The Maine Center for Workforce Research and Information (CWRI) considers the field of respiratory therapy to be a High Wage in Demand (HWID) occupation. At 41.1%, They project job growth in this field between 2010 and 2020 to be more than twice the national average. Over 88% of the 2012 respiratory therapy graduates in Maine found jobs according to the Commission on the Accreditation for Respiratory Care.
The CWRI reported that 504 respiratory therapists were employed in Maine in 2010. They predict 31 jobs on average will become available in Maine each year. Nearly 68% of these jobs are expected to come from new positions being created. The rest are expected to come from the replacement of respiratory therapists who leave the workforce.
The average respiratory therapist salary in Maine was $53,950 in 2012. Salaries vary a great deal with entry-level respiratory therapists making $45,080 a year and those with experience earning $58,380 on average. Those in the top ten percent of their salary bracket made $68,010 a year in 2012.
Salary data is also available for the Portland area and three of Maine’s counties. Salaries in Penobscot County were the highest of those reported in all of the categories except for respiratory therapists with experience. The range of Maine respiratory therapist salaries in these counties is shown below:
Respiratory therapy salaries in the Portland area were similar to those of Maine as a whole. Entry-level respiratory therapists made $44,570, while experienced RTs earned $58,340 a year. Salaries for the top 10 percent were slightly lower at $66,750.
Salary information for respiratory therapists is also available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Respiratory therapist salaries from 2013 are shown below: