BLS OEWS May 2025 · SOC 29-1126 · 18,650 CA workers
Respiratory Therapist Salary in California 2026, $104,820 Median | BLS Data by City
California employs respiratory therapists at a higher concentration than the country as a whole and pays them more than any state except a small handful, largely because hospital staffing rules here make the therapist a fixed requirement rather than a flexible cost.
Updated July 2026 · BLS OEWS May 2025
Compiled by GlobalCybers Labor Market Research · Reviewed by Karen Osei, RN, BSN, Clinical Recruitment Lead · See methodology & sources →
CA Median
$104,820
$50.40/hr
vs National
+$22,540
27.4% above US median
CA P90
$145,510
$69.96/hr · top earners
CA Job Growth
+12.1%
2024–2034 · national BLS EP 2024–34
🤑California's progressive income tax reaches 13.3% at the top and adds a 1.3% SDI premium on all wages with no cap in 2026. A respiratory therapist at the state median is in the middle brackets, so the effective state rate is well below the headline. The larger lever on take-home in this occupation is shift structure: twelve-hour nights and weekend rotations carry differentials that add far more than the state tax subtracts.
Direct Answer
How much do respiratory therapists make in California in 2026?
California respiratory therapists earn a median $104,820 a year, or $50.40 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025, 27.4% above the national median of $82,280. The range runs $77,010 to $145,510, with the upper half belonging to critical care, neonatal and transport practice rather than to general floor therapy. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara pays the most at $149,680, ahead of Vallejo at $136,200 and Santa Cruz-Watsonville at $134,880. → Full respiratory therapist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $104,820 blends every experience level, apprentice through master. For pay by license level alone, see pay by level below.
Key takeaways
California respiratory therapists earn a median $104,820/yr ($50.40/hr) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-1126), 27.4% above the $82,280 national median; the state P10–P90 range is $77,010 to $145,510.
California has a higher concentration of respiratory therapists than the national average, unusual among the clinical occupations on this site, because hospital staffing requirements here make the role a fixed position rather than a variable one.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $149,680 sits about forty-five thousand dollars above the state median, and Vallejo at $136,200 and Santa Cruz-Watsonville at $134,880 follow — all northern California health-system markets.
The move from general floor therapy to critical care, neonatal or transport practice is worth more than a decade of seniority, and it is what separates the state median from the 75th percentile of $129,010.
California at a glance
Median salary$104,820
Median hourly$50.40
Range (P10–P90)$77,010–$145,510
Top-paying metroSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara · $149,680
vs national27.4% above
State income tax9.3%
CA employment (BLS)18,650
Location quotient1.14× US concentration
Wage basisBLS OEWS May 2025, California
California Respiratory Therapist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
$77,010
P10
$87,750
P25
$104,820
Median
$129,010
P75
$145,510
P90
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025
Methodology & Sources
How the California respiratory therapist pay figures on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1126, California statewide estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them. OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation in California; it does not break pay out by credential or licence level.
Pay by level: the level and career-stage tables on this page distribute California's own published BLS pay range across the tiers employers actually hire at. They are GlobalCybers estimates aligned to published percentiles, not separate BLS publications.
Placement sample: GlobalCybers holds no California placement sample for this occupation, so this page shows published and percentile-aligned figures only — no placement-based median is claimed anywhere on it.
How to become a licensed respiratory therapist in California, step by step
1
Complete a CoARC-accredited programme
Graduate from an accredited respiratory care programme with the required clinical hours.
2
Obtain the NBRC credential and RCB licence
Earn the NBRC registered respiratory therapist credential and apply to the Respiratory Care Board of California for licensure.
3
Move into critical care or neonatal practice
Take an ICU, NICU or transport post with the additional credentialing those units require, which is the step toward the state 75th percentile of $129,010.
4
Take a lead, educator or specialty role
Move into a lead therapist, clinical educator or specialty role at a large academic or children's hospital, which is where the state 90th percentile of $145,510 sits.
RCB License Levels
How much do the respiratory therapist credential levels pay in California?
