Respiratory Care Assistant Salary in the United States

How much does a Respiratory Care Assistant make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Respiratory Care Assistant in the United States is $72,391 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $35.

However, a Respiratory Care Assistant's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $84,093
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $64,947 to $78,516
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $58,171

Key Factors That Influence Respiratory Care Assistant Salaries

A Respiratory Care Assistant's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Respiratory Care Assistant Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Respiratory Care Assistant's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $68,845
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $69,418
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $72,120
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $74,643
  • Expert (over 8 years): $75,093
Levels Salary
Entry Level Respiratory Care Assistant$68,845
Intermediate Level Respiratory Care Assistant$69,418
Senior Level Respiratory Care Assistant$72,120
Specialist Level Respiratory Care Assistant$74,643
Expert Level Respiratory Care Assistant$75,093

Top Paying Cities for Respiratory Care Assistants

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $91,306
  • San Francisco: $90,307
  • Oakland: $88,404

What Skills Can Increase a Respiratory Care Assistant's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 2.06% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Critical Care (Mentioned in 2.67% Job Postings): Critical care is sometimes referred as intensive care. Intensive care medicine, or critical care medicine, is a branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and management of life-threatening conditions that may require sophisticated life support and intensive monitoring. An intensivist is a physician who specializes in the care of critically ill patients, most often in the intensive care unit (ICU). Intensivists can be internists or internal medicine sub-specialists (most often pulmonologists), anesthesiologists, emergency medicine physicians, pediatricians (including neonatologists), or surgeons who have completed a fellowship in critical care medicine.
  • Patient Safety (Mentioned in 1.33% Job Postings): Patient safety is a discipline and responsibility that emphasizes safety in health care through the prevention, reduction, reporting, and analysis of medical error that often leads to adverse effects. The frequency and magnitude of avoidable adverse events experienced by patients was not well known until the 1990s, when multiple countries reported staggering numbers of patients harmed and killed by medical errors. Recognizing that healthcare errors impact 1 in every 10 patients around the world, the World Health Organization calls patient safety an endemic concern. Indeed, patient safety has emerged as a distinct healthcare discipline supported by an immature yet developing scientific framework. There is a significant transdisciplinary body of theoretical and research literature that informs the science of patient safety. At the same time, efforts are being made to anchor patient safety more firmly in medical education. The resulting patient safety knowledge continually informs improvement efforts such as: applying lessons learned from business and industry, adopting innovative technologies, educating providers and consumers, enhancing error reporting systems, and developing new economic incentives.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 2.06%
Critical Care 2.67%
Patient Safety 1.33%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Respiratory Care Assistant's salary.

  • Quality Control: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Coordination: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Time Management: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Quality Control $74,562
3%
Coordination $74,562
3%
Time Management $74,562
3%

Respiratory Care Assistant Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Respiratory Care Assistant roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit, offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely, Respiratory Care Assistant positions in Healthcare typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Respiratory Care Assistant as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Respiratory Care Assistant

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit$86,869$42.020%

How Education impacts a Respiratory Care Assistant's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Respiratory Care Assistants enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Respiratory Care Assistant with a Associate's Degree is between $73,746 and $77,645).

Respiratory Care Assistant Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Respiratory Care Assistant
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 4.3%
High School 4.3%
Associates 64.0%
Bachelors 29.0%
Masters 2.4%
Doctorate 0.4%

Respiratory Care Assistant Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Respiratory Care Assistant's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$64,947
Average $72,391/year
$78,516
$5,412
Average $6,033/month
$6,543
$1,249
Average $1,392/week
$1,510
$31
Average $35/hour
$38
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $78,516 $6,543 $1,510 $38
Average $72,391 $6,033 $1,392 $35
25th Percentile $64,947 $5,412 $1,249 $31

Most common benefits for Respiratory Care Assistant

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Respiratory Care Assistant

Here are companies hiring for Respiratory Care Assistant and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Respiratory Care Assistant

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Respiratory Care Assistant?

The Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit industry offers the highest average compensation for Respiratory Care Assistant roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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