 per year ($52.32/hr). The 75th percentile is $95,534 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for respiratory therapists?
Entry-level Respiratory Therapists (10th percentile) earn approximately $61,901 per year ($29.76/hr). The 25th percentile is $68,411 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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