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Registered Respiratory Therapist vs Respiratory Therapist

In 2025, the median salary for Respiratory Therapist was $3,662 (3.3%) higher than for Registered Respiratory Therapist: $115,993 against $112,331. Registered Respiratory Therapist had 592 people on the list, Respiratory Therapist 359.

At a glance

Registered Respiratory TherapistRespiratory Therapist
People on the 2025 list592359
Median salary$112,331$115,993
Middle half$107,648–$121,596$107,724–$127,811
Highest salary$261,468$312,448
Total salaries$69,494,322$43,817,781
People, change+3.0% vs 2024+33.5% vs 2024
Median, change−1.8% vs 2024+5.0% vs 2024

Median salary by year

Show as a table
YearRegistered Respiratory TherapistRespiratory Therapist
2008$106,756
2009$106,078
2012$102,338
2013$102,555
2014$105,731
2015$103,468$102,857
2016$104,136$101,506
2017$103,703$104,558
2018$106,165$102,320
2019$104,250$101,652
2020$105,204$105,282
2021$107,180$105,843
2022$107,951$106,305
2023$109,990$110,258
2024$114,386$110,472
2025$112,331$115,993

People on the list by year

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YearRegistered Respiratory TherapistRespiratory Therapist
20086
20097
20127
20135
20145
201577
201699
2017149
20182523
20194930
2020173126
202121392
2022261119
2023465220
2024575269
2025592359

Highest paid in 2025

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Questions and answers

Which pays more, Registered Respiratory Therapist or Respiratory Therapist?

By median salary in 2025, Respiratory Therapist: $115,993 against $112,331.

Which has more people on the list?

Registered Respiratory Therapist: 592 against 359 in 2025.

How has the gap changed since 2015?

In 2015 the median for Registered Respiratory Therapist was $103,468 and for Respiratory Therapist $102,857, a gap of $611; in 2025 the gap was $3,662.

What do these figures cover?

Only people paid $100,000 or more are on the list, so medians and counts describe them, not everyone with each title.

What does “salary paid” include?

What the employer paid in the calendar year, so it can include overtime, retroactive pay, vacation payouts, severance or a partial year. Taxable benefits are listed separately. How the lists work