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Respiratory Specialist Salary in the United States

How much does a Respiratory Specialist make in the United States?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Respiratory Specialist in the United States is $74,020 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $36.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $85,986
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $66,408 to $80,283
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $59,478
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Respiratory Specialist Salaries

A Respiratory Specialist'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 Specialist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Respiratory Specialist'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): $70,980
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $71,215
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $74,020
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $76,599
  • Expert (over 8 years): $76,783
Levels Salary
Entry Level Respiratory Specialist$70,980
Intermediate Level Respiratory Specialist$71,215
Senior Level Respiratory Specialist$74,020
Specialist Level Respiratory Specialist$76,599
Expert Level Respiratory Specialist$76,783
View as Graph

How Do Respiratory Specialist Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Respiratory Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $81,955.
  • California: $81,644.
  • Massachusetts: $80,556.

Top Paying Cities for Respiratory Specialists

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: $93,361
  • San Francisco: $92,339
  • Oakland: $90,393

What Skills Can Increase a Respiratory Specialist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Communicates Effectively (Mentioned in 1.82% Job Postings): Effective communication is the process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and data so that the message is received and understood with clarity and purpose.
  • Critical Care (Mentioned in 2.57% 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.
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (Mentioned in 1.37% Job Postings): It is used to provide urgent treatment to cardiac emergencies such as cardiac arrest, stroke, myocardial infarction, and other conditions.
Skills Demand Percentage
Communicates Effectively 1.82%
Critical Care 2.57%
Advanced Cardiac Life Support 1.37%
See More Skills

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 Specialist's salary.

  • Organizing: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Sense Of Urgency: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Organizing $80,682
9%
Sense Of Urgency $79,942
8%
Collaboration $79,942
8%
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Respiratory Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Respiratory Specialist 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, Healthcare, offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely, Respiratory Specialist positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Respiratory Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Respiratory Specialist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$88,824$43.020%

How Education impacts a Respiratory Specialist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Respiratory Specialists 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 Specialist with a Associate's Degree is between $68,499 and $72,722).

Respiratory Specialist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Respiratory Specialist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.6%
High School 21.8%
Associates 62.9%
Bachelors 9.3%
Masters 3.6%
Doctorate 0.4%
View as Graph

Respiratory Specialist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Respiratory Specialist'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 October 01, 2026
$66,408
Average $74,020/year
$80,283
$5,534
Average $6,168/month
$6,690
$1,277
Average $1,423/week
$1,544
$32
Average $36/hour
$39
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $80,283 $6,690 $1,544 $39
Average $74,020 $6,168 $1,423 $36
25th Percentile $66,408 $5,534 $1,277 $32

Most common benefits for Respiratory Specialist

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

Common company salaries for Respiratory Specialist

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

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FAQ about Respiratory Specialist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Respiratory Specialist?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Respiratory Specialist 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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