Respiratory Therapists in Kansas
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$58,972
after federal, FICA and Kansas tax
Tax takes
$17,998
23.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$65,550
Kansas costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Kansas — 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
$76,970
Kept after tax
$58,972
Worth in national money
$65,550
State rank
41
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Kansas is among the lower-paying states for respiratory therapists. The middle earner takes $76,970, ranking 41 of 51 states — about 6.45% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Within Kansas this is well-paid work. Of 488 occupations with published figures in the state, respiratory therapists ranks 114 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $76,970 you keep $58,972 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $65,550 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $74,860.
- Kansas ranks 41 of 51 for respiratory therapists, with a median of $76,970 — about 6.45% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Ranked against every occupation Kansas publishes a median for, respiratory therapists sits 114 of 488 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Retained pay in Kansas is $58,972 after the full tax stack, from $76,970. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $65,550 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $74,860 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Respiratory Therapists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $60,470 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $76,970 |
| Top tenth earn over | $94,600 |
| This salary | $76,970 |
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 Kansas | $58,972 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $62,978 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$741 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $71,275 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,023 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
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 Kansas earn under $76,970 and half over. The published range runs $60,470 at the tenth percentile to $94,600 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Kansas the take-home figure of $58,972, from $76,970, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 114 of 488 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $65,550 uses one figure for the whole of Kansas. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 488 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 114.
- Figures are distribution medians for respiratory therapists in Kansas, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $60,470 to $94,600; 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.
- Take-home for Kansas is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $58,972 from $76,970. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 114 of 488 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $65,550, worked from $76,970, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Kansas address, on work sitting at 114 of 488 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $60,470 and the top tenth $94,600, so most people doing this work in Kansas sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Kansas sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $65,550 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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; Kansas then takes its own share, leaving $58,972.
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 ($60,470 to $94,600) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Kansas rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Kansas'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 $65,550 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 $58,972 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Kansas 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.