Respiratory Therapist Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

About 102,000 respiratory therapists are working in the US. Unemployment for workers ranks very low among occupations in the US. In 2008, 1% of employees were not able to find jobs.

Area Job Conditions

Popular cities for respiratory therapists include Kokomo (Indiana), Cumberland (Maryland), and Lima (Ohio), and the least popular are Raleigh (North Carolina), Fayetteville (Arkansas), and Fargo (North Dakota).

Workers looking for high paying jobs should consider Salinas (California), San Jose (California), and Bethesda (Maryland), and avoid Dalton (Georgia), Joplin (Missouri), and Jackson (Tennessee).

Training and Education

Employees often get an associate degree before beginning their career. About 28% of respiratory therapists have four year degrees. Workers that went to college (but did not get a bachelor's degree) are about 71% of the total. Some employees, about 1%, did not pursue education beyond high-school. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Part-time respiratory therapists are 15% of the total. Among workers, about 1% are self-employed.

Respiratory Therapists Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of respiratory therapists compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for respiratory therapists.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$47,000	490
Mobile	$48,000	150
Montgomery	$47,000	120
Gadsden	$44,000	40

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$61,000	130

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$46,000	1,890
Tucson	$41,000	310
Kingman	$54,000	80
Yuma	$51,000	50

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$51,000	510
Fort Smith	$45,000	70
Fayetteville	$45,000	60
Jonesboro	$42,000	40

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Riverside	$60,000	1,320
Santa Ana	$65,000	1,230
San Diego	$65,000	870
Sacramento	$65,000	630
Oakland	$74,000	600
San Jose	$78,000	590
San Francisco	$65,000	470
Modesto	$63,000	300
Fresno	$64,000	270
Bakersfield	$49,000	230
Stockton	$64,000	180
Visalia	$63,000	160
Oxnard	$62,000	140
Santa Rosa	$68,000	120
Salinas	$77,000	70
Santa Barbara	$66,000	70
Redding	$52,000	50
Napa	$64,000	50
Merced	$65,000	40

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$53,000	880
Boulder	$53,000	100
Fort Collins	$53,000	80

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$59,000	370
Bridgeport	$61,000	240
New Haven	$62,000	210
Norwich	$61,000	90

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$59,000	290

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$60,000	1,110

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$45,000	1,020
Miami	$52,000	960
Orlando	$50,000	870
Fort Lauderdale	$53,000	600
Jacksonville	$47,000	490
West Palm Beach	$51,000	290
Cape Coral	$53,000	270
Deltona	$49,000	210
Gainesville	$46,000	200
Sarasota	$48,000	190
Palm Bay	$42,000	160
Pensacola	$44,000	150
Tallahassee	$48,000	110
Naples	$53,000	90
Ocala	$47,000	80
Punta Gorda	$50,000	80
Port St Lucie	$50,000	70
Sebastian	$54,000	50
Fort Walton Beach	$45,000	40

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$52,000	1,610
Augusta	$48,000	320
Macon	$49,000	210
Columbus	$51,000	100
Rome	$43,000	70
Dalton	$40,000	40
Valdosta	$47,000	40

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$58,000	290

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$44,000	320

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$54,000	2,790
Peoria	$47,000	180
Rockford	$56,000	140
Champaign	$50,000	60
Kankakee	$45,000	50

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$53,000	980
Gary	$51,000	360
Fort Wayne	$48,000	230
Evansville	$46,000	200
Kokomo	$50,000	90
Lafayette	$48,000	80
South Bend	$49,000	80
Bloomington	$52,000	70
Terre Haute	$50,000	50
Michigan City	$52,000	50

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$45,000	150
Davenport	$48,000	150
Cedar Rapids	$45,000	80
Waterloo	$42,000	50

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$48,000	260
Topeka	$46,000	90

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$46,000	630
Lexington	$46,000	320
Bowling Green	$48,000	90
Owensboro	$42,000	40

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$49,000	590
Baton Rouge	$48,000	280
Shreveport	$47,000	250
Lafayette	$50,000	150
Monroe	$45,000	120
Lake Charles	$47,000	110
Alexandria	$47,000	90
Houma	$42,000	60

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$52,000	140
Bangor	$54,000	90
Lewiston	$50,000	50

