Respiratory Therapist Salary & Job Outlook: 12% Growth Through 2034- Respiratory therapy pays a solid median wage and is growing much faster than the average job — a strong combination for a career you can enter with a two-year degree. Here’s what the federal data actually says, and what it means for getting started.
Target keyword: respiratory therapist salary • Last verified May 2026 against U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data
| The short answerAccording to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for respiratory therapists was $80,450 as of May 2024, and employment is projected to grow 12 percent from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 8,800 openings projected each year over the decade. The lowest 10 percent earned under $61,900 and the highest 10 percent over $108,820, with hospitals the largest employer. Respiratory therapy is entered with an associate degree (some employers prefer a bachelor’s), making it one of the better-paid healthcare careers accessible without a four-year degree — and the first step toward it is completing your prerequisites. |
If you’re weighing respiratory therapy as a career, two numbers matter most up front: what it pays and how fast it’s growing. The good news on both is strong, and it comes from the most authoritative source available — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This guide lays out the official salary and job-outlook figures, explains what’s driving the growth, shows the levers that raise an RT’s pay, and connects it back to how you actually get started. For the full path into the field, the respiratory therapy prerequisites guide is the place to begin. Note: this guide covers pay and outlook, not clinical practice.
The headline figure: the BLS reports a median annual wage of $80,450 for respiratory therapists as of May 2024. “Median” means half of respiratory therapists earned more than that and half earned less — a more representative figure than an average, which can be skewed by extremes. Around that midpoint, the BLS reports a meaningful spread: the lowest 10 percent earned less than $61,900, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $108,820.
That range is worth sitting with, because it tells a useful story. Even the bottom of the distribution clears $60,000, and the top exceeds six figures — so respiratory therapy offers both a solid floor and real upside. Where you land within that range depends on factors we’ll cover below: your credential level, your degree, your experience, your setting, and your geography. But the baseline is a healthcare career that pays a comfortable median wage and rewards advancement.
| BLS respiratory therapist wage (May 2024) | Annual |
|---|---|
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $80,450 |
| Lowest 10 percent | under $61,900 |
| Highest 10 percent | over $108,820 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Respiratory Therapists (May 2024 data). Figures are national; local wages vary.
A note on the many different salary numbers you’ll see online: salary aggregator sites often report figures well below the BLS median, because they blend job-posting data, self-reported pay, and different definitions. The BLS figure is the authoritative one — it’s based on a large federal wage survey and is the number to anchor on. When a site shows a much lower “average,” check whether it’s citing the BLS or its own blended estimate.
The demand side is where respiratory therapy really stands out. The BLS projects employment of respiratory therapists to grow 12 percent from 2024 to 2034 — a rate the BLS classifies as “much faster than the average for all occupations.” For comparison, average growth across all U.S. occupations is in the low single digits, so respiratory therapy is expanding at roughly twice that pace or more.
In absolute terms, the BLS projects about 8,800 openings for respiratory therapists each year, on average, over the decade. Importantly, many of those openings come not only from new positions but from the need to replace therapists who change occupations or retire — so the opportunity is larger than the growth rate alone suggests. For someone entering the field, that combination of genuine growth plus steady replacement demand means a healthy job market on the other side of training.
| Why this matters for prerequisite demandStrong, federally projected growth means RT programs draw steady applicant interest — and because programs rank applicants for limited seats and expire science prerequisites after roughly five years, that demand translates directly into prerequisite-completion and refresh needs. A growing field with competitive admissions is precisely the environment where getting your prerequisites done well matters most. |
The BLS attributes the strong outlook to several converging demographic and healthcare trends — understanding them helps explain why this isn’t a temporary spike but a durable, structural demand:
Taken together, these are structural, demographic drivers rather than a passing trend. An aging population and a persistent chronic-disease burden are long-run forces, which is why the BLS projects sustained growth across a full decade. For someone deciding whether to invest in the training, that durability is reassuring: the demand isn’t expected to evaporate.
Hospitals are the largest employer of respiratory therapists, and because hospitals operate around the clock, the work often includes night, weekend, and holiday shifts. Beyond hospitals, respiratory therapists work in nursing and residential care facilities, physicians’ offices, and outpatient settings — a mix that’s broadening as care shifts toward outpatient and home-based models.
Setting affects pay. The highest concentration of respiratory therapists is in hospitals, which also tend to anchor the wage figures, but specialty facilities, outpatient centers, and certain other settings can pay differently. Shift differentials — extra pay for nights, weekends, and holidays — and overtime can also raise actual take-home above the base wage, particularly in 24/7 hospital environments. The published median reflects base wages; a therapist working night shifts in a high-demand hospital may earn more than the median suggests.
