The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services listed respiratory therapists among its 2011 Occupations with High Employment Prospects (those occupations having at least 100 annual openings).
In 2010, there were 5,760 respiratory therapists employed in Ohio. By 2020, this number is expected to increase to 7,120, an increase of nearly 24 percent. It also reported that annual openings in this allied healthcare profession total 245.
The Occupational Wage (OES) Survey conducted by the Department of Job and Family Services further breaks down average respiratory therapist salaries in Ohio, as of June 2013:
- The entry-level salary for respiratory therapists was $18.24 per hour
- Respiratory therapists in the 25th percentile earned $19.61 per hour
- The median annual salary for respiratory therapists was $22.39 per hour, or $46,578 per year
- Respiratory therapists in the 75th percentile earned $24.84 per hour
Median, annual salaries differed for respiratory therapists based on the metropolitan statistical areas in which they worked:
- Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor: $48,025
- Dayton: $47,517
- Toledo: $47,466
- Steubenville-Weirton: $47,395
- Canton-Massillon: $47,031
- Youngstown: $46,516
- Columbus: $45,851
- Cincinnati: $45,528
- Akron: $45,212
- Springfield: $43,304
- Lima: $42,505
The OES also broke down respiratory therapist median, annual salaries based on Ohio regions:
- (Cincinnati) Southwest Ohio: $54,999
- (Cleveland) Northeast Ohio: $54,064
- (Dayton) Western Ohio: $53,690
- (Toledo) Northwest Ohio: $53,059
- (Columbus) Central Ohio: $52,466
- (Nelsonville) Southeast Ohio: $50,593
Most respiratory therapists (2,160) were employed in Ohio’s northeast region, followed by the southwest region (870). The metropolitan statistical area with the highest number of respiratory therapists was the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor area (1,140), followed by the Cincinnati area (890).
Additional salary information for respiratory therapists in Ohio, obtained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is detailed in the table below: