SOC 29-1126.00Bright outlook

    Respiratory Therapists

    Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders.

    Median pay
    $82,280
    Growth
    +8.5%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    8,600
    Typical education
    Associate's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $63,660
    Median
    $82,280
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $118,050
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    139,790 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Respiratory therapists evaluate, treat, and care for patients who have breathing disorders. This healthcare career offers a median annual pay of $82,280 and is projected to grow much faster than average.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What respiratory therapists do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    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.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities. On a daily basis, they initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures, select and operate specialized equipment, and maintain detailed patient records. They also supervise respiratory therapy technicians. The work requires a strong realistic interest, meaning a preference for hands-on, practical activities.

    To succeed, therapists rely on key skills like active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, and complex problem solving. They must gather information, make decisions, and solve problems under pressure. Their daily tasks involve assisting and caring for others, inspecting equipment, and communicating clearly with supervisors and peers.

    This role demands deep knowledge of medicine, biology, customer service, and public safety. Because they work directly with patients in critical situations, therapists must exhibit work styles such as attention to detail, dependability, stress tolerance, self-control, and empathy. They must also be cautious and highly adaptable to changing patient needs.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, individuals typically need an associate's degree. This career is classified as requiring medium preparation, which usually involves vocational training, an associate degree, or related work experience. Students preparing for this career often major in allied health diagnostic, intervention, and treatment professions.

    Professional certifications are available through the National Board for Respiratory Care, including the Certified Respiratory Therapist and the Registered Respiratory Therapist credentials. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, so candidates should check local state guidelines. Related careers in the healthcare field include paramedics, acute care nurses, radiation therapists, and physical therapist assistants.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for respiratory therapists is $82,280. The lowest 10 percent of earners in this field make less than $63,660, while the highest 10 percent earn more than $118,050.

    With 139,790 people currently employed, the field is projected to grow by 8.5 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in approximately 8,600 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    67 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    62 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    65 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    11 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    49 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RSI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    97
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    95
    Getting Information
    95
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    94
    Documenting/Recording Information
    93
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    85
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    85
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    84
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    83
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    81
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Service Orientation
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Active Learning
    • Judgment and Decision Making

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Public Safety and Security
    • English Language
    • Psychology
    • Mechanical
    • Biology
    • Administration and Management
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Physics

    Abilities

    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Information Ordering
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Written Comprehension
    • Near Vision
    • Written Expression
    • Speech Clarity

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cooperation
    • Self-Control
    • Empathy
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Adaptability
    • Perseverance

    Also called

    CRRT (Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist) · CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist) · Diagnostics RRT (Diagnostics Registered Respiratory Therapist) · Hospital RT (Hospital Respiratory Therapist) · Infant RT (Infant Respiratory Therapist) · Inhalation Therapist · Licensed CRT (Licensed Certified Respiratory Therapist) · Licensed RT (Licensed Respiratory Therapist) · NICU RT (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Respiratory Therapist) · Oxygen Therapist

    Career pathway

    From your interests to respiratory therapists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Respiratory Therapists$82,280 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Wagner College logo
      Wagner College

      Staten Island, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $156,982
      Median debt
      $27,000
    2. 2St. John's University-New York logo
      St. John's University-New York

      Queens, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $102,500
      4 yrs after
      $142,774
      Median debt
      $23,325
    3. 3John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences logo
      John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences

      South Bend, IN · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $112,673
      4 yrs after
      $122,061
      Median debt
      $23,437
    4. 4Saint Francis University logo
      Saint Francis University

      Loretto, PA · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $115,813
      Median debt
      $28,000
    5. 5D'Youville University logo
      D'Youville University

      Buffalo, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $113,290
      4 yrs after
      $114,737
      Median debt
      $30,703
    6. 6Molloy College logo
      Molloy College

      Rockville Centre, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $90,567
      4 yrs after
      $111,267
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7Salisbury University logo
      Salisbury University

      Salisbury, MD · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $75,312
      4 yrs after
      $109,739
      Median debt
      $23,250
    8. 8Long Island University logo
      Long Island University

      Brookville, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $90,526
      4 yrs after
      $107,539
      Median debt
      $22,000

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What respiratory therapists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    51 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about respiratory therapists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for respiratory therapists?

    People in this profession are also called inhalation therapists, oxygen therapists, hospital respiratory therapists, or certified respiratory therapists. Specialized roles include neonatal intensive care unit respiratory therapists and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation respiratory therapists.

    What is the job outlook for this career?

    The career is projected to grow 8.5 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth will generate about 8,600 job openings each year.

    What certifications are available for respiratory therapists?

    Therapists can earn the Certified Respiratory Therapist or the Registered Respiratory Therapist credentials. Both of these certifications are offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.