The field of respiratory therapy is increasing both nationally and in Massachusetts. The state’s Labor & Workforce Development projects a 20.7% increase in the number of respiratory therapist jobs between 2008 and 2018. The rate of increase for the Boston area is projected to be 14.1% during this time frame.
Massachusetts Labor & Workforce Development reported that 2,350 respiratory therapists practiced in Massachusetts in 2013. More than 70% of them were located in the Boston area in 2013. In 2008, nearly 37% of the state’s respiratory therapists were located in Hampden County.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), respiratory therapists in Massachusetts were the fifth most highly paid in the country in 2013. The state’s Labor & Workforce Development reported that the average respiratory therapist salary in Massachusetts was $67,220 in 2013. Salaries ranged from $53,160 for entry-level to $74,850 for those with experience.
Respiratory therapist salaries vary a great deal throughout Massachusetts. 2013 salaries for metropolitan areas are shown below:
Massachusetts had 7 respiratory therapy training programs approved by the Commission on the Accreditation for Respiratory Care in 2013. The graduates of these programs tend to be highly successful in getting the certification to find employment. Almost 97% of the 2013 graduates passed the exam to get a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential. Nearly 90% of those who graduated in 2013 found jobs in the state.
Additional information on Massachusetts’s respiratory therapist salaries is available from the BLS. Salary data for these professionals in major metropolitan areas is shown in the following table: