South Carolina Works, an agency that partners with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and South Carolina’s twelve Workforce Investment Boards, gathers data on South Carolina’s state and local workforce statistics. As of 2012, South Carolina Works reported that a total of 1,788 respiratory therapists were employed in the State. By 2022, this total is expected to increase to 2,112, or an increase of 324 jobs.
Annual openings for respiratory therapists in South Carolina (due to growth and replacement) are expected to average 58 between 2012 and 2022. Of these estimated openings, it is estimated that 55 percent will be due to growth, while 45 percent will be due to replacement.
South Carolina Works reports that respiratory therapists in South Carolina currently earn a median, annual salary of $51,860. The metropolitan areas with the highest salary averages for respiratory therapists, as of 2013, were:
- Charleston: $59,550
- August-Richmond County: $53,180
- Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord: $53,130
- Spartanburg: $52,380
- Florence: $51,990
- Myrtle Beach: $50,880
- Greenville: $50,520
- Columbia: $48,440
- Anderson: $44,730
The latest data (as of September 2014) shows a total of 36 openings for respiratory therapists in South Carolina and 11,475 total job openings for this occupation’s related group: healthcare practitioners and technical occupations. Currently, the counties with the highest number of job openings in South Carolina include:
- Greenville
- Florence
- Pickens
- Richland
- Charleston
- Chesterfield
- Colleton
- Greenwood
- Horry
- Newberry
You can find additional information on respiratory therapist salaries in South Carolina by referring to the Bureau of Labor Statistics table below: