May 2025 OEWS estimate

Respiratory Therapist Salary in the United States

The national median annual salary is $82,280. This page compares official BLS estimates across 44 major metro areas with publishable data.

Wage overview

Official BLS estimates; hourly values are shown only when BLS publishes them.

Median annual salary

$82,280

Mean annual salary

$87,300

Employment estimate

139,790

Annual salary percentiles

Respiratory Therapist national annual salary percentiles

BLS wage thresholds from the 10th to the 90th percentile. Values are annual, the scale starts at $0, and P50 is the median.

Respiratory Therapist national annual salary percentiles values
Percentile	Annual salary
P10 — 10th percentile	$63,660
P25 — lower quartile	$74,520
P50 — median	$82,280
P75 — upper quartile	$98,730
P90 — 90th percentile	$118,050

Respiratory Therapist national annual salary percentiles values
Percentile	Annual salary
P10 — 10th percentile	$63,660
P25 — lower quartile	$74,520
P50 — median	$82,280
P75 — upper quartile	$98,730
P90 — 90th percentile	$118,050

Median hourly wage

$39.56/hr

Mean hourly wage

$41.97/hr

Employment estimate

139,790

Hourly wage percentiles

Respiratory Therapist national hourly wage percentiles

BLS hourly wage thresholds from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The scale starts at $0; P50 is the median.

Respiratory Therapist national hourly wage percentiles values
Percentile	Hourly wage
P10 — 10th percentile	$30.61/hr
P25 — lower quartile	$35.83/hr
P50 — median	$39.56/hr
P75 — upper quartile	$47.47/hr
P90 — 90th percentile	$56.75/hr

Respiratory Therapist national hourly wage percentiles values
Percentile	Annual salary
P10 — 10th percentile	$63,660
P25 — lower quartile	$74,520
P50 — median	$82,280
P75 — upper quartile	$98,730
P90 — 90th percentile	$118,050

Median salary distribution across covered metros

These values summarize the 44 metros published on this site, not every U.S. metro.

Lowest covered median: $66,460
Middle covered median: $82,045
Highest covered median: $149,680

Highest-paying metros in this dataset

Ranked by annual median salary on a zero-based scale. This is not a cost-of-living or quality-of-life ranking.

Highest-paying metros in this dataset values
Rank	Metro or occupation	Annual median
#1	San Jose, CA	$149,680
#2	Sacramento, CA	$134,430
#3	San Francisco, CA	$130,220
#4	New York, NY	$110,490
#5	Los Angeles, CA	$104,640
#6	Boston, MA	$104,580
#7	Seattle, WA	$104,220
#8	Washington, DC	$101,990
#9	Minneapolis, MN	$100,920
#10	Riverside, CA	$100,480

Highest-paying metros in this dataset values
Percentile	Annual salary
P10 — 10th percentile	$63,660
P25 — lower quartile	$74,520
P50 — median	$82,280
P75 — upper quartile	$98,730
P90 — 90th percentile	$118,050

Largest employment markets

BLS employment estimates for the covered metros where employment is published.

Largest employment markets values
Rank	Employment market	Estimated employment
#1	Los Angeles, CA	7,010
#1	New York, NY	7,010
#3	Houston, TX	3,630
#4	Chicago, IL	3,620
#5	Dallas, TX	3,010
#6	Philadelphia, PA	2,990
#7	Atlanta, GA	2,670
#8	Miami, FL	2,620
#9	Phoenix, AZ	2,600
#10	Riverside, CA	2,200

Largest employment markets values
Percentile	Annual salary
P10 — 10th percentile	$63,660
P25 — lower quartile	$74,520
P50 — median	$82,280
P75 — upper quartile	$98,730
P90 — 90th percentile	$118,050

Respiratory Therapist salaries by metro

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44 of 44 metros

Respiratory Therapist salaries by metro
Metro	Median	Mean	P25–P75 range	Employment
San Jose, CA	$149,680	$146,490	$131,520–$168,980	1,060
Sacramento, CA	$134,430	$124,410	$111,480–$138,460	1,140
San Francisco, CA	$130,220	$128,490	$106,330–$148,650	2,010
New York, NY	$110,490	$113,400	$100,810–$127,070	7,010
Los Angeles, CA	$104,640	$102,570	$85,130–$117,520	7,010
Boston, MA	$104,580	$104,610	$96,190–$112,020	1,560
Seattle, WA	$104,220	$103,200	$85,230–$121,190	1,130
Washington, DC	$101,990	$100,450	$86,950–$108,130	1,850
Minneapolis, MN	$100,920	$99,680	$87,920–$103,690	820
Riverside, CA	$100,480	$98,200	$81,740–$105,390	2,200
Portland, OR	$100,030	$98,160	$85,210–$103,940	760
Atlanta, GA	$95,520	$94,720	$80,690–$104,780	2,670
Urban Honolulu, HI	$94,210	$92,940	$86,140–$102,170	440
Philadelphia, PA	$88,790	$87,200	$75,520–$97,000	2,990
Baltimore, MD	$88,020	$89,340	$81,920–$99,480	960
Raleigh, NC	$87,820	$85,910	$72,120–$92,080	430
Chicago, IL	$87,060	$88,400	$81,080–$96,830	3,620
Denver, CO	$85,870	$88,360	$79,090–$100,130	1,100
Las Vegas, NV	$85,110	$89,190	$73,730–$106,090	1,020
Dallas, TX	$84,080	$86,680	$78,770–$97,360	3,010
Austin, TX	$82,760	$85,370	$78,310–$96,240	770
Orlando, FL	$82,070	$81,430	$70,320–$85,020	1,190
Charlotte, NC	$82,020	$85,480	$78,380–$98,270	1,110
Columbus, OH	$81,860	$85,070	$79,670–$96,070	1,220
Jacksonville, FL	$81,760	$80,430	$77,750–$82,540	670
Indianapolis, IN	$81,720	$80,130	$70,510–$85,610	1,230
Tampa, FL	$81,630	$84,520	$77,710–$91,480	1,320
Cincinnati, OH	$81,600	$83,210	$76,920–$94,790	1,300
Virginia Beach, VA	$80,990	$86,650	$79,490–$92,490	710
Miami, FL	$80,880	$84,380	$74,070–$93,300	2,620
Oklahoma City, OK	$80,810	$78,900	$68,330–$83,610	950
Detroit, MI	$80,790	$80,360	$77,410–$85,970	1,910
Houston, TX	$80,450	$81,170	$66,910–$96,820	3,630
Phoenix, AZ	$79,760	$81,710	$69,680–$86,630	2,600
Kansas City, MO	$79,140	$79,300	$66,090–$90,100	1,190
Nashville, TN	$78,700	$79,370	$72,140–$83,660	1,070
San Antonio, TX	$77,900	$79,130	$65,460–$91,840	950
New Orleans, LA	$76,590	$76,520	$64,560–$79,710	620
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY	$76,560	$75,290	$66,180–$78,740	840
El Paso, TX	$75,490	$75,430	$64,800–$87,080	310
Pittsburgh, PA	$75,470	$72,820	$64,270–$79,910	1,220
Baton Rouge, LA	$74,220	$77,230	$63,930–$81,580	320
Birmingham, AL	$67,480	$67,650	$57,110–$77,630	790
Memphis, TN	$66,460	$71,510	$65,040–$78,640	670