Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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)
113,980 1.1 % $27.05 $56,260 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $19.55 $22.63 $26.56 $31.29 $35.77
Annual Wage (2) $40,660 $47,070 $55,250 $65,080 $74,400


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 87,520 1.69 $26.87 $55,880
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 5,420 2.46 $27.91 $58,050
Nursing Care Facilities 3,580 0.21 $28.76 $59,820
Employment Services 2,740 0.09 $30.29 $63,000
Offices of Physicians 2,620 0.11 $26.92 $55,990

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 5,420 2.46 $27.91 $58,050
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 87,520 1.69 $26.87 $55,880
Consumer Goods Rental 1,990 1.11 $24.24 $50,430
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 1,890 0.27 $28.03 $58,300
Nursing Care Facilities 3,580 0.21 $28.76 $59,820

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 1,030 0.04 $32.24 $67,060
Local Government (OES Designation) 210 (7) $30.45 $63,340
Employment Services 2,740 0.09 $30.29 $63,000
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $30.26 $62,940
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing 110 0.09 $29.67 $61,720


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 14,130 1.01 1.13 $33.62 $69,930
Texas 10,230 0.99 1.12 $25.59 $53,230
Florida 7,060 0.99 1.11 $24.97 $51,930
New York 5,900 0.70 0.79 $31.40 $65,310
Ohio 5,690 1.14 1.29 $24.75 $51,480




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)
Kentucky 2,170 1.25 1.41 $21.53 $44,790
Tennessee 3,220 1.24 1.39 $22.67 $47,150
Mississippi 1,280 1.19 1.34 $22.78 $47,390
Indiana 3,280 1.19 1.34 $24.74 $51,450
West Virginia 820 1.17 1.32 $21.84 $45,420




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 14,130 1.01 1.13 $33.62 $69,930
Nevada 730 0.66 0.74 $32.34 $67,270
Hawaii 310 0.54 0.61 $32.16 $66,890
New Jersey 2,570 0.68 0.77 $32.11 $66,790
Connecticut 1,310 0.81 0.91 $31.73 $66,000





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-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 4,130 1.08 1.22 $31.79 $66,110
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 3,540 0.70 0.79 $33.53 $69,730
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,700 0.75 0.85 $26.03 $54,150
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 2,430 0.95 1.07 $26.81 $55,760
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,950 0.96 1.08 $26.43 $54,980
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,890 1.04 1.17 $29.77 $61,930
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 1,790 0.80 0.90 $25.39 $52,810
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 1,550 0.91 1.03 $25.78 $53,610
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,490 1.31 1.47 $30.91 $64,300
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 1,460 1.05 1.19 $33.77 $70,240




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV 130 2.99 3.36 $24.60 $51,160
Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 240 2.95 3.32 $26.01 $54,090
Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL 110 2.55 2.87 $22.59 $46,990
Lima, OH 110 2.36 2.66 $23.16 $48,180
Morgantown, WV 130 2.27 2.55 $23.16 $48,180
Rochester, MN 220 2.25 2.53 $31.78 $66,100
Bowling Green, KY 130 2.25 2.53 $21.83 $45,420
Dothan, AL 130 2.21 2.49 $24.30 $50,540
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 90 2.13 2.40 $26.03 $54,140
Chico, CA 140 2.11 2.38 $32.50 $67,590




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 610 0.70 0.78 $40.08 $83,360
Salinas, CA 110 0.71 0.79 $39.93 $83,050
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 180 1.51 1.70 $39.71 $82,590
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 900 0.94 1.06 $38.43 $79,940
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA 700 0.87 0.98 $37.64 $78,290
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 980 1.03 1.16 $36.70 $76,330
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 160 0.92 1.04 $35.75 $74,360
Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 390 0.70 0.79 $35.65 $74,150
Waterbury, CT 110 1.67 1.88 $35.42 $73,670
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 120 0.89 1.00 $34.43 $71,610

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 360 0.94 1.06 $21.98 $45,720
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 270 0.92 1.03 $24.36 $50,660
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 260 0.93 1.05 $22.25 $46,270
Other Ohio nonmetropolitan area 250 0.93 1.05 $24.05 $50,030
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 230 1.28 1.44 $20.40 $42,430

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 170 1.55 1.75 $22.47 $46,740
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 230 1.55 1.75 $19.64 $40,840
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 170 1.49 1.67 $19.59 $40,750
Western New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 90 1.44 1.63 $31.11 $64,720
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 140 1.43 1.61 $23.53 $48,940

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 50 0.88 0.99 $34.74 $72,250
Upper Eastern Shore nonmetropolitan area 50 0.77 0.87 $32.53 $67,650
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 80 0.88 0.99 $32.29 $67,160
Western New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 90 1.44 1.63 $31.11 $64,720
North Central Colorado nonmetropolitan area 40 0.51 0.57 $31.02 $64,520


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012