How much does a respiratory therapist make?
A respiratory therapist makes $82,280 a year at the national median, and the middle half of RTs earn between $74,520 and $98,730.[onet_rt][oews] BLS counted 139,790 respiratory therapist jobs in May 2025.[oews_api] RTs reach that pay with a shorter education than the other therapists on this site: the minimum is an associate degree from a CoARC-accredited program, and 82% of accredited entry-level programs award one.[ooh_rt]
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | Take-home* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $63,660 | $30.61 | $53,331 |
| 25th | $74,520 | $35.83 | $61,255 |
| Median (50th) | $82,280 | $39.56 | $66,714 |
| 75th | $98,730 | $47.47 | $78,287 |
| 90th | $118,050 | $56.75 | $91,878 |
*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.
Respiratory therapist hourly pay and pay per 12-hour shift
Respiratory therapist hourly pay is $39.56 at the median, from $30.61 at the 10th percentile to $56.75 at the 90th.[onet_rt] Most hospital RTs work three 12-hour shifts a week, which is 1,872 hours a year instead of the 2,080 BLS uses to turn hourly into yearly pay, so a three-shift RT earns about 10% less than the annual figure unless they add shifts.[oews_faq] Under federal law hours past 40 in a workweek are paid at time and a half, which makes a fourth shift worth more than the first three.[flsa]
| Percentile | Hourly | Per 12-h shift | 36 h/week, yearly | 40 h/week, yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $30.61 | $367 | $57,294 | $63,660 |
| 25th | $35.83 | $430 | $67,068 | $74,520 |
| Median | $39.56 | $475 | $74,052 | $82,280 |
| 75th | $47.47 | $570 | $88,857 | $98,730 |
| 90th | $56.75 | $681 | $106,245 | $118,050 |
CRT vs RRT: does the credential change pay?
BLS does not publish separate wages for the two NBRC credentials, the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), so no official RRT salary exists.[oews] What the credential changes is which jobs you can take. Through December 31, 2026, the NBRC Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) exam has two cut scores: the low cut earns the CRT, and the high cut earns the CRT plus eligibility for the Clinical Simulation Exam, which leads to the RRT. From January 4, 2027 a single Respiratory Therapy Examination replaces the TMC: its low cut score earns the CRT and its high cut score earns the RRT directly.[nbrc_tmc] Read each job posting for the credential it requires before comparing its pay with the table above. The full credential path is on how to become a respiratory therapist.
Respiratory therapist salary by state
District of Columbia pays respiratory therapists the most at a median of $111,950, followed by New York ($107,810) and California ($104,820); Mississippi pays the least at $63,270.[onet_rt][oews_api] California RTs earn a median $104,820 (metro detail on respiratory therapist salary California); Florida's metro pay and license fees are on respiratory therapist salary Florida.
| State | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. District of Columbia | $111,950 | $53.82 | $77,240 | $127,400 | 430 |
| 2. New York | $107,810 | $51.83 | $81,270 | $131,500 | 7,010 |
| 3. California | $104,820 | $50.39 | $77,010 | $145,510 | 18,650 |
| 4. Massachusetts | $102,170 | $49.12 | $80,330 | $123,930 | 2,220 |
| 5. Washington | $101,130 | $48.62 | $76,080 | $127,520 | 1,860 |
| 6. New Jersey | $100,810 | $48.47 | $78,000 | $123,370 | 3,350 |
| 7. Oregon | $100,560 | $48.35 | $81,490 | $120,060 | 1,340 |
| 8. Minnesota | $98,710 | $47.46 | $79,060 | $110,050 | 1,250 |
| 9. Alaska | $97,950 | $47.09 | $80,250 | $114,590 | 180 |
| 10. New Hampshire | $95,940 | $46.13 | $80,490 | $109,000 | 360 |
| 11. Hawaii | $94,210 | $45.29 | $80,130 | $102,780 | 510 |
| 12. Delaware | $91,080 | $43.79 | $79,210 | $109,890 | 500 |
| 13. Maryland | $88,960 | $42.77 | $69,550 | $106,430 | 1,800 |
| 14. Rhode Island | $86,900 | $41.78 | $73,240 | $122,120 | 260 |
| 15. Colorado | $86,220 | $41.45 | $66,560 | $109,070 | 2,110 |
| 16. Nevada | $85,480 | $41.10 | $65,150 | $118,710 | 1,270 |
| 17. Connecticut | $85,230 | $40.98 | $72,410 | $121,620 | 1,370 |
| 18. Wisconsin | $84,210 | $40.49 | $70,520 | $100,320 | 1,940 |
| 19. Illinois | $84,090 | $40.43 | $64,480 | $100,100 | 4,880 |
| 20. Vermont | $83,820 | $40.30 | $50,310 | $99,940 | 210 |
| 21. Georgia | $83,700 | $40.24 | $65,050 | $112,320 | 5,150 |
| 22. Virginia | $82,910 | $39.86 | $65,540 | $106,470 | 3,340 |
| 23. Maine | $82,470 | $39.65 | $61,060 | $98,470 | 520 |
| 24. Nebraska | $81,590 | $39.23 | $64,100 | $96,180 | 840 |
| 25. North Dakota | $81,230 | $39.05 | $65,770 | $100,490 | 270 |
| 26. Montana | $81,190 | $39.03 | $60,800 | $92,890 | 390 |
| 27. Florida | $81,160 | $39.02 | $64,240 | $100,310 | 8,820 |
| 28. Utah | $80,650 | $38.77 | $61,860 | $101,340 | 1,170 |
| 29. North Carolina | $80,090 | $38.50 | $63,990 | $99,520 | 4,630 |
| 30. Ohio | $79,920 | $38.42 | $65,580 | $97,030 | 6,640 |
