Fazlur Rahman
The salary of a respiratory therapist in 2026 is approximately $70,000 per year at the national median, with a range of $60,000 to $95,000 depending on the state, employer, and experience level. The top 10% of respiratory therapists earn more than $95,000, and the bottom 10% earn less than $55,000. Hourly rates run from $26 to $46, with a national median around $33 to $35 per hour. California, New York, Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon are the highest-paying states, while West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and South Dakota sit at the bottom of the pay scale.
Salary figures cited below reflect the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics release for May 2025 (the most current at the time of writing) and the AARC 2026 respiratory therapist compensation survey. Costs and pay scales vary by region, employer type, and shift, so verify your specific offer with the hiring facility. The right move is to negotiate based on your RRT credential, your specialty (NICU, sleep, ICU), and your years of experience, because the spread on offers for the same job can be 15% to 25%.
2026 respiratory therapist salary at a glance
The table below summarizes the 2026 salary ranges for respiratory therapists by experience level and employer type, based on the BLS May 2025 release and the AARC 2026 survey.
| Experience / Setting | Annual salary range | Hourly rate | Top states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level (0-2 years) | $55,000 to $65,000 | $26 to $31 | CA, NY, HI |
| Mid-career (3-7 years) | $65,000 to $80,000 | $31 to $38 | CA, NY, WA, OR |
| Senior (8-15 years) | $80,000 to $95,000 | $38 to $46 | CA, NY, HI, WA |
| Travel / agency RT | $93,000 to $145,000 | $43 to $67 | All states |
| Hospital staff RT | $65,000 to $85,000 | $31 to $41 | CA, NY, MA |
| Home health / outpatient | $70,000 to $90,000 | $33 to $43 | CA, NY, OR |
| Sleep lab specialist | $78,000 to $95,000 | $37 to $46 | CA, NY, FL |
| RT manager / educator | $95,000 to $130,000 | $46 to $63 | All states |
The right pick for most new graduates is a hospital staff position at a level 1 or level 2 trauma center, which offers the strongest clinical experience, the highest base pay, and the best tuition reimbursement. The right pick for experienced RTs is a travel contract in a high-demand specialty, which pays 30% to 50% more than staff roles and includes housing and per-diem stipends.
National median respiratory therapist salary in 2026
The national median salary of a respiratory therapist in 2026 is approximately $70,000 per year, or $33 to $35 per hour. That figure sits between the BLS May 2025 release ($68,580 mean annual) and the AARC 2026 compensation survey median ($71,200), reflecting typical 2% to 4% annual wage growth in the field. The top 10% of respiratory therapists earn more than $95,000 per year, and the bottom 10% earn less than $55,000. The middle 50% earn between $60,000 and $85,000, depending on experience and specialty (BLS OES, May 2025; AARC 2026).
Strengths: stable demand, strong hourly rates, sign-on bonuses of $5,000 to $20,000 in shortage markets, and overtime availability. Weaknesses: shift work including nights, weekends, and holidays is the norm; the work is physically demanding; and the pay ceiling without management or specialization is around $90,000 to $95,000. The right pick for new graduates is to start in a hospital ICU or emergency department, because that experience unlocks the higher-paying specialties (NICU, sleep, transport) within 2 to 3 years.
Respiratory therapist salary by state in 2026
Respiratory therapist salary by state in 2026 ranges from $55,000 (West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama) to $98,000 (California). The top 10 states all pay more than $78,000 per year. The bottom 5 states pay between $55,000 and $62,000. The right pick for geographic mobility is to get your RRT credential first, then target California, New York, Hawaii, Washington, or Oregon, where the salary is 25% to 40% above the national median.
| State | 2026 mean salary | Hourly rate | Cost-of-living index |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $98,000 | $47 | 142 (high) |
| New York | $93,000 | $45 | 139 (high) |
| Hawaii | $90,000 | $43 | 192 (very high) |
| Washington | $87,000 | $42 | 115 (moderate) |
| Oregon | $85,000 | $41 | 118 (moderate) |
| Massachusetts | $84,000 | $40 | 135 (high) |
| Alaska | $83,000 | $40 | 127 (high) |
| Connecticut | $82,000 | $39 | 129 (high) |
| New Jersey | $81,000 | $39 | 128 (high) |
| Maryland | $79,000 | $38 | 113 (moderate) |
| Texas | $72,000 | $35 | 99 (average) |
| Florida | $70,000 | $34 | 103 (average) |
| Illinois | $71,000 | $34 | 96 (below average) |
| Ohio | $67,000 | $32 | 91 (below average) |
| Pennsylvania | $68,000 | $33 | 97 (average) |
| National median | $70,000 | $34 | 100 (baseline) |
Strengths: California, New York, and Hawaii pay the highest nominal salaries, but the cost of living in those states is also 35% to 90% above the national average. The right pick for real purchasing power is Washington or Oregon, where the salary is 25% above the national median and the cost of living is 15% to 20% above the national average. The right pick for early career is Texas or Florida, where the cost of living is below the national average and the salary is at or slightly above the national median (BLS OES, May 2025; MERIC 2026 cost-of-living index).
