Respiratory Therapist pay in California
Median hourly pay in California · BLS May 2025
$50.40
an hour · $104,820 a year
- 10th
- $37.02
- 25th
- $42.19
- Median
- $50.40
- 75th
- $62.03
- 90th
- $69.96
Hourly pay range: 10th percentile $37.02/hr, median $50.40/hr, 90th percentile $69.96/hr.
Employed in CA
18,650
BLS estimate
Vs. U.S. median
+$10.84
U.S. median $39.56/hr
Licensing for respiratory therapists in California
Respiratory Care Board of California. Board, lookup and requirements
Respiratory Therapist pay by California metro area
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim7,010 jobs$50.31/hr
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario2,200 jobs$48.31/hr
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont2,010 jobs$62.61/hr
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad1,430 jobs$50.50/hr
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom1,140 jobs$64.63/hr
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara1,060 jobs$71.96/hr
- Fresno580 jobs$40.07/hr
- Bakersfield-Delano370 jobs$49.40/hr
- Stockton-Lodi350 jobs$49.06/hr
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura310 jobs$49.16/hr
- Modesto270 jobs$49.94/hr
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma200 jobs$59.24/hr
- Vallejo190 jobs$65.48/hr
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara130 jobs$52.21/hr
- Visalia120 jobs$39.44/hr
- Redding90 jobs$49.92/hr
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles90 jobs$54.06/hr
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville70 jobs$64.85/hr
- Napa60 jobs$50.32/hr
- Merced40 jobs$48.95/hr
Metropolitan statistical areas as defined by BLS, sorted by number of jobs.
Sources
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: California, Respiratory Therapist (SOC 29-1126), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Checked against these sources on Oct 1, 2026.
Medians cover wage and salary workers (not the self-employed) and don't include benefits. Use them as a baseline, not a quote.