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$61,000	990
Bethesda	$72,000	210
Hagerstown	$50,000	80
Cumberland	$43,000	80
Salisbury	$71,000	50

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$63,000	1,180
Worcester	$61,000	270
Springfield	$57,000	190
Framingham	$63,000	70
Haverhill	$58,000	60
Barnstable Town	$63,000	60
Lowell	$57,000	40

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$52,000	1,080
Detroit	$51,000	790
Grand Rapids	$50,000	360
Flint	$52,000	230
Ann Arbor	$57,000	180
Saginaw	$51,000	180
Lansing	$53,000	140
Kalamazoo	$53,000	140
Battle Creek	$52,000	70

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$59,000	770
Duluth	$54,000	60

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$57,000	420
Gulfport	$41,000	100
Hattiesburg	$43,000	90
Pascagoula	$44,000	70

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$49,000	1,310
Kansas City	$48,000	950
Columbia	$49,000	190
Joplin	$37,000	110

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$50,000	490

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$64,000	440

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$50,000	80

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$62,000	590
Edison	$66,000	590
Camden	$64,000	320
Atlantic City	$63,000	120
Trenton	$67,000	100

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Cruces	$47,000	30

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$66,000	3,100
Nassau	$65,000	1,010
Buffalo	$52,000	360
Albany	$53,000	290
Rochester	$51,000	280
Syracuse	$49,000	250
Poughkeepsie	$69,000	190
Utica	$47,000	140
Binghamton	$62,000	60

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$51,000	530
Greensboro	$53,000	330
Winston Salem	$53,000	310
Durham	$52,000	270
Asheville	$48,000	210
Raleigh	$50,000	170
Hickory	$50,000	110
Greenville	$42,000	70
Rocky Mount	$48,000	50

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$47,000	30

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$51,000	970
Cincinnati	$49,000	810
Columbus	$50,000	670
Dayton	$49,000	530
Toledo	$51,000	450
Akron	$47,000	370
Canton	$47,000	230
Youngstown	$50,000	210
Lima	$46,000	120
Mansfield	$44,000	80
Springfield	$44,000	70

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$45,000	460
Tulsa	$49,000	400

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$58,000	560

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$58,000	1,430
Pittsburgh	$48,000	1,330
Harrisburg	$53,000	220
Allentown	$57,000	210
Scranton	$49,000	170
Lancaster	$54,000	140
Reading	$45,000	120
Erie	$47,000	90
Johnstown	$47,000	70

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$56,000	480

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$53,000	480
Columbia	$47,000	370
Greenville	$46,000	290
Florence	$50,000	70

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$48,000	120

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$49,000	700
Memphis	$46,000	520
Knoxville	$42,000	300
Chattanooga	$51,000	170
Kingsport	$44,000	130
Johnson City	$41,000	120
Jackson	$36,000	120
Clarksville	$43,000	30

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$51,000	1,880
Dallas	$52,000	1,440
San Antonio	$47,000	830
Austin	$51,000	660
Fort Worth	$50,000	590
El Paso	$47,000	220
Mcallen	$59,000	200
Corpus Christi	$50,000	170
Beaumont	$48,000	160
Lubbock	$46,000	150
Brownsville	$52,000	150
Odessa	$44,000	120
Tyler	$46,000	120
Longview	$48,000	90
Texarkana	$47,000	80
Victoria	$48,000	80
College Station	$50,000	50
San Angelo	$47,000	50
Sherman	$44,000	40

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$54,000	360
Provo	$52,000	120
Ogden	$52,000	100

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$52,000	80

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$53,000	470
Richmond	$52,000	430
Roanoke	$46,000	150
Lynchburg	$47,000	100
Blacksburg	$47,000	40

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$62,000	660
Tacoma	$56,000	260
Spokane	$54,000	230
Mount Vernon	$52,000	50
Kennewick	$56,000	40

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Huntington	$46,000	180
Wheeling	$44,000	110
Parkersburg	$42,000	90
Weirton	$48,000	60

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$55,000	700
Madison	$53,000	320
Green Bay	$49,000	140
La Crosse	$52,000	120
Eau Claire	$47,000	70
Oshkosh	$51,000	60
Wausau	$47,000	50
Appleton	$49,000	50
Sheboygan	$54,000	30

Our respiratory therapist career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.