Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018
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.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 129,600 |
1.1 % |
$30.05 |
$62,500 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$21.03 |
$24.73 |
$28.98 |
$34.98 |
$40.15 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$43,750 |
$51,430 |
$60,280 |
$72,760 |
$83,520 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
98,960 |
1.78 |
$30.08 |
$62,570 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
7,480 |
2.86 |
$30.95 |
$64,380 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
6,070 |
0.38 |
$30.09 |
$62,590 |
| Offices of Physicians |
2,890 |
0.11 |
$29.35 |
$61,050 |
| Rental and Leasing Services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only) |
2,620 |
0.77 |
$26.03 |
$54,130 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
7,480 |
2.86 |
$30.95 |
$64,380 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
98,960 |
1.78 |
$30.08 |
$62,570 |
| Rental and Leasing Services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only) |
2,620 |
0.77 |
$26.03 |
$54,130 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
6,070 |
0.38 |
$30.09 |
$62,590 |
| Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1,190 |
0.18 |
$28.04 |
$58,330 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
270 |
(7) |
$37.20 |
$77,380 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
1,260 |
0.14 |
$36.54 |
$76,000 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
440 |
0.01 |
$36.24 |
$75,370 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
7,480 |
2.86 |
$30.95 |
$64,380 |
| Employment Services |
(8) |
(8) |
$30.50 |
$63,450 |
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
17,260 |
1.01 |
1.13 |
$38.29 |
$79,640 |
| Texas |
11,250 |
0.93 |
1.04 |
$28.81 |
$59,930 |
| Florida |
8,200 |
0.95 |
1.06 |
$27.86 |
$57,960 |
| Ohio |
6,200 |
1.14 |
1.28 |
$27.32 |
$56,830 |
| Pennsylvania |
5,810 |
0.99 |
1.11 |
$27.39 |
$56,970 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| West Virginia |
1,020 |
1.46 |
1.63 |
$24.24 |
$50,420 |
| Mississippi |
1,500 |
1.34 |
1.49 |
$23.66 |
$49,220 |
| Indiana |
4,010 |
1.32 |
1.47 |
$26.74 |
$55,610 |
| Kentucky |
2,480 |
1.31 |
1.46 |
$23.99 |
$49,890 |
| Alabama |
2,450 |
1.26 |
1.41 |
$24.41 |
$50,770 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
6,890 |
1.13 |
1.26 |
$36.23 |
$75,360 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
5,870 |
0.62 |
0.69 |
$37.92 |
$78,870 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
3,320 |
0.93 |
1.04 |
$29.99 |
$62,370 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
3,320 |
0.71 |
0.80 |
$30.41 |
$63,250 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
2,840 |
1.00 |
1.11 |
$29.92 |
$62,220 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
2,640 |
1.02 |
1.14 |
$27.95 |
$58,150 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
2,530 |
0.85 |
0.95 |
$29.24 |
$60,810 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
2,300 |
0.86 |
0.96 |
$29.19 |
$60,720 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
2,070 |
1.05 |
1.17 |
$27.35 |
$56,890 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
2,020 |
0.83 |
0.93 |
$44.40 |
$92,350 |
United States Department of Labor
