How much do respiratory therapists make?

Respiratory Therapist salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Respiratory Therapists (SOC 29-1126) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Respiratory therapists in the US earned a median of $82,280 a year ($39.56 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $74,520 to $98,730.

Median annual pay: $82,280; Mean $87,300
Median hourly pay: $39.56; Mean $41.97
Typical range (10th–90th): $63.7K–$118K; $63,660 to $118,050
US jobs: 139,790; +8.5% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a respiratory therapist: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: District of Columbia

Respiratory Therapist pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$63,660
25th percentile$74,520
Median$82,280
75th percentile$98,730
90th percentile$118,050

Half of all respiratory therapists earned more than $82,280 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $63,660; the top 10% made over $118,050. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $74,520 to $98,730.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$63,660	$30.61	$5,305
25th	$74,520	$35.83	$6,210
Median (50th)	$82,280	$39.56	$6,857
75th	$98,730	$47.47	$8,228
90th	$118,050	$56.75	$9,838
Mean (average)	$87,300	$41.97	$7,275

Respiratory Therapist salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for respiratory therapists by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. District of Columbia $111,950
2. New York $107,810
3. California $104,820
4. Massachusetts $102,170
5. Washington $101,130

Lowest-paying states

51. Mississippi $63,270
50. Alabama $66,150
49. South Dakota $68,240
48. West Virginia $68,670
47. New Mexico $68,870

Best after cost of living: District of Columbia. Its median of $111,950 is worth about $101,864 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$66,150	50	$74,474	50	$31.81	2,350	1.11
Alaska	$97,950	9	$95,693	6	$47.09	180	0.56
Arizona	$79,780	32	$79,244	44	$38.36	3,500	1.08
Arkansas	$73,870	44	$84,970	29	$35.51	1,400	1.07
California	$104,820	3	$94,671	7	$50.40	18,650	1.02
Colorado	$86,220	15	$83,666	34	$41.45	2,110	0.73
Connecticut	$85,230	17	$82,260	37	$40.98	1,370	0.81
Delaware	$91,080	12	$91,255	12	$43.79	500	1.03
District of Columbia	$111,950	1	$101,864	1	$53.82	430	0.62
Florida	$81,160	27	$78,481	46	$39.02	8,820	0.89
Georgia	$83,700	21	$86,922	16	$40.24	5,150	1.05
Hawaii	$94,210	11	$85,684	20	$45.30	510	0.82
Idaho	$78,460	38	$82,162	38	$37.72	820	0.96
Illinois	$84,090	19	$84,125	33	$40.43	4,880	0.80
Indiana	$79,730	33	$85,429	25	$38.33	3,170	0.99
Iowa	$74,760	43	$85,185	27	$35.94	910	0.58
Kansas	$76,970	41	$85,458	24	$37.01	1,450	1.01
Kentucky	$72,750	45	$80,691	42	$34.98	2,530	1.26
Louisiana	$75,240	42	$85,299	26	$36.17	2,520	1.30
Maine	$82,470	23	$84,977	28	$39.65	520	0.81
Maryland	$88,960	13	$84,757	32	$42.77	1,800	0.65
Massachusetts	$102,170	4	$96,608	5	$49.12	2,220	0.61
Michigan	$79,850	31	$82,989	35	$38.39	4,520	1.03
Minnesota	$98,710	8	$100,090	2	$47.46	1,250	0.42
Mississippi	$63,270	51	$72,763	51	$30.42	1,670	1.44
Missouri	$78,390	39	$86,316	17	$37.69	3,030	1.03
Montana	$81,190	26	$85,784	19	$39.03	390	0.76
Nebraska	$81,590	24	$90,552	13	$39.22	840	0.82
Nevada	$85,480	16	$85,498	23	$41.10	1,270	0.82
New Hampshire	$95,940	10	$92,104	10	$46.13	360	0.53
New Jersey	$100,810	6	$92,652	9	$48.47	3,350	0.78
New Mexico	$68,870	47	$74,687	49	$33.11	840	0.97
New York	$107,810	2	$99,897	3	$51.83	7,010	0.72
North Carolina	$80,090	29	$84,908	31	$38.51	4,630	0.94
North Dakota	$81,230	25	$91,312	11	$39.06	270	0.64
Ohio	$79,920	30	$86,145	18	$38.42	6,640	1.20
Oklahoma	$78,800	36	$89,705	14	$37.88	2,000	1.17
Oregon	$100,560	7	$97,290	4	$48.34	1,340	0.68
Pennsylvania	$78,490	37	$80,443	43	$37.74	6,530	1.08
Rhode Island	$86,900	14	$84,963	30	$41.78	260	0.51
South Carolina	$77,740	40	$82,924	36	$37.38	1,960	0.85
South Dakota	$68,240	49	$77,032	47	$32.81	430	0.94
Tennessee	$72,140	46	$78,524	45	$34.68	3,440	1.05
Texas	$79,540	34	$81,952	40	$38.24	12,130	0.86
Utah	$80,650	28	$81,577	41	$38.77	1,170	0.68
Vermont	$83,820	20	$85,567	22	$40.30	210	0.71
Virginia	$82,910	22	$82,005	39	$39.86	3,340	0.81
Washington	$101,130	5	$94,503	8	$48.62	1,860	0.52
West Virginia	$68,670	48	$76,729	48	$33.01	1,140	1.62
Wisconsin	$84,210	18	$89,495	15	$40.48	1,940	0.66
Wyoming	$79,330	35	$85,585	21	$38.14	160	0.58

