Respiratory Therapists in Nebraska
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$63,220
after federal, FICA and Nebraska tax
Tax takes
$18,370
22.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$69,952
Nebraska costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Nebraska — 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
$81,590
Kept after tax
$63,220
Worth in national money
$69,952
State rank
24
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Nebraska is 24 of 51 states for respiratory therapists, with a middle wage of $81,590. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 488 occupations Nebraska reports, respiratory therapists comes in at 98 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $81,590 you keep $63,220 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $69,952 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $80,710.
- Nebraska ranks 24 of 51 for respiratory therapists at $81,590. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Respiratory therapists ranks 98 of 488 occupations by median in Nebraska, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay in Nebraska is $63,220 after the full tax stack, from $81,590. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $69,952 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $80,710 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 | $64,100 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $81,590 |
| Top tenth earn over | $96,180 |
| This salary | $81,590 |
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 Nebraska | $63,220 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $66,229 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,798 |
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 | $77,313 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,484 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $81,590 as a midpoint for Nebraska, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $64,100 and the ninetieth is $96,180 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Nebraska the take-home figure of $63,220, from $81,590, 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 98 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 $69,952 uses one figure for the whole of Nebraska. 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 98.
- The Nebraska median of $81,590 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $64,100 to $96,180. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Nebraska is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $63,220 from $81,590. 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 98 of 488 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $69,952, worked from $81,590, 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 Nebraska address, on work sitting at 98 of 488 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $64,100 at the bottom tenth to $96,180 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Nebraska sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $69,952 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; Nebraska then takes its own share, leaving $63,220.
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 ($64,100 to $96,180) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Nebraska rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Nebraska'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 $69,952 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 $63,220 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Nebraska 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.