Respiratory Therapists

Top scored Future-proof High pay & lowrisk
Minimal Risk
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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
7.6/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

19% (Minimal Risk)

Minimal Risk (0-20%): This occupation appears difficult to replace end-to-end with current or near-future automation, including AI software and robotics. Roles in this range usually depend on human judgement, creativity, care, leadership, specialist expertise, or adapting to messy real-world situations. AI and machines may still change parts of the work, but the occupation is likely to remain a distinct human role.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Assisting and caring for others

Very important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
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Decision-making and problem solving

Very important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
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Working directly with the public

Quite important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
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Social perceptiveness

Quite important
Why this matters
Noticing others’ emotions and reactions in the moment and adjusting what you say or do based on why they’re responding that way.
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Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
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Show 3 more strengths

Developing objectives and strategies

Quite important
Why this matters
Sets long-term goals and chooses strategies and actions to reach them, weighing tradeoffs and adapting plans as conditions change.
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Active learning

Quite important
Why this matters
Keeps learning from new information and applying it to make better decisions now and in the future, especially when situations change.
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Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
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What users think

Based on 105 votes

35% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 19% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Respiratory Therapists will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

High paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Respiratory Therapists was $80,450 ($39 per hour).

The median annual wage for Respiratory Therapists was 62.5% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Respiratory Therapists' job openings is expected to rise 12.1% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 136,420 people employed as 'Respiratory Therapists' within the United States.

This represents around 0.09% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Respiratory Therapists'.

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What people are saying (9)

Leave a comment
Mike (Low)
28 Nov 2025 04:00
Too many manual dexterity operations for ai to be able to take over.
Jeremy (Low)
03 Jul 2025 16:50
Safe due to using AI as a tool to enhance our jobs between hands on treatment using human skills and critical thinking and emotional skills that AI is yet to replicate for the foreseeable future.
Rt (No chance)
18 Jun 2023 18:43
Jobs which requires more patient interaction cannot be replaced fastly
Duh (Low)
14 Jun 2023 02:15
Lots to do that only a human can do.
RT (Highly likely)
06 Feb 2020 04:14
AI is already being utilized in many companies. Human error in the ICU are the reasons behind AI Mechanical Ventilators. PRVC and VC+ are examples. Ignorant to think AI Mechanical Ventilators aren't plausible.
Ken Wilson
26 Jul 2021 15:59
RT's (especially in ICU, PICU, NICU, ED, Burn Units, etc*) deal with rapidly changing patient conditions and situations, and are involved in a wide variety of invasive procedures, requiring flexibility amid constantly shifting priorities. I can't see AI doing intubations, ABGs, bronchoscopy, ECMO, codes, or actually doing any bedside procedure or patient interaction. I'd give it less than the predicted 7%. *And yes, I've worked in all of these in my 42 years as an RRT
Larry
02 Dec 2021 03:34
Do you realize respiratory therapists do more than respiration and ventilation?
Better RT (No chance)
18 Dec 2021 18:04
PRVC and VC+ is the same thing, just different names due to copyrights. It is a completely different way of breath delivery and has nothing to do with AI. If that were the case, then I wouldn't have to adjust the flow or ramp %. You can have just as big, if not bigger, error with a pressure breathe than you can a volume breathe. So it still comes down to who is checking the vent.
RT (No chance)
12 May 2024 06:36
What does AI mechanical ventilators have to do with RT replacement? sure it would make operating ventilators easier and even untrained people can operate them, but someone has to intubate patients, extubate them, take care of them while they're intubated. Even if the role of RTs decrease in the mechanical ventilation department, there are many other aspects of the job that's hands on work.
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Job description

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-SOC code: 29-1126.00