Respiratory Therapists · SOC 29-1126

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Respiratory Therapistss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for respiratory therapists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (2 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 278 metro areas

Respiratory Therapists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$149,680	1,060	0.9
2	Vallejo, CA	$136,200	190	1.3
3	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$134,880	70	0.7
4	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$134,430	1,140	1.1
5	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$130,220	2,010	0.8
6	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$123,220	200	1.0
7	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$112,430	90	0.7
8	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$110,490	7,010	0.7
9	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$108,600	130	0.6
10	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$106,910	240	0.9
11	Reno, NV	$105,140	180	0.7
12	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$105,040	1,430	0.9
13	Napa, CA	$104,670	60	0.7
14	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$104,640	7,010	1.1
15	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$104,580	1,560	0.6
16	Salem, OR	$104,360	130	0.7
17	Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	$104,350	110	0.6
18	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$104,220	1,130	0.5
19	Modesto, CA	$103,870	270	1.4
20	Redding, CA	$103,830	90	1.2
21	Binghamton, NY	$103,200	100	1.1
22	Medford, OR	$102,780	90	1.0
23	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$102,760	370	1.1
24	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$102,250	310	1.0
25	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$102,050	350	1.2

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Respiratory Therapists overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.