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Respiratory Therapy Technician Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of respiratory therapy technicians are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of respiratory therapy technicians within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The respiratory therapy technicians annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2020 and published in April 2021 [1].

Table 1. Respiratory Therapy Technician Salary in U.S. (2020 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$31,240
25th Percentile Wage
$40,810
50th Percentile Wage
$51,210
75th Percentile Wage
$61,910
90th Percentile Wage
$73,530

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for respiratory therapy technicians. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) respiratory therapy technicians is $73,530. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $51,210. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $31,240. It is noted that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 135% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of respiratory therapy technicians from 2012 to 2018.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$51,210
1.68% 8.69%
2017
$50,350
1.13% -
2016
$49,780
2.59% -
2015
$48,490
1.40% -
2014
$47,810
1.61% -
2013
$47,040
0.60% -
2012
$46,760
- -

Table 2. Respiratory Therapy Technician Salary by Industry Sector (2020 survey)

The average salaries of respiratory therapy technicians in 6 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for respiratory therapy technicians occupations is the health care and social assistance sector with an annual salary $52,380. The lowest paying sector is the administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector (annual salary $29,250).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Health Care and Social Assistance
$52,380
Federal, State, and Local Government
$47,680
Wholesale Trade
$44,390
Retail Trade
$43,030
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
$42,990
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$29,250

Table 3. Median Annual Wage of Respiratory Therapy Technicians by States (2020 survey)

From the above tables we note that not only respiratory therapy technicians salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of respiratory therapy technicians in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $19,240 to $80,150. The highest paying state for respiratory therapy technicians is Nevada with a median annual salary of $80,150. The lowest paying state is Puerto Rico with a median annual salary of $19,240. For more salary information of respiratory therapy technicians profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.

State Name Median Annual Salary
Nevada
$80,150
District of Columbia
$73,790
New Jersey
$68,260
Massachusetts
$62,740
Maryland
$61,950
Hawaii
$59,100
Arizona
$58,890
Virginia
$57,050
Oregon
$56,450
Illinois
$56,360
Washington
$55,910
New York
$55,340
Minnesota
$53,900
New Hampshire
$53,880
Missouri
$53,110
Georgia
$52,120
Texas
$51,860
Indiana
$51,700
Florida
$51,600
Rhode Island
$51,530
Nebraska
$50,950
West Virginia
$50,580
Vermont
$50,120
South Carolina
$50,070
Louisiana
$49,340
Utah
$49,080
Connecticut
$48,950
Maine
$48,270
Ohio
$47,500
Pennsylvania
$47,380
Arkansas
$47,010
Kansas
$45,470
Iowa
$45,420
Oklahoma
$45,100
Mississippi
$44,840
California
$42,740
Tennessee
$42,200
New Mexico
$40,830
Kentucky
$40,480
Colorado
$40,300
Alabama
$39,660
Michigan
$37,920
North Carolina
$36,900
North Dakota
$35,200
Wisconsin
$32,220
Idaho
$27,840
Puerto Rico
$19,240