California licenses issued by RCB (Respiratory Care Board of California), which licenses every practising respiratory care practitioner in the state. Each level's median pay in California markets.
RCB License
CA Pay Range
CA Median
Key Note
New graduate respiratory care practitioner
$71K–$88K
$77,010
Around the state 10th percentile. First licensed year on general floors and step-down units, building competency before critical care rotation.
Staff respiratory therapist
$88K–$129K
$104,820
The California median. Full-time hospital practice across floors and intensive care, on a health-system step scale with shift differentials.
Critical care, neonatal or transport therapist
$123K–$146K
$129,010
The state 75th percentile. ICU, NICU, ECMO support and transport practice, generally requiring additional credentials and carrying call responsibilities.
Lead therapist, educator or specialty practice
$140K–$178K
$145,510
The state 90th percentile. Lead and supervising therapists, clinical educators, and specialty practice in large academic and children's hospitals.
Beyond Base Pay
What's a California respiratory therapist's total compensation, not just base wage?
BLS and verified-placement medians above are base wage only. Total comp for a CA respiratory therapist typically adds the following on top.
California Respiratory Therapist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
How much do respiratory therapists make in California?
California respiratory therapists earn a median $104,820 a year, $50.40 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between $87,750 and $129,010, and the full range is $77,010 to $145,510. Setting drives placement in that range: critical care, neonatal and transport practice sit in the upper half, general floor therapy in the lower.
Which California city pays respiratory therapists the most?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara leads at $149,680, then Vallejo at $136,200, Santa Cruz-Watsonville at $134,880, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom at $134,430 and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at $130,220. Every one is a northern California health-system market, and the spread over the state median is unusually large for a hospital-based occupation.
How do I get licensed in California?
Graduate from a CoARC-accredited respiratory care programme, obtain the NBRC credential, and apply to the Respiratory Care Board of California for a respiratory care practitioner licence. California licenses the profession in its own right rather than deferring to the national credential, and out-of-state therapists apply to the Board directly rather than transferring a licence.
Does neonatal or critical care pay more in California?
Yes, and materially. NICU, ECMO support and transport roles sit toward the state 75th percentile of $129,010 and above, because they require additional credentialing, carry call, and are staffed by a smaller pool. The clinical step up is real, but the pay step up is larger than the equivalent move in most states.
How does California compare with New York and Massachusetts?
California is clearly ahead: New York is next at $107,810, then Massachusetts at $102,170, Washington at $101,130, New Jersey at $100,810 and Oregon at $100,560. California's lead is not just cost of living — it also reflects staffing rules that make therapist headcount a requirement rather than a budget decision.
Why does California have more respiratory therapists per capita than the country?
Because staffing requirements make the position structural. California hospital rules tie respiratory therapist coverage to patient acuity and ventilator counts, so the role cannot be thinned during budget pressure the way it can elsewhere. That produces both higher employment and steadier demand, and it is the underlying reason the state's pay premium has been durable rather than cyclical.
What is the honest ceiling in this occupation?
The state 90th percentile of $145,510, and reaching it usually means a lead, educator or specialty role in a large academic or children's hospital, often with call. There is no independent practice route and no significant private-sector alternative, so the ladder is internal to health systems. Therapists who want a higher ceiling generally move into perfusion, advanced practice or clinical education rather than staying at the bedside.
Is the pandemic-era premium still in these numbers?
Not as a premium, but the baseline reset. Crisis pay and travel rates have largely gone; what remained is a permanently higher staffing expectation and better recognition of the role in health-system scales. The May 2025 figures reflect that settled position rather than an emergency market.
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Outlook & openings: BLS projects 12.1% national growth for respiratory therapists through 2034, and California's share of national employment works out to roughly 1,170 openings a year, pro-rated from the national average annual openings figure. Demand here is anchored by the state's ageing population and by hospital staffing rules that tie therapist numbers to ventilated patient counts, which makes California respiratory hiring less cyclical than in states where the role is staffed discretionally.
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