Careers / Respiratory Therapists
Respiratory Therapists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$82,280
United States, 2025
Employment
139,790
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 29-1126.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$63,660
25th percentile
$74,520
75th percentile
$98,730
90th percentile
$118,050
Most important skills
- Monitoring4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Service Orientation3.8
- Complex Problem Solving3.6
- Active Learning3.4
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4
- Coordination3.3
- Writing3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Coordination | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Science | 3.0 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Operation and Control | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $265,930
Compare with Respiratory TherapistsSupplemental
National median $358,550
Compare with Respiratory TherapistsSupplemental
National median $335,550
Compare with Respiratory TherapistsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $149,680 | 1,060 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $136,200 | 190 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $134,880 | 70 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $134,430 | 1,140 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $130,220 | 2,010 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $123,220 | 200 | 2025 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $112,430 | 90 | 2025 |
| DC | $111,950 | 430 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $110,490 | 7,010 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $108,600 | 130 | 2025 |
| NY | $107,810 | 7,010 | 2025 |
| Kiryas Joel, NY | $106,910 | 240 | 2025 |
| Reno, NV | $105,140 | 180 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $105,040 | 1,430 | 2025 |
| CA | $104,820 | 18,650 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $104,670 | 60 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $104,640 | 7,010 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $104,580 | 1,560 | 2025 |
| Salem, OR | $104,360 | 130 | 2025 |
| Atlantic City, NJ | $104,350 | 110 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Respiratory Therapists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.