# Respiratory Therapists

US SOC code 29-1126. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1126

Also called: RT, Registered respiratory therapist, RRT, Certified respiratory therapist, CRT.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **139,790** US respiratory therapists, with median pay of **$82,280** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.aarc.org/about-us/aarc-timeline/) of **5,000** from 1960, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for respiratory therapists: Cloud-based remote CPAP monitoring, 2014 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 8.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1126&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **19%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Respiratory Therapists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1943
- Latest US employment: 139,790 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $82,280 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +8.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1960 | 5,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., AARC Timeline [1] |
| 1970 | 25,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., UNMC Wigton Heritage Center [2] |
| 1975 | n/a | $10,500 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [5] |
| 2000 | 110,000 (estimate) | $37,680 | Est., O\*NET 29-1126.00 (employment) [3]; BLS OEWS 2000 (pay) [6] |
| 2003 | 87,180 | $41,150 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 91,350 | $43,140 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 95,320 | $45,140 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 99,330 | $47,420 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 101,180 | $50,070 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 103,870 | $52,200 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 107,270 | $53,330 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 109,270 | $54,280 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 113,980 | $55,250 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 116,960 | $55,870 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 118,640 | $56,290 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 119,410 | $56,730 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 120,330 | $57,790 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 126,770 | $58,670 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 128,250 | $59,710 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 129,600 | $60,280 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 132,090 | $61,330 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 131,890 | $62,810 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 133,410 | $61,830 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 129,910 | $70,540 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 129,750 | $77,960 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 136,420 | $80,450 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 139,790 | $82,280 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (85)

### Employment series

1. [AARC Timeline — History of the American Association for Respiratory Care (founding, growth, credentialing era)](https://www.aarc.org/about-us/aarc-timeline/), American Association for Respiratory Care
2. [UNMC Wigton Heritage Center — College of Allied Health Professions: Respiratory Therapy history (profession formation and growth)](https://exhibits.unmc.edu/whc/RespiratoryTherapy), University of Nebraska Medical Center
3. [O\*NET 29-1126.00 — Respiratory Therapists: occupation summary, employment data reference, and BLS sourcing (present-day anchor cross-reference)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1126.00), O\*NET / BLS
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [University of Missouri Libraries — Prices and Wages by Decade: 1970-1979 (BLS wage context for hospital technical occupations)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1970-1979), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

9. [PMC 2024 — John Haven Emerson (1906-1997): Pioneer of the Iron Lung (PMC11496925): iron lung history, Emerson 1931 improvements, polio epidemic context](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11496925/), PubMed Central / NIH
10. [Michigan Instruments — History of Respiratory Therapy: From Iron Lungs to Computer Ventilators (2024)](https://www.michiganinstruments.com/2024/05/history-of-respiratory-therapy/), Michigan Instruments
11. [Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology — Bird Mark 7 Respirator (artifact history, Forrest Bird development)](https://www.woodlibrarymuseum.org/museum/bird-mark-7-respirator/), Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology
12. [Respiratory Therapy Cave — Five Periods of Respiratory Therapy History (IPPB era, Bird Mark 7, workforce growth)](https://respiratorytherapycave.blogspot.com/2012/03/five-periods-of-rt-profession.html), Respiratory Therapy Cave (practitioner educational resource)
13. [Wikipedia — Timeline of respiratory therapy (CPAP 1971, volume-cycled ventilators, NBRT 1974, credentialing history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_respiratory_therapy), Wikipedia
14. [AARC Virtual Museum — Respiratory Care: A Journey Through Time (ICU era, CPAP, professional development)](https://museum.aarc.org/respiratory-care-a-journey-through-time/), American Association for Respiratory Care
15. [ResMed — Company history and CPAP technology development (1989 founding, home CPAP market)](https://www.resmed.com/en-us/health-professionals/digital-health/), ResMed
16. [AARC Clinical Practice Guideline 2024 — Spontaneous Breathing Trials: RT-driven weaning protocols reduce time to wean from 16.76 to 7.67 days; evidence base for liberation protocols](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378752598_AARC_Clinical_Practice_Guideline_Spontaneous_Breathing_Trials_for_Liberation_From_Adult_Mechanical_Ventilation), American Association for Respiratory Care
17. [Propeller Health (ResMed) — Connected inhaler platform: 58% adherence increase, 78% rescue inhaler reduction, 57% reduction in asthma ED visits, 100,000+ patients enrolled](https://dtxalliance.org/products/propeller/), Digital Therapeutics Alliance / ResMed
18. [PMC 2024 — Artificial Intelligence in Respiratory Care (PMC11700984): AI augments rather than replaces RTs; VentAI, ventMAP, AI asynchrony detection 96-98.7% sensitivity; smart weaning reduces ventilator duration in RCT](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11700984/), PubMed Central / NIH
19. [Hamilton Medical — INTELLiVENT-ASV: closed-loop ventilation; COVID-19 ARDS lung-protective targets 65% vs. 38%; reduces manual adjustments; shifts RT from knob-turner to supervisor](https://www.hamilton-medical.com/en_AU/Products/Technologies/INTELLiVENT-ASV.html), Hamilton Medical
20. [Etiometry — Empowering Respiratory Therapists with AI-Driven Clinical Intelligence: T3 platform (FDA K241479, Feb 2025); Clark et al. 2025: 30% less ventilation time, 20% shorter ICU stay, 0% vs. 13% extubation failure](https://www.etiometry.com/resources/empowering-respiratory-therapists-with-ai-driven-clinical-intelligence/), Etiometry

