Respiratory therapists

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Total Workforce

107k

Average Age

44.6

Estimated Job Growth

23.3%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$60,095

Average Male Salary

$68,906

Average Female Salary

$54,738

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

About

Respiratory therapists are most often employed by the Hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Respiratory therapists was $60,095 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Respiratory therapists by wage are Other healthcare practitioners & technical Occupations, Firstline supervisors of correctional officers, and Speechlanguage pathologists.

Respiratory therapists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, Physicians & surgeons, Physician assistants, Podiatrists, Occupational therapists, Physical therapists, Radiation therapists, Recreational therapists, Respiratory therapists, Speechlanguage pathologists, Other therapists, including exercise physiologists, Veterinarians, Registered nurses, Nurse anesthetists, Audiologists, Health diagnosing & treating practitioners, all other, Nurse practitioners & nurse midwives, Clinical laboratory technologists & technicians, Dental hygienists, Diagnostic related technologists & technicians, Emergency medical technicians & paramedics, Health practitioner support technologists & technicians, Licensed practical & licensed vocational nurses, Medical records & health information technicians, Opticians, dispensing, Miscellaneous health technologists & technicians, and Other healthcare practitioners & technical Occupations

The top 3 locations that employ the most Respiratory therapists are Monroe County PUMA, MI and Allen County PUMA, OH. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Respiratory therapists are Monroe County PUMA, MI and Allen County PUMA, OH.

Photo by COD Newsroom

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

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Respiratory therapists and on wages and locations for those in the field. 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 Outpatient care centers. Respiratory therapists are paid most in Monroe County PUMA, MI but are relatively concentrated in Monroe County PUMA, MI.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$60,095

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,461

In 2017, Respiratory therapists earned an average of $60,095, $8,030 more than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Other healthcare practitioners & technical Occupations make somewhat more than Respiratory therapists while Firstline supervisors of correctional officers 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

0.238

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Respiratory therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.238, 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

  1. Monroe County PUMA, MI

  2. Galveston, Texas City & La Marque Cities PUMA, TX

  3. Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY

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

  1. Monroe County PUMA, MI

  2. Allen County PUMA, OH

  3. Harrison, Marion, Taylor & Doddridge Counties PUMA, WV

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 Hospitals, Nursing Care Facilities, and Offices of physicians.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Respiratory therapists, by average wage, are Outpatient care centers, Other health care services, and Hospitals.

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Industries by Share

107k

2017 Workforce

± 8,018

-8.97%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.4%

The number of people employed as Respiratory therapists has been declining at a rate of -8.97%, from 117,261 people in 2016 to 106,743 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Respiratory therapists employed by various industries. Hospitals employs the largest share of Respiratory therapists at  91.8%, followed by Nursing Care Facilities with 1.93% and Offices of physicians with 1.01%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Respiratory therapists in the US. The average age of male Respiratory therapists in the workforce is 46.4 and of female Respiratory therapists is 43.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Respiratory therapists is White.

Gender Composition

40.4k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,932

66.4k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 6,324

62.2% 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

  1. White

  2. Black

  3. Asian

72.1% of Respiratory therapists are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 14.6% of Respiratory therapists, Black 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

46.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.49

43.5

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.12

The median age of Respiratory therapists is 44.6, and Male employees are generally 2.99 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

  1. Health

  2. Biology

  3. Business

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Health

  2. Interdisciplinary Studies

  3. Biology

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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.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Respiratory therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Respiratory therapists are expected to see a growth of 23.3% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

23.3%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Respiratory therapists. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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