occupation · 29-1126 · detailed
Respiratory Therapists — wages and employment
Respiratory Therapists earned a median annual wage of $80,450 in the United States in May 2024, with 136,420 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Respiratory Therapists earned a median annual wage of $80,450 in the United States in May 2024, with 136,420 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $61,900 or less, the best-paid tenth $108,820 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $77,960 to $80,450, +3.2 %. The best-paying state is District of Columbia at $104,240; the lowest Puerto Rico at $32,510. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $137,080. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 136,420 | $80,450 | $84,260 | $61,900 | $68,410 | $95,530 | $108,820 | $38.68 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 129,750 | $77,960 | $80,340 | $59,180 | $65,530 | $88,820 | $104,480 | $37.48 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $104,240 | 360 |
| New York | $103,820 | 6,780 |
| California | $102,120 | 18,310 |
| New Jersey | $98,020 | 3,200 |
| Washington | $97,150 | 1,850 |
| Massachusetts | $96,940 | 2,140 |
| Oregon | $96,130 | 1,410 |
| Hawaii | $94,670 | 310 |
| Alaska | $94,210 | 170 |
| Minnesota | $88,040 | 1,190 |
| Delaware | $87,380 | 410 |
| Maryland | $85,570 | 1,890 |
| New Hampshire | $83,620 | 390 |
| Rhode Island | $83,600 | 250 |
| Connecticut | $83,250 | 1,540 |
| Wisconsin | $82,160 | 1,940 |
| Georgia | $81,890 | 5,030 |
| Illinois | $81,310 | 5,450 |
| Montana | $80,950 | 390 |
| Colorado | $80,690 | 2,070 |
| Florida | $79,710 | 8,840 |
| Virginia | $79,600 | 2,960 |
| Nevada | $79,510 | 1,420 |
| Maine | $79,330 | 450 |
| Arizona | $79,290 | 3,070 |
| Utah | $78,990 | 1,020 |
| Nebraska | $78,880 | 820 |
| Vermont | $78,760 | 230 |
| Ohio | $78,400 | 6,460 |
| Indiana | $77,820 | 3,330 |
| Texas | $77,550 | 11,860 |
| Michigan | $77,460 | 4,150 |
| North Carolina | $77,050 | 4,440 |
| North Dakota | $76,660 | 300 |
| Pennsylvania | $76,160 | 5,850 |
| Oklahoma | $76,080 | 1,700 |
| South Carolina | $75,960 | 1,930 |
| Wyoming | $75,900 | 160 |
| Idaho | $75,510 | 820 |
| Missouri | $73,880 | 3,270 |
| Kansas | $73,580 | 1,260 |
| Louisiana | $70,140 | 2,280 |
| Iowa | $68,790 | 1,050 |
| Arkansas | $67,960 | 1,470 |
| New Mexico | $66,460 | 600 |
| West Virginia | $66,370 | 1,340 |
| Kentucky | $65,670 | 2,860 |
| Tennessee | $65,000 | 3,070 |
| South Dakota | $64,720 | 380 |
| Alabama | $64,010 | 2,250 |
| Mississippi | $61,320 | 1,690 |
| Puerto Rico | $32,510 | 750 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $137,080 | 950 |
| Vallejo, CA | $132,520 | 190 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $131,320 | 1,940 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $129,640 | 210 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $129,180 | 1,070 |
| Redding, CA | $119,560 | 80 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $104,890 | 100 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $104,840 | 6,570 |
| Modesto, CA | $103,820 | 290 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $102,590 | 1,430 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $101,250 | 7,010 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $100,970 | 320 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $100,780 | 150 |
| Anchorage, AK | $100,170 | 110 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $99,780 | 820 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $99,780 | 1,450 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $98,910 | 1,100 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $98,590 | 380 |
| Merced, CA | $98,150 | 40 |
| Vineland, NJ | $98,020 | 60 |
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