What are the main factors that influence a RT's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A RT's salary?

A RT's salary grows with experience: starting around $70,570 for beginners, reaching about $73,591 at mid-level, and approach $76,345 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for a RT?

RT salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for RT roles are District of Columbia $75,910, California $75,622, Massachusetts $74,615. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of RT roles make?

Salaries for RT level roles vary by specialization: Critical Care Transport Respiratory Therapist (CCT-RT),: $77,000; Rt Assistant: $70,267; RT Level II Technician: $69,419; Rt Technician: $40,305.

How do different companies affect a RT's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for RT roles. Large, established industry leaders like New York Police Department ($97,099) and State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority ($95,962) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $75,106.

RT Salary in the United States

How much does a RT make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a RT in the United States is $68,561 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $33.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $82,876
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $61,237 to $76,054
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $54,569

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RT Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$76,054	$6,338	$1,463	$37
Average	$68,561	$5,713	$1,318	$33
25th Percentile	$61,237	$5,103	$1,178	$29

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Check out RT Job Openings in the United States

Respiratory Therapist

The Laurels of Middletown - Middletown, OH

Respiratory Therapist

The Laurels of Heath - Heath, OH

Respiratory Therapist

The Laurels of Milford - Milford, OH

Respiratory Therapist

Regency at Chagrin Falls - Chagrin Falls, OH

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Key Factors That Influence RT Salaries

A RT'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 RT Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a RT'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): $70,570
Early Career (1-2 years): $70,803
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $73,591
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $76,162
Expert (over 8 years): $76,345

Levels	Salary
Entry Level RT	$70,570
Intermediate Level RT	$70,803
Senior Level RT	$73,591
Specialist Level RT	$76,162
Expert Level RT	$76,345

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do RT 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 RTs. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $75,910.
California: $75,622.
Massachusetts: $74,615.

District of Columbia $75,910 California $75,622 Massachusetts $74,615 Washington $74,340 New Jersey $74,313 Alaska $74,217 Connecticut $73,271 New York $72,887

Hawaii $71,660 Rhode Island $71,084 Maryland $70,693 Minnesota $70,158 Colorado $69,952 Illinois $69,884 Oregon $69,623 Delaware $69,431

New Hampshire $69,311 Virginia $69,041 Pennsylvania $68,252 Nevada $67,854 North Dakota $67,724 Michigan $67,518 Wisconsin $67,443 Vermont $67,292

Texas $66,874 Maine $66,847 Arizona $66,805 Ohio $66,757 Georgia $66,127 Indiana $65,811 Wyoming $65,750 Utah $65,654

Iowa $65,612 Kansas $65,283 Louisiana $65,187 North Carolina $65,153 Missouri $65,139 Florida $64,872 Montana $64,728 Nebraska $64,591

Kentucky $64,516 South Carolina $64,241 Tennessee $64,070 Idaho $64,001 New Mexico $63,501 Oklahoma $63,391 Alabama $62,987 South Dakota $62,308

Arkansas $61,938 West Virginia $61,739 Mississippi $61,142

Top Paying Cities for RTs

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: $86,475
San Francisco: $85,625
Oakland: $83,726

