Sarasota, FL (population: 52,304) has sixteen respiratory therapy schools within a 100-mile radius of its city center. University of South Florida, the highest ranked school in this group with a respiratory therapy program, has a total student population of 40,022. It is the 138th highest ranked school in the USA and the 3rd highest in the state of Florida (#1 is University of Miami).
Respiratory Therapy students from Sarasota schools who go on to become respiratory therapists, respiratory care specialists, respiratory care practitioners, certified respiratory therapists, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 107,270 people working as respiratory therapists alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $54,200.
Sarasota lies in Sarasota county, which is one of the 49 counties in Florida. Overall, the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice area has 247,060 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 1% unemployment rate, $18/hr average worker wage, and a $37,750 average annual salary.
Of the 16 respiratory therapy schools with a 100-mile radius of Sarasota, only 6 have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Eckerd College comes out as the most expensive ($31,359/yr) for respiratory therapy students, with St Petersburg College as the lowest, reported at only $5,768/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Sarasota |
| Bradenton | FL | 54,123 | 4 | 19.43 | 124 | 10.5 miles |
| Saint Petersburg | FL | 243,829 | 7 | 28.1391 | 139 | 29.6 miles |
| North Port | FL | 58,777 | 0 | - | 0 | 29.9 miles |
| Port Charlotte | FL | 49,392 | 1 | 23.17 | 24 | 36.3 miles |
| Pinellas Park | FL | 46,971 | 2 | 19.8178 | 18 | 37.3 miles |
| Largo | FL | 71,859 | 6 | 16.9483 | 118 | 41.9 miles |
| Tampa | FL | 351,091 | 21 | 26.1721 | 513 | 43.1 miles |
| Brandon | FL | 91,683 | 0 | - | 0 | 43.8 miles |
| Clearwater | FL | 104,782 | 7 | 23.3042 | 195 | 46.3 miles |
| Cape Coral | FL | 161,428 | 1 | 26.0313 | 32 | 59.1 miles |
| North Fort Myers | FL | 51,280 | 0 | - | 0 | 59.6 miles |
| Lakeland | FL | 95,327 | 5 | 27.1628 | 186 | 60.4 miles |
| New Port Richey | FL | - | 2 | 22.9424 | 46 | 63.4 miles |
| Fort Myers | FL | 68,373 | 7 | 23.467 | 192 | 65.4 miles |
| Saint Leo | FL | - | 1 | 24.1963 | 100 | 71.2 miles |
| Bonita Springs | FL | 44,290 | 0 | - | 0 | 83.6 miles |
| Naples | FL | - | 4 | 7.38552 | 63 | 95.1 miles |
| Kissimmee | FL | 64,069 | 3 | 25.1875 | 43 | 96.3 miles |