Respiratory Therapist

What the Numbers Say About Respiratory Therapist

Federal agencies employ 333 people in the Respiratory Therapist occupation (OPM code 651), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -5.1% versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.

The average salary for Respiratory Therapist is $76,102 per year, placing it 30.7% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.7% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 9.7 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Respiratory Therapist sits inside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 6), which contains 45 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Respiratory Therapist postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Respiratory Therapist makes up 0.1% of the 356,984 employees across the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, ranking #40 of 45 occupations in that family by headcount.