Occupation salary profile

Respiratory Therapists

SOC 29-1126 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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 median · BLS
$82,280
▲ +2.27% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$73,186
▲ +8.87% YoY · 10 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$87,300
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
139,790
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Respiratory Therapists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 10 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$63,660$63,368
25th$74,520$67,226
Median (50th)$82,280$73,186
75th$98,730$82,316
90th — top pay$118,050$86,332
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $73,186 for Respiratory Therapists — 11.1% below the BLS national median of $82,280.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Respiratory Therapists

BLS projects employment of respiratory therapists to grow 8.5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 8,600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
142,000 → 154,200
+12,100 jobs
Projected change
+8.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
8,600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
No related experience required
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need an associate's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $73,186
Change vs prior year +8.87%
After inflation (CPI-U) +5.57%
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Respiratory Therapists

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Monitoring4.0
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Social Perceptiveness3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Service Orientation3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.6
  • Active Learning3.4
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.4
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.7
  • Medicine and Dentistry4.4
  • Public Safety and Security4.2
  • English Language4.0
  • Psychology3.9
  • Mechanical3.9
  • Biology3.8
  • Administration and Management3.6
Software and technology used
eClinicalWorks EHR softwareMEDITECH softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordDatabase softwareElectronic medical record EMR softwareHMS

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What respiratory therapists do

  • Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
  • Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
  • Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
  • Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
  • Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
  • Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.
  • Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
  • Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
Also called
CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist)Diagnostics RRT (Diagnostics Registered Respiratory Therapist)Licensed CRT (Licensed Certified Respiratory Therapist)Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)CRRT (Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist)Infant RT (Infant Respiratory Therapist)Licensed RT (Licensed Respiratory Therapist)Registered Respiratory Care Practitioner (Registered RCP)Registered Respiratory PractitionerRRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist)
More job titles for this occupation (6)
Hospital RT (Hospital Respiratory Therapist)Inhalation TherapistNICU RT (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Respiratory Therapist)Oxygen TherapistTravel RRT (Travel Registered Respiratory Therapist)Travel RT (Travel Respiratory Therapist)

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.