Respiratory Therapists Salary
Respiratory Therapists in St. Joseph, MO-KS make a median of $73,860 a year, or about $35.51 an hour. The range runs from $60K at the entry level to $91K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 86.38), which stretches that salary to about $85,506 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,077/month, or 22.2% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $74K get you in St. Joseph?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Joseph’s Regional Price Parity (86.38). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About respiratory therapists
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What this looks like in St. Joseph
Respiratory therapists pay in St. Joseph tracks closely to the national median, $74K locally vs. $82K nationwide, a 10% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,077/month, 22.4% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 86.38 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for respiratory therapists in metros near St. Joseph, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | $79K | $83K |
| Kansas City | $79K | $86K |
| Springfield | $72K | $82K |
| Joplin | $66K | $77K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Joseph, MO-KS
Entry-level respiratory therapists (10th percentile) start around $60K. Mid-career wages sit at $74K. Top earners bring in $91K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Respiratory Therapists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Respiratory Therapists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $112K | +36% | 430 |
| New York | $108K | +31% | 7,010 |
| California | $105K | +27% | 18,650 |
| Massachusetts | $102K | +24% | 2,220 |
| Washington | $101K | +23% | 1,860 |
| New Jersey | $101K | +23% | 3,350 |
| Oregon | $101K | +22% | 1,340 |
| Minnesota | $99K | +20% | 1,250 |
| Alaska | $98K | +19% | 180 |
| New Hampshire | $96K | +17% | 360 |
| Hawaii | $94K | +14% | 510 |
| Delaware | $91K | +11% | 500 |
| Maryland | $89K | +8% | 1,800 |
| Rhode Island | $87K | +6% | 260 |
| Colorado | $86K | +5% | 2,110 |
| Nevada | $85K | +4% | 1,270 |
| Connecticut | $85K | +4% | 1,370 |
| Wisconsin | $84K | +2% | 1,940 |
| Illinois | $84K | +2% | 4,880 |
| Vermont | $84K | +2% | 210 |
| Georgia | $84K | +2% | 5,150 |
| Virginia | $83K | +1% | 3,340 |
| Maine | $82K | +0% | 520 |
| Nebraska | $82K | -1% | 840 |
| North Dakota | $81K | -1% | 270 |
| Montana | $81K | -1% | 390 |
| Florida | $81K | -1% | 8,820 |
| Utah | $81K | -2% | 1,170 |
| North Carolina | $80K | -3% | 4,630 |
| Ohio | $80K | -3% | 6,640 |
| Michigan | $80K | -3% | 4,520 |
| Arizona | $80K | -3% | 3,500 |
| Indiana | $80K | -3% | 3,170 |
| Texas | $80K | -3% | 12,130 |
| Wyoming | $79K | -4% | 160 |
| Oklahoma | $79K | -4% | 2,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $78K | -5% | 6,530 |
| Idaho | $78K | -5% | 820 |
| Missouri | $78K | -5% | 3,030 |
| South Carolina | $78K | -6% | 1,960 |
| Kansas | $77K | -6% | 1,450 |
| Louisiana | $75K | -9% | 2,520 |
| Iowa | $75K | -9% | 910 |
| Arkansas | $74K | -10% | 1,400 |
| Kentucky | $73K | -12% | 2,530 |
| Tennessee | $72K | -12% | 3,440 |
| New Mexico | $69K | -16% | 840 |
| West Virginia | $69K | -17% | 1,140 |
| South Dakota | $68K | -17% | 430 |
| Alabama | $66K | -20% | 2,350 |
| Mississippi | $63K | -23% | 1,670 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 states
Track respiratory therapists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Joseph numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a respiratory therapist afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Joseph?
Yes — at the median salary of $74K, rent takes 22.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,077/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for respiratory therapists in St. Joseph?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new respiratory therapists typically earn — is $60K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,599/month. At HUD’s $1,077/month FMR, rent would take 30% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is respiratory therapist a high-paying job in St. Joseph?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $74K locally vs. $82K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does St. Joseph compare to the national average for respiratory therapists?
St. Joseph pays $74K median vs. the U.S. average of $82K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 86.38), the purchasing-power equivalent is $86K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do respiratory therapists make in St. Joseph, MO-KS?
The median is $73,860 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $59,980, and experienced respiratory therapists can clear $91,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $74K enough to live in St. Joseph?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,801/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,077/month, which eats 22.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a respiratory therapists salary go in St. Joseph?
St. Joseph has a Regional Price Parity of 86.38 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median respiratory therapists salary is worth about $85,506 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do respiratory therapists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.