Emergency Medical Technicians Salary: $41,340 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 177,980 emergency medical technicians work nationally, and $41,340 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 2.5% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Emergency Medical Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about emergency medical technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a emergency medical technicians?
Emergency Medical Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-2042.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 177,980 workers.
What does a emergency medical technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing General Physical Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a emergency medical technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $41,340 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $53,239 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,386 |
| 25th percentile | $41,385 |
| Median (50th) | $46,921 |
| 75th percentile | $59,997 |
| 90th percentile | $78,713 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is emergency medical technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 13.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 28.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 177,980.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do emergency medical technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 177,980 | 16.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 124,350 | 11.5% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 124,100 | 11.5% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 87,680 | 8.1% |
| Other Ambulatory Health Care Services | 81,550 | 7.5% |
| Ambulance Services | 80,250 | 7.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Emergency Medical Technicians in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 12,080 | $34,330 |
| Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance | 211,000 | $48,880 |
| Personal Care Aides | — | — |
| Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other | 62,390 | $37,900 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Emergency Medical Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
177,980 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Emergency Medical Technicians grew from 67,740 in 2022 to 73,000 in 2025 (7.8%).
Historical employment for Emergency Medical Technicians from the California OEWS series, 2022–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$41,340 Median pay (BLS national)
Emergency Medical Technicians earn $41,340 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Salary distribution for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
2.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
82,689 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 13.3%
93,665 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 28.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Emergency Medical Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Emergency Medical Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-12.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Emergency Medical Technicians.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 19,020 employees, $51,830 avg wage
- NY: 14,350 employees, $49,440 avg wage
- TX: 13,550 employees, $39,690 avg wage
- PA: 9,810 employees, $41,310 avg wage
- IL: 8,480 employees, $53,730 avg wage
- NC: 7,540 employees, $43,140 avg wage
- FL: 6,770 employees, $43,380 avg wage
- GA: 5,740 employees, $40,720 avg wage
- NJ: 5,630 employees, $51,630 avg wage
- OH: 5,190 employees, $40,450 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 13,260 employees, $52,940 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 5,660 employees, $48,720 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 5,510 employees, $61,930 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 4,240 employees, $49,030 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 3,300 employees, $41,430 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 3,110 employees, $50,640 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 3,080 employees, $59,050 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,930 employees, $42,840 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,840 employees, $42,740 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 2,630 employees, $40,330 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Emergency Medical Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Emergency Medical Technicians is about 177,980 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Emergency Medical Technicians in 2023 were Health Sciences, Biology, Chemistry.
Common majors for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Emergency Medical Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Skills
Emergency Medical Technicians need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Emergency Medical Technicians include Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Emergency Medical Technicians include Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Emergency Medical Technicians.
Daily Activities
Emergency Medical Technicians spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Emergency Medical Technicians.
About
Emergency Medical Technicians
Emergency Medical Technicians earn $41,340 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
29-2042 - Emergency Medical Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Emergency Medical Technicians reports an average salary of $53,239.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 177,980 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.