Healthcare Practitioners
Respiratory Therapists
SOC 29-1126
Treat patients with breathing problems, from newborns to the critically ill.
The job
Median pay
$82k
$75k to $99k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+8.5% projected
Openings a year
9k
BLS projection
Typical education
Associate's
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
29/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
41st pct
More exposed than 41% of occupations · modeled estimate · 14th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
68/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18,650 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $105k |
| Texas | 12,130 | 0.9 | 1.0× | $80k |
| Florida | 8,820 | 0.9 | 1.0× | $81k |
| New York | 7,010 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $108k |
| Ohio | 6,640 | 1.2 | 1.3× | $80k |
| Pennsylvania | 6,530 | 1.1 | 1.2× | $78k |
| Georgia | 5,150 | 1.1 | 1.2× | $84k |
| Illinois | 4,880 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $84k |
| North Carolina | 4,630 | 0.9 | 1.0× | $80k |
| Michigan | 4,520 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $80k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 3,500 | 1.1 | 1.2× | $80k |
| Tennessee | 3,440 | 1.0 | 1.2× | $72k |
| New Jersey | 3,350 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $101k |
| Virginia | 3,340 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $83k |
| Indiana | 3,170 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $80k |
| Missouri | 3,030 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $78k |
| Kentucky | 2,530 | 1.3 | 1.4× | $73k |
| Louisiana | 2,520 | 1.3 | 1.4× | $75k |
| Alabama | 2,350 | 1.1 | 1.2× | $66k |
| Massachusetts | 2,220 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $102k |
| Colorado | 2,110 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $86k |
| Oklahoma | 2,000 | 1.2 | 1.3× | $79k |
| South Carolina | 1,960 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $78k |
| Wisconsin | 1,940 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $84k |
| Washington | 1,860 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $101k |
| Maryland | 1,800 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $89k |
| Mississippi | 1,670 | 1.4 | 1.6× | $63k |
| Kansas | 1,450 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $77k |
| Arkansas | 1,400 | 1.1 | 1.2× | $74k |
| Connecticut | 1,370 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $85k |
| Oregon | 1,340 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $101k |
| Nevada | 1,270 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $85k |
| Minnesota | 1,250 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $99k |
| Utah | 1,170 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $81k |
| West Virginia | 1,140 | 1.6 | 1.8× | $69k |
| Iowa | 910 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $75k |
| Nebraska | 840 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $82k |
| New Mexico | 840 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $69k |
| Idaho | 820 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $78k |
| Maine | 520 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $82k |
| Hawaii | 510 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $94k |
| Delaware | 500 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $91k |
| Washington DC | 430 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $112k |
| South Dakota | 430 | 0.9 | 1.1× | $68k |
| Montana | 390 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $81k |
| New Hampshire | 360 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $96k |
| North Dakota | 270 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $81k |
| Rhode Island | 260 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $87k |
| Vermont | 210 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $84k |
| Alaska | 180 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $98k |
| Wyoming | 160 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $79k |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA7,010 jobs · $105k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ7,010 jobs · $110k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX3,630 jobs · $80k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN3,620 jobs · $87k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,010 jobs · $84k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD2,990 jobs · $89k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA2,670 jobs · $96k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL2,620 jobs · $81k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Respiratory Therapists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.