Connecticut Respiratory Therapist Salaries

Respiratory care is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, treatment, management and rehabilitation of lung problems like asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, lung cancer, pneumonia, mesothelioma, sleep apnea, tuberculosis and underdeveloped lungs in premature infants.

Respiratory therapists (RTs) in Connecticut practice under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Public Health, which issues Respiratory Care Practitioner licenses and monitors the profession.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2013) there were 1,190 licensed respiratory therapists actively employed in Connecticut. The statewide annual mean salary of $66,680 is higher than the $57,880 national average.

Salaries vary by education and geographic location. RTs with only an associate degree earn less than those with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Similarly those with “RRT” after their name command higher salaries than CRTs.

Differences between the median annual salary of CRTs and RRTs in various Connecticut cities are shown here:

Connecticut City
CRT Credential
Greenwich
$63120
Norwalk
$63120
Stamford
$63120
Bridgeport
$62623
Danbury
$62623
Hamden
$62623
New Haven
$62623
Stratford
$62623
New London
$60490
Norwich
$60490
Bristol
$59074
Hartford
$59074
Manchester
$59074
New Britain
$59074
Waterbury
$59074

The two cities with the highest and the two with the lowest percentage of RT jobs in relation to the city population are New Haven/Norwich and Bridgeport/Hartford respectively. The two cities with the absolute highest number of RT jobs are Bridgeport and Hartford, the state’s first and third largest metro areas.

The table below provides 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics salary information for respiratory therapists in Connecticut’s major cities:

Area Name
Employment
Annual Median Salary
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT
260
72240
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT
490
62850
New Haven CT
260
69200
Norwich-New London CT-RI
80
77150
Springfield MA-CT
160
62790
Waterbury CT
40
58000
Worcester MA-CT
220
70510