Where you fall within the BLS range isn’t fixed — several levers move an RT’s earning potential upward:
The throughline: respiratory therapy rewards advancement. You can enter with an associate degree and the CRT, then raise your earning potential through the RRT, a bachelor’s, specialty credentials, and experience. For how the credentials work, see NBRC, CRT & RRT: how RT credentialing works.
The figure that makes respiratory therapy especially attractive is the combination, not either number alone: a median wage above $80,000 for a career you can enter with a two-year associate degree. Among healthcare roles accessible without a four-year degree, that places respiratory therapy among the better-compensated — and the “much faster than average” growth means the jobs are there to be had.
For a career changer or first-time student weighing the investment, the math is favorable. The prerequisites and an associate-degree program are a relatively short, affordable runway compared with many healthcare paths, and they lead to a licensed profession with a solid median wage, real upside through advancement, and federally projected demand. That return-on-investment profile — modest entry cost, strong and durable outcome — is a big part of why the field draws steady interest, and why the competition for program seats is real.
| The bigger pictureSolid pay (median $80,450), strong growth (12% through 2034), and a two-year entry point make respiratory therapy a high-return healthcare career. U.S. News & World Report has ranked it among the top healthcare jobs, reflecting the blend of demand, wages, and stability. The catch is simply that good outcomes attract applicants — so the path runs through competitive, seat-limited programs you qualify for by completing your prerequisites. |
The salary and growth numbers describe the destination. The first concrete step toward them is completing the prerequisite coursework that qualifies you to enter a respiratory therapy program. Because the field’s strong outlook makes programs competitive — most require a minimum GPA, rank applicants for limited seats, and expire science prerequisites after roughly five years — completing those prerequisites well, with strong grades and within the recency window, is the highest-leverage early move.
PrereqCourses delivers the RT science and general-education prerequisites — anatomy and physiology, microbiology, chemistry, math, and medical terminology — self-paced through Upper Iowa University, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), with credit posting to an official transcript for transfer into your program. It’s the affordable, flexible on-ramp to a career with the pay and outlook described above. Start with the respiratory therapy prerequisites guide, and for the admissions process, see how to get into a respiratory therapy program.
How much do respiratory therapists make?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $80,450 for respiratory therapists as of May 2024. The lowest 10 percent earned under $61,900 and the highest 10 percent over $108,820. Where you fall depends on credential, degree, experience, setting, and location.
What is the job outlook for respiratory therapists?
Strong. The BLS projects 12 percent employment growth from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the average for all occupations — with about 8,800 openings projected each year over the decade, driven by an aging population and rising chronic respiratory disease.
Is respiratory therapy a good-paying career for a two-year degree?
Yes — a median wage above $80,000 for a career entered with an associate degree places respiratory therapy among the better-compensated healthcare roles accessible without a four-year degree, with room to earn more through the RRT credential, a bachelor’s, and specialty credentials.
What raises a respiratory therapist’s salary?
Earning the advanced RRT credential, completing a bachelor’s degree, adding NBRC specialty credentials, gaining experience, and working in higher-paying settings or geographic areas. Respiratory therapy rewards advancement, so the upper end of the range is reachable over a career.
Why is demand for respiratory therapists growing?
An aging population with rising rates of COPD, pneumonia, and other respiratory conditions, plus a shift toward outpatient and readmission-reduction care and advances in treatment. These are structural, demographic drivers, which is why the BLS projects sustained growth over a full decade.
What’s the first step toward a respiratory therapy career?
Completing the prerequisite coursework that qualifies you to apply to a CoARC-accredited respiratory therapy program — anatomy and physiology, microbiology, chemistry, math, and medical terminology. Because programs are competitive and seat-limited, strong prerequisite grades matter.
Respiratory therapy pays a median wage of $80,450 and is projected to grow 12% through 2034 — strong pay and strong demand for a career you can enter with a two-year degree.
The BLS figures are clear: a solid median wage with six-figure upside, much-faster-than-average growth driven by durable demographic forces, and roughly 8,800 openings a year. You can enter with an associate degree and raise your earnings through the RRT credential, a bachelor’s, specialty credentials, and experience. The field’s strong outlook makes programs competitive — so the path to those numbers starts with completing your prerequisites well and getting into an accredited program.
Take the first step. Explore the self-paced RT prerequisite courses — A&P, microbiology, chemistry, math, and medical terminology — through HLC-accredited Upper Iowa University, your on-ramp to a respiratory therapy career.
Plan your path into the profession:
Wage and employment figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (Respiratory Therapists), reflecting May 2024 data and 2024–2034 projections; figures are national and change with each BLS release. Local wages and conditions vary. This guide is general career information only and is not a guarantee of salary, employment, or admission.
