Respiratory therapists

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Total Workforce

111k

Average Age

44.3

Average Salary

$57,200

Average Male Salary

$67,027

Average Female Salary

$52,310

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Respiratory therapists are most often employed by the General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Respiratory therapists was $57,200 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Respiratory therapists by wage are Other engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, Tax examiners & collectors, & revenue agents, and Precision instrument & equipment repairers.

Respiratory therapists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Respiratory therapists are Cape Coral City PUMA, FL, Johnson, Lafayette, Ray, Clinton & Caldwell Counties PUMA, MO, and Belmont & Jefferson Counties PUMA, OH. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Respiratory therapists are Belmont & Jefferson Counties PUMA, OH, Johnson, Lafayette, Ray, Clinton & Caldwell Counties PUMA, MO, and Cape Coral City PUMA, FL.

Photo by COD Newsroom

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Respiratory therapists and on wages and locations for those in the field. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals is the industry that employs the most Respiratory therapists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Respiratory therapists, by average wage, is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals. Respiratory therapists are paid most in Greater Fort Myers City PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Belmont & Jefferson Counties PUMA, OH.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$57,200

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,759

In 2018, Respiratory therapists earned an average of $57,200, $3,312 more than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Precision instrument & equipment repairers make somewhat more than Respiratory therapists while Other engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Respiratory therapists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.248

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Respiratory therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.248, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Respiratory therapists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Respiratory therapists.

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Respiratory therapists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Respiratory therapists.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Respiratory therapists, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Offices of physicians, and Nursing Care Facilities.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Respiratory therapists, by average wage, are Outpatient care centers, Other health care services, Hospitals, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Health & personal care, except drug, stores , and Home health care services.

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Industries by Share

111k

2018 Workforce

± 8,177

4.01%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.1%

The number of people employed as Respiratory therapists has been growing at a rate of 4.01%, from 106,743 people in 2017 to 111,020 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Respiratory therapists employed by various industries. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals employs the largest share of Respiratory therapists at 87.2%, followed by Offices of physicians with 3.33% and Nursing Care Facilities with 2%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Respiratory therapists in the US. The average age of male Respiratory therapists in the workforce is 46.8 and of female Respiratory therapists is 43.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Respiratory therapists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

36.9k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,715

74.1k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 6,683

66.8% of Respiratory therapists are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Respiratory therapists.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Respiratory therapists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

65% of Respiratory therapists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 12.1% of Respiratory therapists, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Respiratory therapists.

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Age by Gender

46.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.63

43.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.06

The median age of Respiratory therapists is 44.3, and Male employees are generally 3.65 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Education

Data on higher education choices for Respiratory therapists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Respiratory therapists is Health but a relatively high number of Respiratory therapists hold a major in Health.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Respiratory therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Respiratory therapists need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Monitoring. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Respiratory therapists need more than the average amount of Repairing, Science, and Equipment Maintenance.