Respiratory Therapist
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Respiratory Therapist occupation series (code 0651): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Respiratory Therapist counts 304 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined from the prior period; pay averages $71,338, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -1.3%
- Pay change
- +0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 13.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #41 of 45
What the Numbers Say About Respiratory Therapist
Headcount moved down 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. Pay moved up between the two reporting periods, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows 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 06), which contains 45 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Respiratory Therapist postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family. Across the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, 339,162 employees work in 45 occupations; Respiratory Therapist is 0.1% of that headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Respiratory Therapist pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$71,338
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-39.2%
Where Respiratory Therapist ranks on lean federal pay
Respiratory Therapist earns more on average than 28% of federal occupation series (149 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Respiratory Therapist sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Respiratory Therapist.
Related Occupations in Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | 106,218 | $132,267 | 10.2 yrs |
| Medical Support Assistance | 39,856 | $58,279 | 8.2 yrs |
| Medical Officer | 34,687 | $301,569 | 11.6 yrs |
| General Health Science | 17,434 | $133,765 | 11.9 yrs |
| Practical Nurse | 16,755 | $75,898 | 10.4 yrs |
| Pharmacist | 14,529 | $167,390 | 11.1 yrs |
| Nursing Assistant | 14,498 | $55,851 | 7.8 yrs |
| Health Aid and Technician | 12,490 | $61,276 | 10.8 yrs |
| Health System Specialist | 7,966 | $110,534 | 15.9 yrs |
| Pharmacy Technician | 7,658 | $70,794 | 9.5 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Respiratory Therapist outside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (304 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($71,338 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Respiratory Therapist pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Respiratory Therapist postings on USAJOBS.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.