The mean annual salary for Illinois respiratory therapists in 2013 was $54,700. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of respiratory therapists licensed in Idaho will increase by 23 percent by 2018.
Location, education and credentials determine salary differences. RTs working in metropolitan areas earn higher salaries than those in smaller cities or rural areas. Of course, the higher cost of living in big cities and their suburbs offset this differential.
Persons with a bachelor’s degree receive higher salaries and have greater responsibilities than individuals with only an associate’s degree. By the same token, entry-level CRTs (certified respiratory therapists) are lower on the salary scale than RRTs (registered respiratory therapists).
Differences in the annual median salary of CRTs and RRTs in various Idaho cities are:
Coeur d’Alene, where RT’s command the highest salaries, is the principal city of Idaho’s second largest metropolitan area. A major spot for tourism, the city is situated on Lake Coeur d’Alene at the edge of a national forest. Barbara Walters referred to Coeur d’Alene as “a little slice of heaven.” It is unusual for the state’s highest salaries not to be in the largest metropolitan area.
Comparative salaries between Coeur d’Alene and Boise are:
The table below provides 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) salary information for respiratory therapists in Idaho.