In 2013, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that a total of 3,290 respiratory therapists were actively licensed in Indiana earning a mean annual salary of $51,896. The number of licensees is expected to increase 20 percent by 2018.
According to a September 8, 2014 story in the IndyStar newspaper, more respiratory care specialists may be needed this year in response to an unusually potent respiratory virus that has been sending a much greater than expected number of children and adults to the hospital. The EV-268 virus is especially problematic for individuals with breathing problems like asthma or emphysema. Oddly, so far the virus has spread all over the state except for the Indianapolis area.
Respiratory therapists with more education and higher- level credentials earn the highest salaries, which also differ by location. Annual median salary differences between CRTs and RRTs in various Indiana cities are as follows:
Gary and Hammond, the two cities with the highest RT salaries, are both in Lake County near the border with Illinois. Gary is only 25 miles from downtown Chicago and both cities are part of the greater Chicago Metropolitan Area. There is a difference of $4,529 between the highest and lowest (Lafayette) RRT salaries.
The table here shows respiratory therapist salary data in Indiana by city as of 2013: