Estimating Your Respiratory Therapist Salary

The respiratory therapist salary makes the position quite attractive for many, as you can expect to earn an average of $44,000 to $61,000 a year, although you may encounter a respiratory therapist salary lower than $39,000 or even higher than $71,000. Regardless, you’re sure to earn a comfortable living on your respiratory therapist salary.

If you find the work enjoyable and you want to estimate your respiratory therapist salary before you commit to the education and training, you should consider these factors that can affect the respiratory therapist salary you can expect:

  1. Your Education: Earning an associate’s degree is the minimal education you must complete in order to start earning your respiratory therapist salary; nevertheless, you could earn more if you go on to higher education and earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Most states require licensure and some employers require certification. In order to earn a higher respiratory therapist salary, you should get certified even if it’s not required.
  2. Your Experience: Just as with any job, the longer you work in the respiratory therapy field, the greater your respiratory therapist salary will be. When you’re just entering the field, you should expect a respiratory therapist salary on the lower end.
  3. The Type of Employer: Although there’s not a wide variety of locations at which you can earn your respiratory therapist salary, the type of place at which you work can impact the amount of money you earn. For example, choose to work at general hospital and your average hourly wage may be $26, whereas if you opt to work through employment services, you can earn an average of $30 per hour. You can also choose to earn a respiratory therapist salary by working at a specialist clinic or a nursing home, to name a couple of examples.
  4. Your Location: The cost of living in your area will impact your respiratory therapist salary. Where things cost more—such as in metropolitan areas—your salary will be greater. For example, in California, you may be able to expect an average respiratory therapist salary of $65,000, where as you can expect an average respiratory therapist salary of $44,000 in Kentucky.

If you hope to earn a higher respiratory therapist salary, consider where you’ll work and try to get higher education. Regardless of where you work, though, you should be able to earn a comfortable respiratory therapist salary, so don’t rule out pursuing the profession on account of income.