San Jose, CA $86,475

San Francisco, CA $85,625

Oakland, CA $83,726

New York, NY $79,455

Queens Village, NY $78,941

Paramus, NJ $78,392

Passaic, NJ $78,324

Bergenfield, NJ $78,255

Stamford, CT $78,152

Huntington, NY $78,084

Newark, NJ $77,638

Bridgeport, CT $77,501

New Brunswick, NJ $77,275

Vallejo, CA $77,131

Middlesex, NJ $77,090

Somerset, NJ $77,028

Petaluma, CA $76,870

Santa Cruz, CA $76,603

Boston, MA $76,466

Monterey, CA $76,123

Fairbanks, AK $76,075

Los Angeles, CA $75,945

Washington, DC $75,910

Seattle, WA $75,787

Santa Rosa, CA $75,773

Juneau, AK $75,574

Orange, CA $75,348

Anchorage, AK $75,225

Anaheim, CA $75,177

Santa Ana, CA $75,074

Nassau, NY $75,033

Long Beach, CA $75,005

Danbury, CT $74,985

Santa Maria, CA $74,752

Everett, WA $74,738

Bremerton, WA $74,402

Trenton, NJ $74,272

Sacramento, CA $74,244

San Diego, CA $74,210

Brockton, MA $74,183

Tacoma, WA $74,155

Santa Barbara, CA $74,059

Lowell, MA $73,785

New Suffolk, NY $73,757

Nashua, NH $73,675

Lompoc, CA $73,566

Ventura, CA $73,497

Stockton, CA $73,476

New Haven, CT $73,339

Atlantic City, NJ $73,161

Hartford, CT $73,010

Modesto, CA $72,976

Poughkeepsie, NY $72,825

New Britain, CT $72,791

Olympia, WA $72,695

Kennewick, WA $72,695

New London, CT $72,681

Norwich, CT $72,661

Lawrence, MA $72,626

Bakersfield, CA $72,434

Riverside, CA $72,338

New Bedford, MA $72,338

Richland, WA $72,270

Portsmouth, NH $72,215

Vineland, NJ $72,201

San Bernardino, CA $72,146

Boulder, CO $71,954

Worcester, MA $71,900

Portland, OR $71,838

Saint Paul, MN $71,756

Minneapolis, MN $71,756

Philadelphia, PA $71,660

Honolulu, HI $71,296

Springfield, MA $71,056

Providence, RI $71,049

Chicago, IL $70,851

Bellingham, WA $70,768

Baltimore, MD $70,693

Chico, CA $70,521

Wilmington, DE $70,405

Pittsfield, MA $70,336

Manchester, NH $70,206

Spokane, WA $69,904

Denver, CO $69,898

Albany, NY $69,575

Troy, NY $69,548

Schenectady, NY $69,404

Burlington, VT $69,253

Portland, ME $69,013

Salem, OR $68,958

Yakima, WA $68,945

Ann Arbor, MI $68,924

Rochester, MN $68,732

Fresno, CA $68,698

Reno, NV $68,698

Milwaukee, WI $68,636

Detroit, MI $68,567

Allentown, PA $68,547

Carson City, NV $68,540

Houston, TX $68,437

Colorado Springs, CO $68,430

Syracuse, NY $68,396

Eugene, OR $68,266

Bismarck, ND $68,184

Gary, IN $68,184

Galveston, TX $68,184

Springfield, OR $68,129

Medford, OR $67,964

Fort Collins, CO $67,937

Austin, TX $67,882

Mesa, AZ $67,738

Phoenix, AZ $67,724

Dallas, TX $67,704

Reading, PA $67,662

Saint Cloud, MN $67,635

Concord, NH $67,573

Madison, WI $67,546

Utica, NY $67,361

Raleigh, NC $67,306

Las Vegas, NV $67,299

Rochester, NY $67,251

Des Moines, IA $67,244

Atlanta, GA $67,135

Battle Creek, MI $67,114

Salt Lake City, UT $67,093

Lancaster, PA $66,991

Champaign, IL $66,977

Harrisburg, PA $66,895

Durham, NC $66,833

Kansas City, MO $66,826

Kansas City, KS $66,812

Fort Worth, TX $66,805

Boca Raton, FL $66,778

Cleveland, OH $66,771

Columbus, OH $66,757

Pittsburgh, PA $66,751

Richmond, VA $66,723

Indianapolis, IN $66,709

Cincinnati, OH $66,620

Petersburg, VA $66,517

Billings, MT $66,367

Lansing, MI $66,367

Huntsville, AL $66,367

Lebanon, PA $66,360

Dayton, OH $66,353

Pueblo, CO $66,353

Appleton, WI $66,332

Buffalo, NY $66,305

Racine, WI $66,271

Charlotte, NC $66,264

Saint Louis, MO $66,243

Springfield, IL $66,216

Elkhart, IN $66,202

York, PA $66,202

Gastonia, NC $66,195

Benton Harbor, MI $66,195

Beaumont, TX $66,154

Lorain, OH $66,140

Toledo, OH $66,113

Binghamton, NY $66,079

Rock Hill, SC $66,072

Rockford, IL $66,038

Fargo, ND $66,003

Elyria, OH $66,003

Flagstaff, AZ $65,955

Fort Lauderdale, FL $65,914

Miami, FL $65,873

Duluth, MN $65,763

Bangor, ME $65,674

Cedar Rapids, IA $65,599

Louisville, KY $65,565

Grand Rapids, MI $65,551

Hialeah, FL $65,544

Casper, WY $65,448

Scranton, PA $65,366

New Orleans, LA $65,345

Virginia Beach, VA $65,338

Akron, OH $65,304

Peoria, IL $65,215

Sarasota, FL $65,201

Green Bay, WI $65,153

Baton Rouge, LA $65,119

Charleston, SC $65,105

Nashville, TN $65,085

Jamestown, NY $65,071

Davenport, IA $65,071

Tucson, AZ $65,037

Cheyenne, WY $65,016

Saint Petersburg, FL $64,995

Tampa, FL $64,982

Omaha, NE $64,968

Port Arthur, TX $64,941

Evansville, IN $64,941

Bradenton, FL $64,913

Santa Fe, NM $64,790

Orlando, FL $64,721

Clearwater, FL $64,646

Canton, OH $64,502

La Crosse, WI $64,502

Grand Forks, ND $64,481

Albuquerque, NM $64,461

Tulsa, OK $64,461

Newport News, VA $64,454

High Point, NC $64,433

