According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 4,130 respiratory therapists who were actively employed in Illinois during 2013 earned an annual mean salary of $55,250. Of these 2,850 worked in the Chicago area.
The occupational outlook for RTs is very good. The government predicts there to be a 23 percent growth rate, increasing the number of RT jobs in Illinois to 5,320 by 2018.
Wages not only differ by education but also by location. Median annual salaries for CRTs and RRTs in different Illinois cities are as follows:
Illinois Salary
CRT Salary
RRT Salary
*Salaries in the greater Chicago area range from a low of $48,911 to a high of $70,474 for CRTs and $54,220 to $75,051 for RRTs. Chicago’s high median salaries listed above are the same for all of these suburban cities in the greater Chicago area:
- Arlington Heights
- Des Plaines
- Evanston
- Mount Prospect
- Oak Lawn
- Oak Park
- Skokie
- Tinley Park
- Wheaton
The table below provides 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) salary information for respiratory therapists in Illinois.
Area Name
Employment
Annual Mean Salary
Annual Median Salary
Annual 25th Percentile Salary
Annual 75th Percentile Salary
Annual 90th Percentile Salary
Bloomington-Normal IL
50
54860
55310
49260
61600
70560
Cape Girardeau-Jackson MO-IL
110
50550
50360
43780
57200
62300
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville IL Metropolitan Division
2760
56890
56730
50100
65080
72570
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville IL-IN-WI
3320
56760
56590
50090
64700
72420
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL
130
51080
52150
43360
58630
64790
Kankakee-Bradley IL
50
54010
53820
46880
60330
70160
Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division
170
57220
56440
49970
64740
72570
Peoria IL
220
52670
52650
44290
61480
70210
Rockford IL
120
52160
51840
45500
58100
66780
St. Louis MO-IL
1320
51920
51650
44060
59090
67940
Springfield IL
80
53140
53050
48660
57480
63050
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area
140
51320
51150
43300
58530
67880
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area
100
45830
45260
39800
52720
59540
East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area
80
51790
51220
42630
59000
69250
South Illinois nonmetropolitan area
100
48840
47310
41420
56660
65290