The highest-paying states for respiratory therapists (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of respiratory therapists in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $97,770, California is the highest paying state for respiratory therapists. It is followed by New York (average annual salary $90,460). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of respiratory therapists in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $97,770 |
$65,160 | 15,730 |
| 2 | New York | $90,460 |
$65,100 | 6,530 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $85,160 |
$68,700 | 340 |
| 4 | Alaska | $84,010 |
$66,830 | 160 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $82,820 |
$35,030 | 290 |
| 6 | Oregon | $82,750 |
$66,000 | 1,120 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $82,380 |
$67,350 | 3,180 |
| 8 | Washington | $82,250 |
$67,310 | 2,430 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $81,240 |
$63,600 | 2,500 |
| 10 | Nevada | $80,650 |
$62,610 | 1,490 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $79,600 |
$62,760 | 1,370 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $79,390 |
$64,010 | 1,420 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $79,100 |
$64,140 | 390 |
| 14 | Delaware | $79,020 |
$63,840 | 390 |
| 15 | Maryland | $78,140 |
$64,330 | 1,430 |
| 16 | Vermont | $76,170 |
$55,620 | 180 |
| 17 | Colorado | $75,380 |
$62,630 | 1,790 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $75,170 |
$60,350 | 300 |
| 19 | Georgia | $74,050 |
$50,350 | 4,260 |
| 20 | Texas | $72,820 |
$59,060 | 11,450 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $70,320 |
$60,990 | 1,860 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $66,490 |
$51,260 | 1,670 |
| 23 | Illinois | $66,320 |
$52,820 | 5,120 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $65,860 |
$51,170 | 5,100 |
| 25 | Virginia | $65,790 |
$52,720 | 2,630 |
| 26 | Maine | $65,780 |
$53,540 | 510 |
| 27 | Ohio | $65,760 |
$54,150 | 5,820 |
| 28 | Utah | $65,560 |
$58,690 | 1,120 |
| 29 | Florida | $65,530 |
$51,270 | 8,600 |
| 30 | Arizona | $65,280 |
$55,310 | 3,000 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $65,110 |
$52,440 | 170 |
| 32 | Montana | $65,060 |
$51,760 | 350 |
| 33 | Kansas | $64,800 |
$50,300 | 1,220 |
| 34 | Indiana | $64,720 |
$51,060 | 3,230 |
| 35 | Michigan | $64,490 |
$52,000 | 4,630 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $64,390 |
$51,090 | 4,110 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $64,370 |
$50,700 | 820 |
| 38 | Idaho | $64,200 |
$57,830 | 470 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $63,980 |
$50,740 | 1,770 |
| 40 | Missouri | $63,300 |
$50,440 | 3,160 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $63,130 |
$52,750 | 580 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $62,720 |
$50,500 | 2,480 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $62,210 |
$47,500 | 1,520 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $62,130 |
$51,050 | 330 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $61,010 |
$48,170 | 3,070 |
| 46 | Iowa | $61,000 |
$50,250 | 960 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $60,850 |
$48,010 | 3,340 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $60,390 |
$46,570 | 350 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $60,320 |
$46,650 | 1,120 |
| 50 | Alabama | $57,420 |
$40,840 | 2,490 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $51,840 |
$41,680 | 1,550 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $24,050 |
$19,090 | 610 |