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1126 Respiratory therapists (2025: 142.0 thousand; 2035: 154.2 thousand; +8.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1126&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1126.00, human-rated β 0.19)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [AARC Timeline — History of the American Association for Respiratory Care (July 13, 1946 founding; 59 members; 17 from religious orders)](https://www.aarc.org/about-us/aarc-timeline/), American Association for Respiratory Care
24. [UNMC Wigton Heritage Center — Respiratory Therapy: polio epidemic 1952, 52,628 cases; iron lung era; vaccine and transition to positive-pressure ventilation](https://exhibits.unmc.edu/whc/RespiratoryTherapy), University of Nebraska Medical Center
25. [Wikipedia — Timeline of respiratory therapy: NBRT established 1974; "respiratory therapist" becomes standard US and Canadian title 1974](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_respiratory_therapy), Wikipedia
26. [NEJM 2000 — ARDS Network: Ventilation with Lower Tidal Volumes as Compared with Traditional Tidal Volumes for Acute Lung Injury and ARDS (ARDSNet trial)](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200005043421801), New England Journal of Medicine
27. [US News Health — Coronavirus Pandemic Exposes Need for Respiratory Therapists: 31% vacancy increase 2019-2020; shortage of trained RT workforce in pandemic ICUs (April 2020)](https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-04-01/coronavirus-pandemic-exposes-need-for-respiratory-therapists), US News and World Report

### Predecessors & successors

28. [AARC Virtual Museum — Respiratory Care: A Journey Through Time (1943 origins, Levine, on-the-job trained oxygen orderlies)](https://museum.aarc.org/respiratory-care-a-journey-through-time/), American Association for Respiratory Care
29. [Respiratory Therapy Cave — Five Periods of Respiratory Therapy History (tank jockeys, on-the-job training, pre-NBRT)](https://respiratorytherapycave.blogspot.com/2012/03/five-periods-of-rt-profession.html), Respiratory Therapy Cave
30. [AARC — Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapist (APRT): leadership in protocol development, AI tool validation, and administrative roles](https://www.aarc.org/your-rt-career/advanced-practice-rt/), American Association for Respiratory Care
31. [PMC 2024 — RT Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices of AI (PMC11405306): first-mover advantage for AI-competent RTs; informatics and health technology specialist roles emerging](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11405306/), PubMed Central / NIH

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Respiratory Therapists (29-1126.00): tasks, technology skills, work activities, employment data, wage data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1126.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH — Respiratory Therapists: 139,600 employed 2024; +12% growth 2024-2034 (much faster than average); ~8,800 annual openings projected; median annual wage $80,450; growth driven by aging population and COPD prevalence](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC 2024 — Artificial Intelligence in Respiratory Care (PMC11700984): AI augments rather than replaces RTs; VentAI, ventMAP, AI asynchrony detection (96-98.7% sensitivity); smart weaning reduces ventilator duration in RCT; AI assists critical care management, diagnostics, and weaning prediction](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11700984/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC 2024 — RT Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices of AI (PMC11405306): only 28% of RTs comfortable with AI; 8.5% practical experience; creates first-mover advantage for AI-proficient RTs](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11405306/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Etiometry — Empowering Respiratory Therapists with AI-Driven Clinical Intelligence: T3 platform tenth FDA 510(k) clearance (K241479, Feb 2025); Clark et al. 2025: 30% reduction in postoperative ventilation time, 20% shorter ICU stays, 0% extubation failure vs. 13%; IDO2/IVCO2 risk indices](https://www.etiometry.com/resources/empowering-respiratory-therapists-with-ai-driven-clinical-intelligence/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Hamilton Medical — INTELLiVENT-ASV: closed-loop ventilation mode; auto-adjusts RR, Vt, PEEP, FiO2, weaning; COVID-19 ARDS lung-protective target achievement 65% vs. 38% conventional; reduces manual adjustments; "shifts RT from knob-turner to supervisor"](https://www.hamilton-medical.com/en_AU/Products/Technologies/INTELLiVENT-ASV.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ResMed — Smart Comfort FDA Clearance (Dec 8, 2025): first FDA-cleared AI-enabled CPAP personalization device; trained on 100M+ de-identified sleep nights; AirSense 11; early 2026 beta launch; reduces manual RT CPAP setup adjustments](https://newsroom.resmed.com/news-releases/news-details/2025/Resmed-Receives-FDA-Clearance-for-Personalized-Therapy-Comfort-Settings-to-be-Marketed-as-Smart-Comfort-an-AI-Enabled-Digital-Medical-Device-That-Helps-Personalize-CPAP-Therapy/default.aspx), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; basis for shallow-tier seed scores](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC 2025 — Ambient AI Scribes: Emory Healthcare 30.7% documentation well-being improvement (JAMA 2025); Cleveland Clinic 14 min/day saved; AI scribes reduce documentation burden across healthcare professions; attestation and review remain clinician responsibilities](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11843214/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Propeller Health (ResMed) — Bluetooth smart inhaler + AI analytics for asthma and COPD: 58% adherence increase, 78% rescue inhaler reduction, 63% asthma control improvement, 57% reduction in asthma ED visits, 35% COPD hospitalization reduction; 100,000+ patients enrolled; provider portal with real-time adherence and exacerbation risk monitoring](https://dtxalliance.org/products/propeller/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Lunit INSIGHT CXR4 — CE MDR certified May 2025; detects 12+ chest abnormalities (pneumonia, pneumothorax, lung nodules); trained on 1.2M+ images; 99.7% sensitivity, 99.5% NPV; Samsung device integration 2025; workflow adjacency: CXR findings directly drive RT therapy decisions](https://www.lunit.io/en/ai-radiology-software/insight-cxr/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.