One of the most frightening sensations for most of us is the inability to breathe. When an injury or illness is keeping a patient from breathing, a respiratory therapist can restore that most basic element of life, the very air we breathe, into that patient's lungs. A respiratory therapist often doesn't have much time to get a patient breathing again; every second counts, and when breath is restored it can sometimes be a delicate treatment process to keep respiration at optimal levels. Thanks to increasingly sophisticated respiration technologies, more and more people can be saved and treated by respiratory therapists. However, this means that respiratory therapists in the modern world must be highly trained and incredibly knowledgeable in both human physiology and respiratory treatment methods in order to excel at his or her job. This responsibility is one reason that respiratory therapists want to be sure that they will be well compensated for their services.

Respiratory Therapist Salaries - Questions

Where in the U.S. are respiratory therapist salaries highest? Is the average respiratory therapist salary higher in Boston or Chicago? What kind of college degree is most advantageous to respiratory therapist salary? What are different industries entered by respiratory therapists and technicians, and how does this affect average respiratory therapist salary? These common questions and more can be answered with PayScale's salary data. You can know the salary for respiratory therapists by city, degree, industry, and much more.

Know the Salary for Respiratory Therapists

Before you begin your respiratory therapist salary research, you should know that respiratory therapist salary is determined based on a variety of factors; to get the complete picture, it's important to investigate all aspects that might raise or lower respiratory therapist salaries. For example, the Respiratory Therapist Salary by State chart shows that respiratory therapist salaries are highest overall in California and Ohio, but if you drill down into respiratory therapist salaries by city, you can see that neither Ohio nor California is home to the city with the highest average respiratory therapist salary - that honor goes to New York City. Every respiratory therapist must complete a college degree, but which sort of degree to choose? Use PayScale's Salary by Degree/Major Subject chart to know the salary for respiratory therapists based on college degree. Respiratory therapists have become an integral and life-saving part of any health care institution's medical team. This means that there are now a plethora of career choices available to a respiratory therapist, with different salaries accompanying them. Researching Respiratory Therapist Salaries by Industry, we can see that Acute Care hospitals currently offer the highest median salary for respiratory therapists, probably due to the frequency with which Acute Care patients need respiratory assistance. It's a high-pressure field, but respiratory therapists can save countless lives over the course of their careers; with PayScale's salary data, they can make sure they are earning a fair salary as well.

Average Respiratory Therapist Salary

It's the fine distinctions that sometimes make all the difference; intubating a trachea is a lot more effective than intubating an esophagus, after all! When it comes to salary questions, asking the right question makes for more accurate answers. Find out why asking "what are median respiratory therapist salaries" is a better question than "what is the average respiratory therapist salary" from Dr. Salary and his article, Why is Median better than Mean for a Typical Salary?"