Surgical Tech vs Respiratory Therapist: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Surgical Tech vs Respiratory Therapist: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-2055 and 29-1126). The national median annual wage is $64,650 for surgical techs and $82,280 for respiratory therapists (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +5.0% for surgical techs and +8.5% for respiratory therapists from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award vs Associate's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Surgical TechSOC 29-2055 | Respiratory TherapistSOC 29-1126 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $64,650 | $82,280 | Respiratory Therapist |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 117,460 | 139,790 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +5.0% | +8.5% | Respiratory Therapist |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +5,900 jobs | +12,100 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 7,100 a year | 8,600 a year | Respiratory Therapist |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Postsecondary nondegree award | Associate's degree | Surgical Tech |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.63 | 3.01 | Respiratory Therapist |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.62 | 4.48 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.53 | 4.25 | Respiratory Therapist |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cautiousness | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Stress Tolerance | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- a shorter typical education path matters (Postsecondary nondegree award vs Associate's degree)
- higher median pay matters most ($82,280 vs $64,650)
- faster projected national growth matters (+8.5% vs +5.0%)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (3.01 vs 3.63)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.25 vs 3.53)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 16% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Management of Material Resources (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Financial Resources (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Maintenance (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Coordination (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Science (+1.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Social Perceptiveness (+1.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Speaking (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Negotiation (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Surgical Tech
- Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
- Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
Respiratory Therapist
- Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
- Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
- Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
- Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Surgical Tech
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (71.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Ambulatory healthcare services (23.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Administrative and support services (3.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
Respiratory Therapist
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (80.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Ambulatory healthcare services (8.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (4.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Surgical Tech → Respiratory Therapist: skills to build: Science, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking.
- Respiratory Therapist → Surgical Tech: skills to build: Management of Material Resources, Management of Financial Resources, Equipment Maintenance. Careers after Respiratory Therapist
Go deeper
Surgical Tech career hub · Surgical Tech salary · Respiratory Therapist career hub · Respiratory Therapist salary · Respiratory Therapist career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Surgical Tech or Respiratory Therapist?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-2055 and 29-1126). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “surgical tech vs respiratory therapist salary”, “respiratory therapist vs surgical tech”, “respiratory therapist vs surgical tech salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).