Ogden, UT $64,406

Corpus Christi, TX $64,351

Laramie, WY $64,310

Norfolk, VA $64,310

Rock Island, IL $64,269

Saginaw, MI $64,255

Jacksonville, FL $64,248

Salisbury, NC $64,234

Memphis, TN $64,221

Moline, IL $64,186

Fort Myers, FL $64,166

Waterloo, IA $64,077

Spartanburg, SC $64,008

Lincoln, NE $63,974

Fort Wayne, IN $63,960

Birmingham, AL $63,885

Cedar Falls, IA $63,871

Provo, UT $63,864

Springfield, OH $63,857

San Antonio, TX $63,844

Greensboro, NC $63,816

South Bend, IN $63,809

Winston Salem, NC $63,802

Boise, ID $63,782

Savannah, GA $63,734

Muskegon, MI $63,611

Lima, OH $63,528

Lake Charles, LA $63,501

Anderson, IN $63,487

Lexington, KY $63,467

Augusta, GA $63,446

Greenville, SC $63,446

Wichita, KS $63,384

Tuscaloosa, AL $63,384

Columbia, SC $63,323

Bloomington, IN $63,151

Roanoke, VA $63,110

Asheville, NC $63,021

Knoxville, TN $62,904

Shreveport, LA $62,897

Wilmington, NC $62,808

Frankfort, KY $62,678

Oklahoma City, OK $62,630

Chillicothe, OH $62,603

Longview, TX $62,596

Topeka, KS $62,575

Mobile, AL $62,472

Terre Haute, IN $62,445

Erie, PA $62,438

Altoona, PA $62,404

Melbourne, FL $62,383

Amarillo, TX $62,356

Killeen, TX $62,335

Fayetteville, AR $62,280

Sioux Falls, SD $62,232

Chattanooga, TN $62,191

Idaho Falls, ID $62,184

Gainesville, FL $62,040

Portsmouth, OH $62,006

Little Rock, AR $61,992

Lynchburg, VA $61,992

Lafayette, LA $61,965

Youngstown, OH $61,965

Temple, TX $61,938

Daytona Beach, FL $61,924

Clarksville, TN $61,917

Pensacola, FL $61,910

Hopkinsville, KY $61,705

Charleston, WV $61,698

Florence, SC $61,663

Sioux City, IA $61,622

Macon, GA $61,423

Tallahassee, FL $61,417

Fayetteville, NC $61,403

Waco, TX $61,389

Wichita Falls, TX $61,389

Pine Bluff, AR $61,362

Vincennes, IN $61,231

Lubbock, TX $61,204

Great Falls, MT $61,163

Alamogordo, NM $61,156

Abilene, TX $61,101

Rapid City, SD $61,012

Monroe, LA $61,012

Albany, GA $60,971

Huntington, WV $60,964

Jackson, MS $60,957

Greenville, MS $60,950

Parkersburg, WV $60,882

Montgomery, AL $60,868

Johnstown, PA $60,854

Springfield, MO $60,800

Biloxi, MS $60,765

Sumter, SC $60,621

Columbus, GA $60,614

Twin Falls, ID $60,573

Pascagoula, MS $60,484

Kingsport, TN $60,306

Gulfport, MS $60,285

Alexandria, LA $60,059

Fort Smith, AR $59,888

El Paso, TX $59,703

Helena, MT $59,613

Las Cruces, NM $59,394

Harlingen, TX $59,202

Pocatello, ID $59,140

Florence, AL $59,120

Brownsville, TX $59,106

Dothan, AL $58,996

Mcallen, TX $58,962

Columbus, MS $58,455

Altus, OK $58,139

Lawton, OK $58,009

Pierre, SD $57,762

What Skills Can Increase a RT'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.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Communicates Effectively	1.82%
Critical Care	2.57%
Advanced Cardiac Life Support	1.37%

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 RT'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	$74,731	9%
Sense Of Urgency	$74,045	8%
Collaboration	$74,045	8%
Commitment	$74,045	8%
Integrity	$73,360	7%
Clinical Knowledge	$72,674	6%

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How Education impacts a RT's Salary?

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

RT Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for RT

No Diploma 1.6%

High School 21.8%

Associates 62.9%

Bachelors 9.3%

Masters 3.6%

Doctorate 0.4%

view as table

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

RT Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a RT'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 April 01, 2026

$61,237

Average $68,561/year

$76,054

$5,103

Average $5,713/month

$6,338

$1,178

Average $1,318/week

$1,463

$29

Average $33/hour

$37

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$76,054	$6,338	$1,463	$37
Average	$68,561	$5,713	$1,318	$33
25th Percentile	$61,237	$5,103	$1,178	$29

Salaries of jobs related to RT

Salary Trends for RT

Salaries for a RT can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $66,709 in 2023 to around $65,561 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of RT salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of RT Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$66,709

2024

$66,359

2025

$65,561

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$66,709
2024	$66,359
2025	$65,561
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for RT

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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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.)

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