BLS respiratory therapist pay in every state and at every level, night differentials, overtime and take-home after 2026 tax
Respiratory therapists earned a median salary of $82,280 in May 2025 ($39.56 an hour), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count of 139,790. Even the bottom tenth earned more than $63,660, and the top tenth over $118,050. Night differentials and extra shifts aren't included.
This is the BLS line for respiratory therapists (SOC 29-1126) on employers' payrolls. Respiratory therapy technicians, a smaller group, are counted separately. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30.61 | $63,660 | $5,305 | $53,331 |
| 25th percentile | $35.83 | $74,520 | $6,210 | $61,255 |
| Median | $39.56 | $82,280 | $6,857 | $66,714 |
| 75th percentile | $47.47 | $98,730 | $8,228 | $78,287 |
| 90th percentile | $56.75 | $118,050 | $9,838 | $91,878 |
Washington, D.C. ($111,950), New York ($107,810) and California ($104,820) pay RTs the most, and California also has the most, 18,650. Mississippi is lowest at $63,270. Texas, the second-largest employer, pays $79,540 and Florida $81,160.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $53.82 | $111,950 | 430 |
| New York | $51.83 | $107,810 | 7,010 |
| California | $50.40 | $104,820 | 18,650 |
| Massachusetts | $49.12 | $102,170 | 2,220 |
| Washington | $48.62 | $101,130 | 1,860 |
| New Jersey | $48.47 | $100,810 | 3,350 |
| Oregon | $48.34 | $100,560 | 1,340 |
| Minnesota | $47.46 | $98,710 | 1,250 |
| Alaska | $47.09 | $97,950 | 180 |
| New Hampshire | $46.13 | $95,940 | 360 |
| Hawaii | $45.30 | $94,210 | 510 |
| Delaware | $43.79 | $91,080 | 500 |
| Maryland | $42.77 | $88,960 | 1,800 |
| Rhode Island | $41.78 | $86,900 | 260 |
| Colorado | $41.45 | $86,220 | 2,110 |
| Nevada | $41.10 | $85,480 | 1,270 |
| Connecticut | $40.98 | $85,230 | 1,370 |
| Wisconsin | $40.48 | $84,210 | 1,940 |
| Illinois | $40.43 | $84,090 | 4,880 |
| Vermont | $40.30 | $83,820 | 210 |
| Georgia | $40.24 | $83,700 | 5,150 |
| Virginia | $39.86 | $82,910 | 3,340 |
| Maine | $39.65 | $82,470 | 520 |
| Nebraska | $39.22 | $81,590 | 840 |
| North Dakota | $39.06 | $81,230 | 270 |
| Montana | $39.03 | $81,190 | 390 |
| Florida | $39.02 | $81,160 | 8,820 |
| Utah | $38.77 | $80,650 | 1,170 |
| North Carolina | $38.51 | $80,090 | 4,630 |
| Ohio | $38.42 | $79,920 | 6,640 |
| Michigan | $38.39 | $79,850 | 4,520 |
| Arizona | $38.36 | $79,780 | 3,500 |
| Indiana | $38.33 | $79,730 | 3,170 |
| Texas | $38.24 | $79,540 | 12,130 |
| Wyoming | $38.14 | $79,330 | 160 |
| Oklahoma | $37.88 | $78,800 | 2,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $37.74 | $78,490 | 6,530 |
| Idaho | $37.72 | $78,460 | 820 |
| Missouri | $37.69 | $78,390 | 3,030 |
| South Carolina | $37.38 | $77,740 | 1,960 |
| Kansas | $37.01 | $76,970 | 1,450 |
| Louisiana | $36.17 | $75,240 | 2,520 |
| Iowa | $35.94 | $74,760 | 910 |
| Arkansas | $35.51 | $73,870 | 1,400 |
| Kentucky | $34.98 | $72,750 | 2,530 |
| Tennessee | $34.68 | $72,140 | 3,440 |
| New Mexico | $33.11 | $68,870 | 840 |
| West Virginia | $33.01 | $68,670 | 1,140 |
| South Dakota | $32.81 | $68,240 | 430 |
| Alabama | $31.81 | $66,150 | 2,350 |
| Mississippi | $30.42 | $63,270 | 1,670 |
Employer type barely moves RT pay: hospitals, which employ 80% of respiratory therapists, pay $82,730, skilled nursing facilities $79,270 and physicians' offices $77,890 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $82,730 |
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | $79,270 |
| Offices of physicians | $77,890 |
Most respiratory therapists work full time. Hospitals employ 80% of them, in emergency rooms, critical care and neonatal intensive care units, so shifts include nights, weekends and holidays; home-care therapists make emergency home visits (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Those round-the-clock shifts are where differentials come from, and BLS's figures leave them out.
Respiratory therapists paid by the hour are owed time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek (U.S. Department of Labor), or, where a hospital uses the 8-and-80 system by prior agreement, after 8 hours in a day and 80 in 14 days (DOL Fact Sheet #54). Extra shifts, overtime and night differentials all come on top of the BLS figures here.
BLS's wage figures leave out shift differentials. The table adds a night or weekend differential to the median $39.56 an hour for 12 hours a week (one 12-hour shift) over 52 weeks. Differentials vary by employer and contract; these amounts are examples to show the arithmetic, not typical rates.
| Differential | Extra a year | Average hourly over 40 hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00/hour | $624 | $39.86 |
| $2.00/hour | $1,248 | $40.16 |
| $3.00/hour | $1,872 | $40.46 |
| $5.00/hour | $3,120 | $41.06 |
Respiratory therapists typically need an associate's degree in respiratory therapy from an accredited program — some employers prefer a bachelor's — including the Armed Forces' accredited program. Every state except Alaska requires a license, usually by passing a state or professional exam. The two main credentials are Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and the higher Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), which some employers require at hire or within a set time (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
More ways to work with your respiratory therapist pay:
$82,280 a year ($39.56 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $74,520 to $98,730.
District of Columbia ($53.82 an hour, $111,950 a year), then New York and California; Mississippi pays least among the 51 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
BLS doesn't publish separate wages by credential. The Occupational Outlook Handbook notes that some employers require the RRT before hiring or within a set time, so it opens more jobs; the 25th-to-75th percentile range on this page shows how far experience and employer move pay.
Hourly RTs do: time and a half after 40 hours a week, or after 8 a day and 80 in two weeks where a hospital uses the 8-and-80 system (DOL Fact Sheet #54). Shift differentials come on top and aren't in BLS's figures.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.