Hourly rate for respiratory therapists
The hourly rate for respiratory therapists in 2026 is $26 to $46 per hour, with a national median of $33 to $35 per hour. Entry-level hourly rates start at $26 to $31, mid-career rates run $31 to $38, and senior or specialty rates reach $38 to $46. Travel respiratory therapists earn $43 to $67 per hour, which is 30% to 50% above staff rates because the higher hourly rate compensates for the lack of benefits and the disruption of relocation (AARC 2026; BLS OES, May 2025).
Strengths: overtime is paid at 1.5x the base rate at most employers, and many hospitals offer "crisis" or "premium" shifts at 2.0x the base rate for last-minute coverage. Weaknesses: hourly rates are flat in the bottom-quartile-paying states regardless of experience. The right pick for maximizing hourly earnings is to specialize in NICU or pediatric respiratory therapy, because the specialty differential is $5 to $10 per hour, and to pick up premium shifts when available, because the 2.0x rate can push a mid-career RT into six-figure annualized income.
Highest-paying employers for respiratory therapists
The highest-paying employers for respiratory therapists in 2026 are: HCA Healthcare ($72K-$95K), Kaiser Permanente ($85K-$110K), Cleveland Clinic ($75K-$100K), Mayo Clinic ($80K-$105K), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ($73K-$98K). Government employers including the VA and the Indian Health Service pay slightly below the top private systems but offer strong benefits and pension plans. Travel agencies including AMN Healthcare, Aya Healthcare, and Trusted Nurse Staffing pay the highest gross hourly rates ($43-$67) but offer minimal benefits (AARC 2026; employer-reported salary data, 2026).
Strengths: Kaiser Permanente and the Mayo Clinic offer the highest base salaries with the best benefits, including pension plans, retiree health insurance, and tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees. Weaknesses: the highest-paying employers are concentrated in California, Minnesota, and Ohio, which means geographic mobility is required. The right pick for top pay with career development is Kaiser Permanente in California. The right pick for top pay with maximum flexibility is a travel contract through Aya or AMN.
Respiratory therapist career outlook through 2034
The respiratory therapist career outlook through 2034 is strong. The BLS projects 13% employment growth from 2024 to 2034, which is much faster than the 4% average for all occupations. By 2034, the US will need approximately 153,000 respiratory therapists, an increase of 18,000 from the current base of 135,000. The drivers are: the aging US population, rising rates of chronic respiratory disease (COPD, asthma, sleep apnea), the expansion of home healthcare, and the increased acuity of hospitalized patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The job is projected to remain in the top quartile of healthcare jobs for employment growth through 2034 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026).
Strengths: strong employment growth, geographic mobility, the option to specialize in high-paying niches (sleep, NICU, transport), and the option to advance into management or education. Weaknesses: shift work including nights, weekends, and holidays is the norm; the work is physically and emotionally demanding; and the pay ceiling without management is around $95,000. The right pick for new graduates is to get the RRT credential within 2 years of graduation, because RRT-credentialed therapists earn 10% to 15% more than CRT-only therapists at every experience level.
How to maximize your respiratory therapist salary in 2026
To maximize your respiratory therapist salary in 2026, the right move is to combine four levers: (1) earn the RRT credential within 2 years of graduation, because RRT-credentialed therapists earn 10% to 15% more than CRT-only; (2) specialize in NICU, sleep, or transport, because those specialties add $5 to $10 per hour; (3) target California, New York, Hawaii, Washington, or Oregon, where the salary is 25% to 40% above the national median; and (4) negotiate aggressively on sign-on bonus and shift differential, because the spread on offers for the same role can be 15% to 25%. The right pick for new graduates is to start at a level 1 or level 2 trauma center to get the strongest clinical experience, then transition to a specialty or a travel contract after 2 to 3 years.
Strengths: multiple paths to higher pay (specialty, geography, employer, credential). Weaknesses: requires 2 to 4 years of focused effort to reach the senior pay band. The right pick for a fast path to six figures is to specialize in sleep or NICU, then target California or a Kaiser Permanente role, because the combination adds $20,000 to $30,000 per year over a staff CRT role in a low-cost state.
Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Tom Watanabe, PUBLIC DOMAIN, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/US_Navy_031204-N-0000W-001_Hospital_Corpsman_2nd_Class_Raul_Huerta%2C_a_Respiratory_Therapy_Technologist.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original)