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for respiratory therapists

275 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$149,680	$135,551	1,060
Vallejo, CA	$136,200	$125,554	190
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$134,880	$122,734	70
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$134,430	$126,024	1,140
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$130,220	$112,634	2,010
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$123,220	$114,321	200
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$112,430	$103,531	90
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$110,490	$98,158	7,010
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$108,600	$99,818	130
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$106,910	$97,704	240

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	7,010	$104,640	$92,140
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	7,010	$110,490	$98,158
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	3,630	$80,450	$81,568
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	3,620	$87,060	$84,039
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,010	$84,080	$81,560
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	2,990	$88,790	$86,579
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	2,670	$95,520	$95,465
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	2,620	$80,880	$70,851
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	2,600	$79,760	$77,200
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	2,200	$100,480	$94,399

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves respiratory therapist pay: employers and settings

State is the largest pay factor for respiratory therapists. The District of Columbia leads with a median of $111,950, followed by New York at $107,810, California at $104,820, Massachusetts at $102,170, and Washington at $101,130. Mississippi, the lowest, and Alabama at $66,150, sit far below. Adjusted for living costs, the District of Columbia still comes out ahead.

Setting matters less, since about three in four RTs work in general hospitals, where the median is $82,730; specialty hospitals are almost the same at $82,690; nursing care facilities pay less at $79,270; and offices of physicians are lowest at $77,890. Offices of other health practitioners pay more at $88,020; staffing agencies (employment services) pay $80,120. Among public employers, state government pays $85,860; local government pays $80,210.

Across all RTs, pay runs from $63,660, the 10th percentile, to $118,050, the 90th. That spread reflects state, setting and shifts; percentiles are not experience levels. Night and weekend shifts may carry differentials, and the RRT credential (required for a new license in some states and by some employers) plus specialty credentials for neonatal or adult critical care open more ICU and NICU jobs.

Where respiratory therapists work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	74.3%	$82,730
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	5.8%	$82,690
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	3.9%	$79,270
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	2.8%	$88,020
Offices of Physicians	2.7%	$77,890
Employment Services	2.5%	$80,120

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	122,890	$82,450
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	330	$74,980
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	5,380	$85,860
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	11,200	$80,210

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Respiratory Therapist pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$82.3K $57.8K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $57,790 in 2015 to $82,280 in 2025, up 42% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $78,121 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 5% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What respiratory therapists do

A respiratory therapist (RT) treats people who cannot breathe well on their own, from premature babies with immature lungs to adults with COPD, pneumonia, asthma attacks or trauma. Most RTs work in hospitals, where they are part of every emergency and ICU team: they manage ventilators, place patients on high-flow oxygen or BiPAP, draw and run arterial blood gases, give inhaled medications, and help with intubation and resuscitation during codes.

