Respiratory Therapists pay in the U.S.
$87,300avg. a year
$41.97 an hour · 139,790 employed
Respiratory Therapists in the U.S. earn an average of $87,300 a year and a median of $82,280. Pay is highest in New York ($110,200) and lowest in Mississippi ($68,120).
$82,280Median pay
$41.97Average hourly
+33%Avg. pay since 2020
139,790Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for respiratory therapists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
17,010 jobs
New York
$110,200
$52.98 an hour
218,650 jobs
California
$109,440
$52.62 an hour
3430 jobs
District of Columbia
$108,020
$51.93 an hour
42,220 jobs
Massachusetts
$100,580
$48.36 an hour
53,350 jobs
New Jersey
$99,760
$47.96 an hour
61,860 jobs
Washington
$99,740
$47.95 an hour
71,340 jobs
Oregon
$98,160
$47.19 an hour
81,250 jobs
Minnesota
$96,890
$46.58 an hour
9180 jobs
Alaska
$96,290
$46.29 an hour
10360 jobs
New Hampshire
$93,700
$45.05 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Respiratory Therapists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $76k$76k–$81k$81k–$93k$93k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $146,490 | $70.43 |
| Vallejo, CA | $133,510 | $64.19 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $128,490 | $61.77 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $124,410 | $59.81 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $120,450 | $57.91 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $113,400 | $54.52 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $109,390 | $52.59 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $109,200 | $52.50 |
Related jobs
- Registered Nurses$101,420
- Physicians, All Other$262,040
- Nurse Practitioners$137,300
- Pharmacists$140,920
- Physical Therapists$105,280
- Dental Hygienists$98,990
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Respiratory Therapists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $68,480 | $66,150 | 2,350 |
| Alaska | $96,290 | $97,950 | 180 |
| Arizona | $80,980 | $79,780 | 3,500 |
| Arkansas | $72,740 | $73,870 | 1,400 |
| California | $109,440 | $104,820 | 18,650 |
| Colorado | $88,300 | $86,220 | 2,110 |
| Connecticut | $92,510 | $85,230 | 1,370 |
| Delaware | $92,190 | $91,080 | 500 |
| District of Columbia | $108,020 | $111,950 | 430 |
| Florida | $82,400 | $81,160 | 8,820 |
| Georgia | $88,340 | $83,700 | 5,150 |
| Hawaii | $93,380 | $94,210 | 510 |
| Idaho | $78,370 | $78,460 | 820 |
| Illinois | $84,920 | $84,090 | 4,880 |
| Indiana | $78,190 | $79,730 | 3,170 |
| Iowa | $74,260 | $74,760 | 910 |
| Kansas | $74,860 | $76,970 | 1,450 |
| Kentucky | $72,470 | $72,750 | 2,530 |
| Louisiana | $74,690 | $75,240 | 2,520 |
| Maine | $80,400 | $82,470 | 520 |
| Maryland | $90,600 | $88,960 | 1,800 |
| Massachusetts | $100,580 | $102,170 | 2,220 |
| Michigan | $78,550 | $79,850 | 4,520 |
| Minnesota | $96,890 | $98,710 | 1,250 |
| Mississippi | $68,120 | $63,270 | 1,670 |
| Missouri | $76,490 | $78,390 | 3,030 |
| Montana | $77,850 | $81,190 | 390 |
| Nebraska | $80,710 | $81,590 | 840 |
| Nevada | $90,530 | $85,480 | 1,270 |
| New Hampshire | $93,700 | $95,940 | 360 |
| New Jersey | $99,760 | $100,810 | 3,350 |
| New Mexico | $73,720 | $68,870 | 840 |
| New York | $110,200 | $107,810 | 7,010 |
| North Carolina | $81,360 | $80,090 | 4,630 |
| North Dakota | $84,710 | $81,230 | 270 |
| Ohio | $81,240 | $79,920 | 6,640 |
| Oklahoma | $77,710 | $78,800 | 2,000 |
| Oregon | $98,160 | $100,560 | 1,340 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,180 | $78,490 | 6,530 |
| Rhode Island | $93,410 | $86,900 | 260 |
| South Carolina | $76,490 | $77,740 | 1,960 |
| South Dakota | $68,910 | $68,240 | 430 |
| Tennessee | $72,300 | $72,140 | 3,440 |
| Texas | $81,010 | $79,540 | 12,130 |
| Utah | $80,500 | $80,650 | 1,170 |
| Vermont | $84,640 | $83,820 | 210 |
| Virginia | $87,310 | $82,910 | 3,340 |
| Washington | $99,740 | $101,130 | 1,860 |
| West Virginia | $71,970 | $68,670 | 1,140 |
| Wisconsin | $86,230 | $84,210 | 1,940 |
| Wyoming | $76,980 | $79,330 | 160 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$102,570
7,010 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$113,400
7,010 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$81,170
3,630 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$88,400
3,620 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$86,680
3,010 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$87,200
2,990 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$94,720
2,670 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$84,380
2,620 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do respiratory therapists make?
The average is $87,300 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $82,280 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $41.97, and the median is $39.56 an hour.
Which state pays respiratory therapists the most?
New York, with an average of $110,200 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $146,490.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $63,660 a year, and the top 10% earn over $118,050.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1126. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.