Respiratory Therapists in Illinois
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$63,970
after federal, FICA and Illinois tax
Tax takes
$20,120
23.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,711
Illinois costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Illinois — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$84,090
Kept after tax
$63,970
Worth in national money
$64,711
State rank
19
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Illinois pays respiratory therapists around $84,090 at the midpoint, 19 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Illinois. It ranks 118 out of 494 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- No great distortion either way. Illinois costs about what the country costs, so from $84,090, take-home of $63,970 is worth roughly $64,711 in national money. The average comes to $84,920, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For respiratory therapists the Illinois median is $84,090, ranking 19 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- Within Illinois, respiratory therapists ranks 118 of 494 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Price parity in Illinois is near the national base, so for respiratory therapists, whose median is $84,090, the adjusted figure of $64,711 differs little from $63,970 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $84,920 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Respiratory Therapists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $64,480 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $84,090 |
| Top tenth earn over | $100,100 |
| This salary | $84,090 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Illinois | $63,970 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $67,987 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,253 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $78,379 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$7,256 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 99 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of respiratory therapists in Illinois earn under $84,090 and half over. The published range runs $64,480 at the tenth percentile to $100,100 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Illinois's $63,970, worked from $84,090. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 118 of 494.
- One number stands for prices across all of Illinois, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $64,711, the adjusted value of that $84,090 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 118 of 494 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for respiratory therapists in Illinois, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $64,480 to $100,100; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Illinois take-home of $63,970, on $84,090 for work ranking 118 of 494 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 118 of 494 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Illinois, so $64,711 — the adjusted value of that $84,090 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 118 of 494 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $64,480 at the bottom tenth to $100,100 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Illinois is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $64,711 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Illinois then takes its own share, leaving $63,970.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($64,480 to $100,100) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Illinois rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Illinois's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $64,711 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $63,970 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Illinois income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.