The Department of Labor and Workforce Development named respiratory therapists in its publication, Tennessee’s Hot Careers to 2020. This publication showed a growth of 155 job openings for respiratory therapists between 2012 and 2020. There are currently 3,390 respiratory therapists employed in Tennessee. The Department has also recognized the respiratory therapist occupation as having a “bright outlook statewide.”
As of 2014, the annual, mean salary for respiratory therapists in Tennessee was $48,514, or $23.30 per hour. The Department also reported the following, average salaries for respiratory therapists in Tennessee:
- Entry-level respiratory therapist salary: $39,245
- Experienced respiratory therapist salary: $53,148
- Respiratory therapist salary in the 25th percentile: $41,267
- Median respiratory therapist salary: $47,576
- Respiratory therapist salary in the 75th percentile: $55,701
Annual, mean salaries in 2014 for respiratory therapists in Tennessee varied slightly according to the metropolitan area in which they were located:
- Chattanooga: $54,243
- Jackson: $42,534
- Kingsport-Bristol: $44,542
- Knoxville: $45,704
- Memphis: $48,760
- Nashville: $50,991
As of 2014, the number of respiratory therapists employed by metropolitan area included:
- Chattanooga: 350
- Jackson: 100
- Kingsport-Bristol: 260
- Knoxville: 380
- Memphis: 760
- Nashville: 870
The Department estimates that by 2022, the number of respiratory therapists will increase to 3,770, a 1 percent increase from 2012, which mirrors the statewide employment projected growth during the same period.
Additional information on the salaries for respiratory therapists in Tennessee’s major cities is found in the Bureau of Labor Statistics table below: