Respiratory Care Professional licenses are issued in Georgia by the Respiratory Care Committee of the Composite State Board of Medical Examiners which licenses and regulates physicians and seven other medical specialists. Board statistics indicate that as of August 10, 2014 there were 5,282 licensed respiratory therapists (RTs) actively employed in Georgia. This is a significant increase over the 3,860 RTs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported as employed in Georgia in 2013.
The occupational outlook for RTs in Georgia is reported as “good” with an expected 35 percent job growth by 2018. According to the BLS RTs earn an annual mean salary of $51,970; however, salaries differ with location and educational level.
A Registered Certified Therapist (RRT) typically earns more than a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). Median RT salaries in Georgia cities for the different credentials are:
The three cities (Atlanta, Marietta and Roswell) listed above as having the highest salaries are all in the Atlanta Greater Metropolitan Area where salaries range from a low of $51,997 to a high of $71,975. At the other end of the scale, salaries in Valdosta range from a low of $46,677 to a high of $50,738. Valdosta is in Southern Georgia near the state’s border with Florida.
The table below provides 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) salary information for respiratory therapists in Georgia.