Respiratory Therapist
Health Science
Help patients breathe — from newborns to ICU emergencies.
Why it matters here: Critical care demand keeps DMV hospitals hiring.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Respiratory TherapistLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$74,120
- Respiratory Therapist (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$87,690
- Senior / Lead Respiratory TherapistOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$103,550
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$124,260
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Hospital ICU and floors, 12-hour rotating shifts
Where you work
You move across the whole hospital — ICU, emergency department, newborn nursery — responding wherever breathing support is needed.
Hours and schedule
Twelve-hour shifts around the clock, including nights and weekends, because ventilators don't keep office hours.
Pace and pressure
Steady rounds punctuated by emergencies; you're on the code team, so a page can reroute your entire hour.
Who you work with
Highly collaborative with intensivists and nurses; your read on a ventilator setting carries real weight.
Physical demands
Walking long hospital distances, pushing equipment, quick response to codes.
What people wear
Scrubs, plus N95 and eye protection for airway procedures.
Remote reality
On site.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Ventilator changes are explained to the bedside nurse rather than made silently.
- Therapists are expected to teach families how to use inhalers and home equipment before discharge.
- Respiratory teams are small, so covering each other's assignments is routine.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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