Outside the ICU, respiratory therapy includes breathing treatments on hospital floors, pulmonary function testing, sleep studies, pulmonary rehab and home care, where therapists set up ventilators and oxygen equipment and teach families to use them. RTs work closely with physicians and nurses and often recommend ventilator changes based on blood gas results. Hospitals run around the clock, so 12-hour day or night shifts, weekends and holidays are normal, and the job involves long periods on your feet, lifting and turning patients, and exposure to infectious disease.

A typical day

Set up, adjust and check mechanical ventilators for ICU patients
Draw arterial blood and run blood gas tests to see how well patients are oxygenating
Give nebulizer and inhaler treatments and chest physiotherapy to clear airways
Respond to rapid responses and codes to manage the airway and help with resuscitation
Run pulmonary function tests that measure how much and how fast a patient can breathe
Wean patients off the ventilator and off oxygen as they improve
Teach patients and families to use home oxygen, CPAP or inhalers before discharge

Also called: respiratory therapy, crrt (cardiopulmonary rehabilitation respiratory therapist), crt (certified respiratory therapist), diagnostics rrt (diagnostics registered respiratory therapist), infant rt (infant respiratory therapist), licensed crt (licensed certified respiratory therapist), licensed rt (licensed respiratory therapist), registered respiratory care practitioner (registered rcp).

How to become a respiratory therapist

Full guide

To become a respiratory therapist, you complete an associate (or bachelor's) degree from a CoARC-accredited respiratory care program, pass the NBRC's Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) Examination, usually followed by the Clinical Simulation Examination for the RRT credential, and get a state license. Most people take 2-3 years.

Typical time: 2-3 years; Fastest: About 2 years
Minimum education: Associate degree from a CoARC-accredited respiratory care program
License: Required in all states except Alaska
Typical training cost: $9.7K–$42.3K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a respiratory therapist: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 2-3 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $9.7K–$42.3K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $82,280; $31,300 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 12–51%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($31,300 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year to 1.4 years after training ends (2-3 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for respiratory therapists

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +8.5%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 142,000; 154,200 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 8,600; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: —; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects respiratory therapist jobs to grow 8.5% from 2025 to 2035, from 142,000 to 154,200, compared with 3.5% for all occupations, with about 8,600 openings a year. The main driver is an aging population, which brings more pneumonia, COPD and other lung disease and more demand for hospital respiratory care. BLS also expects more RT work in outpatient clinics and physicians' offices as hospitals try to prevent readmissions. Many openings will come from replacing therapists who retire or change careers.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Respiratory Therapist salary FAQ

How much do respiratory therapists make an hour?

The median hourly wage for respiratory therapists was $39.56 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $30.61 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $56.75. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays respiratory therapists the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay for respiratory therapists, $111,950 a year, followed by New York ($107,810) and California ($104,820). After adjusting for each state's price level, District of Columbia comes out ahead at about $101,864 in national-average dollars.

Do respiratory therapists make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of respiratory therapists earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $82,280, and the top 10% earn more than $118,050. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Do respiratory therapists work 12-hour shifts?

Many hospital RTs do. Because hospitals need respiratory coverage 24 hours a day, therapists often work 12-hour day or night shifts, with weekends and holidays in the rotation. BLS notes that most RTs work full time. Jobs in sleep labs, pulmonary function labs, clinics and home care are more likely to keep daytime weekday hours.

Has respiratory therapist pay kept up with inflation?

Yes. The median rose from $57,790 in 2015 to $82,280 in 2025. In 2025 dollars, the 2015 median works out to $78,121 and so, after inflation, RTs earn about 5% more than a decade earlier. Most of the increase in the paycheck matched rising prices, with a modest real gain on top.

Which states have the most respiratory therapist jobs?

California has the most, with 18,650 RTs, followed by Texas with 12,130, Florida with 8,820, New York with 7,010, and Ohio with 6,640. These states have large hospital systems and big older populations. California and Ohio are also among the states that require the RRT credential for a new license, so check credential rules as well as job counts before you move.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-1126
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-1126.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Respiratory Therapists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), National Board for Respiratory Care · checked October 28, 2026
Students, Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care · checked October 28, 2026
States that Require the RRT Credential as Entry to Licensure, American Association for Respiratory Care · checked October 28, 2026
Credential Maintenance Program, National Board for Respiratory Care · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026
Neonatal/Pediatric Specialty (NPS) and Adult Critical Care Specialty (ACCS), National Board for Respiratory Care · checked October 28, 2026

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