PublicPay

Respiratory Therapist federal salary series 0651

Full-time federal employees in the Respiratory Therapist series earned a median of $96,710 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 12% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $93,833 and $99,689.

Median pay
$96,710
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$93,833–$99,689
25th–75th percentile
Employees
287
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+19.4%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Respiratory Therapist
All federal (full-time)

What shapes respiratory therapist pay

The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Health and Human Services (90 employees). Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 68% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Respiratory Therapist pay by agency

Respiratory Therapist pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Health and Human Services 90 $96,710 $95,055–$100,420

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Change since September 2025

The median moved +19.4% from $80,970 in September 2025 to $96,710 in September 2026. Headcount went from 325 to 287 (−11.7%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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