| 31. Michigan | $79,850 | $38.39 | $64,770 | $90,210 | 4,520 |
| 32. Arizona | $79,780 | $38.36 | $64,780 | $99,180 | 3,500 |
| 33. Indiana | $79,730 | $38.33 | $62,730 | $94,980 | 3,170 |
| 34. Texas | $79,540 | $38.24 | $61,310 | $99,690 | 12,130 |
| 35. Wyoming | $79,330 | $38.14 | $64,300 | $91,840 | 160 |
| 36. Oklahoma | $78,800 | $37.88 | $64,380 | $95,350 | 2,000 |
| 37. Pennsylvania | $78,490 | $37.74 | $62,440 | $95,520 | 6,530 |
| 38. Idaho | $78,460 | $37.72 | $63,540 | $95,290 | 820 |
| 39. Missouri | $78,390 | $37.69 | $60,950 | $95,730 | 3,030 |
| 40. South Carolina | $77,740 | $37.38 | $63,700 | $90,670 | 1,960 |
| 41. Kansas | $76,970 | $37.00 | $60,470 | $94,600 | 1,450 |
| 42. Louisiana | $75,240 | $36.17 | $61,520 | $91,200 | 2,520 |
| 43. Iowa | $74,760 | $35.94 | $62,860 | $86,510 | 910 |
| 44. Arkansas | $73,870 | $35.51 | $59,550 | $93,480 | 1,400 |
| 45. Kentucky | $72,750 | $34.98 | $58,330 | $92,540 | 2,530 |
| 46. Tennessee | $72,140 | $34.68 | $57,860 | $88,060 | 3,440 |
| 47. New Mexico | $68,870 | $33.11 | $61,990 | $91,220 | 840 |
| 48. West Virginia | $68,670 | $33.01 | $52,940 | $94,280 | 1,140 |
| 49. South Dakota | $68,240 | $32.81 | $48,530 | $88,830 | 430 |
| 50. Alabama | $66,150 | $31.80 | $50,250 | $81,030 | 2,350 |
| 51. Mississippi | $63,270 | $30.42 | $50,180 | $80,460 | 1,670 |
Jobs: BLS OEWS employment estimate, May 2025.
Respiratory therapist salary in Texas and Florida
The respiratory therapist salary in Texas is $79,540 at the median and in Florida $81,160, both below the national median, but neither state taxes wages.[onet_rt][txtax] A single Texas RT at the state median keeps about $64,786 after federal tax, Social Security and Medicare. BLS counted 12,130 RT jobs in Texas and 8,820 in Florida.[oews_api]
Highest-paying metro areas for RTs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is the best-paying metro area for respiratory therapists at a median of $149,680.[onet_rt]
| Metro area | Median | Hourly | Per 12-h shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $149,680 | $71.96 | $864 |
| 2. Vallejo, CA | $136,200 | $65.48 | $786 |
| 3. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $134,880 | $64.85 | $778 |
| 4. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $134,430 | $64.63 | $776 |
| 5. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $130,220 | $62.61 | $751 |
| 6. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $123,220 | $59.24 | $711 |
| 7. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $112,430 | $54.05 | $649 |
| 8. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $110,490 | $53.12 | $637 |
| 9. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $108,600 | $52.21 | $627 |
| 10. Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $106,910 | $51.40 | $617 |
| 11. Reno, NV | $105,140 | $50.55 | $607 |
| 12. North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $105,070 | $50.51 | $606 |
RT pay compared with other therapists
A respiratory therapist earns $20,480 less than a physical therapist and $18,050 less than an occupational therapist at the medians, but those careers require a doctorate or master's degree.[onet_pt][onet_ot] Compare program length and cost on respiratory therapy school and physical therapy school cost, or see physical therapist salary.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a respiratory therapist make an hour?
$39.56 at the national median (BLS, May 2025). The 10th percentile is $30.61 and the 90th is $56.75.
How much does a respiratory therapist make per shift?
About $475 for a 12-hour shift at the median hourly rate, before overtime or shift differentials.
What state pays respiratory therapists the most?
District of Columbia ($111,950 median), then New York and California.
How much does a registered respiratory therapist (RRT) make?
BLS reports one wage for all respiratory therapists and does not split CRT from RRT. RRT is the credential most hospital jobs ask for.
How much does a respiratory therapist make in Texas?
The Texas median is $79,540 a year, or $38.24 an hour. With no state income tax, a single filer keeps about $64,786.
Sources
- Local Wages: 29-1126.00 Respiratory Therapists (state and metro percentiles)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates
- OEWS May 2025 employment and median wage series (OEUN/OEUS), Public Data API v2
- OEWS Frequently Asked Questions (wage definition; 2,080-hour year)
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Respiratory Therapists
- Overtime Pay (Fair Labor Standards Act: time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek)
- Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential and Therapist Multiple-Choice exam; Respiratory Therapy Examination from Jan 4, 2027
- Texas Taxes (Texas does not have a state personal income tax)
- Local Wages: 29-1123.00 Physical Therapists (state and metro percentiles)
- Local Wages: 29-1122.00 Occupational Therapists (state and metro percentiles)
- IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)