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Occupational Therapist vs Registered Respiratory Therapist

In 2025, the median salary for Registered Respiratory Therapist was $2,064 (1.9%) higher than for Occupational Therapist: $112,331 against $110,266. Occupational Therapist had 1,067 people on the list, Registered Respiratory Therapist 592.

At a glance

Occupational TherapistRegistered Respiratory Therapist
People on the 2025 list1,067592
Median salary$110,266$112,331
Middle half$106,568–$114,486$107,648–$121,596
Highest salary$136,023$261,468
Total salaries$117,875,708$69,494,322
People, change+17.0% vs 2024+3.0% vs 2024
Median, change+1.7% vs 2024−1.8% vs 2024

Median salary by year

Show as a table
YearOccupational TherapistRegistered Respiratory Therapist
2012$109,728
2015$102,554$103,468
2016$104,136
2017$101,007$103,703
2018$101,946$106,165
2019$100,372$104,250
2020$104,041$105,204
2021$102,314$107,180
2022$102,361$107,951
2023$108,350$109,990
2024$108,473$114,386
2025$110,266$112,331

People on the list by year

Show as a table
YearOccupational TherapistRegistered Respiratory Therapist
201213
201567
20169
2017614
2018925
20191149
202039173
202160213
202275261
2023673465
2024912575
20251,067592

Highest paid in 2025

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Questions and answers

Which pays more, Occupational Therapist or Registered Respiratory Therapist?

By median salary in 2025, Registered Respiratory Therapist: $112,331 against $110,266.

Which has more people on the list?

Occupational Therapist: 1,067 against 592 in 2025.

How has the gap changed since 2015?

In 2015 the median for Occupational Therapist was $102,554 and for Registered Respiratory Therapist $103,468, a gap of $913; in 2025 the gap was $2,064.

What do these figures cover?

Only people paid $100,000 or more are on the list, so medians and counts describe them, not everyone with each title.

What does “salary paid” include?

What the employer paid in the calendar year, so it can include overtime, retroactive pay, vacation payouts, severance or a partial year. Taxable benefits are listed separately. How the lists work