$ PaycheckDecoded

Respiratory Therapist Salary

Respiratory Therapists earn a median $82,280 a year nationally. Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

U.S. median
$82,280
$39.56 per hour
Range
$63,660 – $118,050
10th to 90th percentile
Employed
139,790
across the U.S.

Respiratory Therapist take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Respiratory Therapist
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$66,714
per year · effective tax rate 18.9%
$5,559Monthly
$2,780Twice a month
$2,566Every 2 weeks
$32.07Hourly
  • Federal income tax$9,272
  • Social Security (6.2%)$5,101
  • Medicare (1.45%)$1,193
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$66,714

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)$63,660$30.61$53,331
25th percentile$74,520$35.83$61,255
Median (50th)$82,280$39.56$66,714
75th percentile$98,730$47.47$78,287
90th percentile (top earners)$118,050$56.75$91,878

Best cities for respiratory therapists (after tax & cost of living)

#Metro areaMedianTake-homeReal value*Jobs
1San Jose, CA$149,680$101,936$92,3141,060
2Sacramento, CA$134,430$93,129$87,3061,140
3San Francisco, CA$130,220$90,698$78,4492,010
4Seattle, WA$104,220$82,149$73,9191,130
5New York, NY$110,490$81,081$72,0327,010
6Atlanta, GA$95,520$71,694$71,6522,670
7Boston, MA$104,580$77,393$71,4841,560
8Minneapolis, MN$100,920$74,488$71,061820
9Milwaukee, WI$89,040$68,131$70,284630
10Dayton, OH$81,420$64,652$69,748610
11Tulsa, OK$80,250$62,220$69,743540
12Oklahoma City, OK$80,810$62,589$69,229950
13Washington, DC$101,990$74,879$68,7701,850
14Omaha, NE$81,270$63,185$68,746460
15Riverside, CA$100,480$73,096$68,6722,200
16Buffalo, NY$86,720$65,752$68,603510
17Las Vegas, NV$85,110$68,705$68,5571,020
18Austin, TX$82,760$67,052$68,374770
19Cleveland, OH$80,360$63,936$68,0731,380
20Columbus, OH$81,860$64,950$68,0321,220
21Winston, NC$80,250$62,593$68,004530
22Cincinnati, OH$81,600$64,774$67,9191,300
23San Diego, CA$105,040$75,821$67,7661,430
24Portland, OR$100,030$71,278$67,613760
25San Antonio, TX$77,900$63,633$67,183950

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

Respiratory Therapist salary by state

StateMedianTake-homeRangeJobs
District of Columbia $111,950$81,040 $77,240 – $127,400430
New York $107,810$79,354 $81,270 – $131,5007,010
California $104,820$75,690 $77,010 – $145,51018,650
Massachusetts $102,170$75,818 $80,330 – $123,9302,220
Washington $101,130$79,975 $76,080 – $127,5201,860
New Jersey $100,810$75,518 $78,000 – $123,3703,350
Oregon $100,560$71,605 $81,490 – $120,0601,340
Minnesota $98,710$73,084 $79,060 – $110,0501,250
Alaska $97,950$77,738 $80,250 – $114,590180
New Hampshire $95,940$76,324 $80,490 – $109,000360
Hawaii $94,210$69,477 $80,130 – $102,780510
Delaware $91,080$68,235 $79,210 – $109,890500
Maryland $88,960$67,551 $69,550 – $106,4301,800
Rhode Island $86,900$67,322 $73,240 – $122,120260
Colorado $86,220$66,400 $66,560 – $109,0702,110
Nevada $85,480$68,965 $65,150 – $118,7101,270
Connecticut $85,230$65,677 $72,410 – $121,6201,370
Wisconsin $84,210$64,989 $70,520 – $100,3201,940
Illinois $84,090$63,970 $64,480 – $100,1004,880
Vermont $83,820$64,725 $50,310 – $99,940210
Georgia $83,700$63,992 $65,050 – $112,3205,150
Virginia $82,910$63,204 $65,540 – $106,4703,340
Maine $82,470$62,447 $61,060 – $98,470520
Nebraska $81,590$63,396 $64,100 – $96,180840
North Dakota $81,230$65,651 $65,770 – $100,490270
Montana $81,190$62,721 $60,800 – $92,890390
Florida $81,160$65,926 $64,240 – $100,3108,820
Utah $80,650$62,904 $61,860 – $101,3401,170
North Carolina $80,090$62,486 $63,990 – $99,5204,630
Ohio $79,920$63,638 $65,580 – $97,0306,640
Michigan $79,850$61,862 $64,770 – $90,2104,520
Arizona $79,780$63,169 $64,780 – $99,1803,500
Indiana $79,730$62,598 $62,730 – $94,9803,170
Texas $79,540$64,786 $61,310 – $99,69012,130
Wyoming $79,330$64,639 $64,300 – $91,840160
Oklahoma $78,800$61,265 $64,380 – $95,3502,000
Pennsylvania $78,490$61,638 $62,440 – $95,5206,530
Idaho $78,460$60,977 $63,540 – $95,290820
Missouri $78,390$61,230 $60,950 – $95,7303,030
South Carolina $77,740$60,013 $63,700 – $90,6701,960
Kansas $76,970$59,483 $60,470 – $94,6001,450
Louisiana $75,240$59,890 $61,520 – $91,2002,520
Iowa $74,760$59,235 $62,860 – $86,510910
Arkansas $73,870$58,129 $59,550 – $93,4801,400
Kentucky $72,750$57,581 $58,330 – $92,5402,530
Tennessee $72,140$59,580 $57,860 – $88,0603,440
New Mexico $68,870$55,209 $61,990 – $91,220840
West Virginia $68,670$54,764 $52,940 – $94,2801,140
South Dakota $68,240$56,837 $48,530 – $88,830430
Alabama $66,150$52,289 $50,250 – $81,0302,350
Mississippi $63,270$51,219 $50,180 – $80,4601,670

Frequently asked questions

How much does a respiratory therapist make?

The national median salary for respiratory therapists is $82,280 a year ($39.56 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $63,660 and the top 10% earn over $118,050. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays respiratory therapists the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay at $111,950. After taxes and local prices, San Jose, CA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many respiratory therapists are there in the U.S.?

About 139,790 people work as respiratory therapists nationwide.

All 61 cities