Typical entry: Associate's degree

Respiratory therapist

Respiratory therapists treat patients with breathing problems: ventilators in intensive care, oxygen therapy, asthma and COPD management, and emergency airway care. Hospitals employ most of them.

By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET

What a respiratory therapist makes

Median pay, May 2025, United States

$82,280

$39.56 an hour, median

25th percentile: $74,520
75th percentile: $98,730
90th percentile: $118,050

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.

Typical entry education: Associate's degree; BLS
Workers without a bachelor's: Not published; O*NET
Growth, 2025 to 2035: +8.5%; BLS projections
Openings a year: 8,600; BLS projections

How people get in without a degree

An associate's degree from a CoARC-accredited program (about two years), the NBRC exams, and a state license. A bachelor's is increasingly offered but the associate's remains the standard entry credential.

The work, as O*NET defines it: Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment.

The next step

Associate's degree in respiratory care, NBRC credentials, state license

Typical cost: $8,000 to $25,000 depending on the school
Time to complete: About 2 years

Find CoARC-accredited programs

Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.

Pay by state

Median pay for respiratory therapists by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.

Respiratory therapists: median pay by state, May 2025
State	Hourly median	Annual median	25th to 75th	Employed
District of Columbia	$53.82	$111,950	$98,900 to $127,400	430
New York	$51.83	$107,810	$95,690 to $126,880	7,010
California	$50.40	$104,820	$87,750 to $129,010	18,650
Massachusetts	$49.12	$102,170	$86,120 to $107,930	2,220
Washington	$48.62	$101,130	$84,870 to $106,150	1,860
New Jersey	$48.47	$100,810	$87,560 to $106,320	3,350
Oregon	$48.34	$100,560	$85,310 to $104,360	1,340
Minnesota	$47.46	$98,710	$86,440 to $103,010	1,250
Alaska	$47.09	$97,950	$84,560 to $101,280	180
New Hampshire	$46.13	$95,940	$84,300 to $101,180	360
Hawaii	$45.30	$94,210	$86,150 to $102,170	510
Delaware	$43.79	$91,080	$82,880 to $97,000	500
Maryland	$42.77	$88,960	$82,920 to $101,340	1,800
Rhode Island	$41.78	$86,900	$83,040 to $102,500	260
Colorado	$41.45	$86,220	$78,980 to $100,130	2,110
Nevada	$41.10	$85,480	$75,310 to $106,820	1,270
Connecticut	$40.98	$85,230	$80,570 to $98,010	1,370
Wisconsin	$40.48	$84,210	$78,800 to $96,510	1,940
Illinois	$40.43	$84,090	$77,440 to $96,260	4,880
Vermont	$40.30	$83,820	$79,390 to $98,220	210
Georgia	$40.24	$83,700	$74,400 to $101,690	5,150
Virginia	$39.86	$82,910	$78,820 to $94,770	3,340
Maine	$39.65	$82,470	$72,540 to $86,530	520
Nebraska	$39.22	$81,590	$73,600 to $86,140	840
North Dakota	$39.06	$81,230	$66,820 to $84,570	270
Montana	$39.03	$81,190	$67,360 to $85,320	390
Florida	$39.02	$81,160	$75,210 to $87,990	8,820
Utah	$38.77	$80,650	$70,230 to $85,790	1,170
North Carolina	$38.51	$80,090	$68,010 to $87,820	4,630
Ohio	$38.42	$79,920	$75,280 to $90,380	6,640
Michigan	$38.39	$79,850	$71,740 to $83,020	4,520
Arizona	$38.36	$79,780	$70,680 to $86,070	3,500
Indiana	$38.33	$79,730	$67,760 to $84,960	3,170
Texas	$38.24	$79,540	$69,670 to $93,680	12,130
Wyoming	$38.14	$79,330	$68,180 to $82,240	160
Oklahoma	$37.88	$78,800	$67,110 to $83,610	2,000
Pennsylvania	$37.74	$78,490	$66,940 to $87,620	6,530
Idaho	$37.72	$78,460	$72,640 to $80,040	820
Missouri	$37.69	$78,390	$64,800 to $83,030	3,030
South Carolina	$37.38	$77,740	$67,410 to $82,400	1,960
Kansas	$37.01	$76,970	$64,680 to $81,240	1,450
Louisiana	$36.17	$75,240	$64,440 to $80,150	2,520
Iowa	$35.94	$74,760	$64,670 to $80,730	910
Arkansas	$35.51	$73,870	$63,120 to $78,520	1,400
Kentucky	$34.98	$72,750	$63,110 to $79,730	2,530
Tennessee	$34.68	$72,140	$63,660 to $78,640	3,440
New Mexico	$33.11	$68,870	$63,020 to $77,810	840
West Virginia	$33.01	$68,670	$63,870 to $77,350	1,140
South Dakota	$32.81	$68,240	$62,010 to $79,370	430
Alabama	$31.81	$66,150	$57,480 to $76,920	2,350
Mississippi	$30.42	$63,270	$57,150 to $75,850	1,670

Questions

Do you need a degree to be a respiratory therapist?

No. BLS lists "associate's degree" as the typical education for entry. The usual credential is associate's degree in respiratory care, NBRC credentials, state license.

How much does a respiratory therapist make?

The median pay was $82,280 a year ($39.56 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $74,520 and $98,730, and the top 10 percent earned more than $118,050.

How long does it take to become a respiratory therapist?

About 2 years. The typical cost is $8,000 to $25,000 depending on the school.

Is respiratory therapist work growing?

BLS projects employment to grow 8.5% from 2025 to 2035 with about 8,600 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 29-1126.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile