Emergency Medical Technicians
Median $44,470
Occupation · SOC 29-2043
Paramedics: pay and where the jobs are
What paramedics earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$60,600 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $63,360
- Median hourly wage
- $29.13
- Mean hourly wage
- $30.46
- Employment
- 100,610
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-2043.
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How much do paramedics make?
The median annual wage for paramedics was $60,600 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,230 and the highest-paid 10% more than $84,850. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.13. About 100,610 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($104,310), New Jersey ($86,630) and Hawaii ($81,280). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for paramedics looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,230 | $21.27 | $3,686 | $3,143 |
| 25th percentile | $49,660 | $23.88 | $4,138 | $3,507 |
| Median | $60,600 | $29.13 | $5,050 | $4,239 |
| 75th percentile | $73,470 | $35.32 | $6,123 | $5,043 |
| 90th percentile | $84,850 | $40.80 | $7,071 | $5,710 |
Paramedics: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$75,472 take-home in national prices
2
$60,559 take-home in national prices
3
$59,324 take-home in national prices
Where a median paramedic paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2,110 | $104,310 | $61,010 | $133,040 | $80,765 | $75,472 |
| New Jersey | 540 | $86,630 | $76,260 | $99,420 | $65,892 | $60,559 |
| Hawaii | 140 | $81,280 | $66,250 | $81,440 | $61,247 | $55,704 |
| District of Columbia | 90 | $78,550 | $62,980 | $96,640 | $60,382 | $54,942 |
| Connecticut | 1,000 | $77,480 | $60,370 | $90,060 | $59,438 | $57,367 |
| Minnesota | 1,690 | $76,300 | $60,320 | $93,910 | $58,506 | $59,324 |
| Oregon | 1,210 | $74,840 | $51,850 | $95,900 | $55,987 | $54,167 |
| California | 5,190 | $74,590 | $53,370 | $102,450 | $57,593 | $52,016 |
| New York | 6,110 | $73,200 | $55,900 | $98,050 | $56,623 | $52,467 |
| Alaska | 310 | $71,860 | $53,820 | $103,550 | $59,113 | $57,750 |
| Maryland | 1,910 | $66,660 | $51,020 | $101,860 | $52,925 | $50,424 |
| Massachusetts | 1,860 | $66,340 | $60,410 | $84,540 | $52,082 | $49,247 |
| Utah | 960 | $65,420 | $45,820 | $94,620 | $52,186 | $52,786 |
| Delaware | 340 | $64,240 | $50,550 | $102,140 | $50,641 | $50,738 |
| New Hampshire | 420 | $64,210 | $53,180 | $79,370 | $53,773 | $51,623 |
| Wyoming | 230 | $64,040 | $47,520 | $80,070 | $53,636 | $57,866 |
| Colorado | 2,110 | $63,910 | $49,110 | $87,320 | $51,147 | $49,632 |
| Rhode Island | 160 | $63,550 | $50,960 | $81,490 | $50,777 | $49,645 |
| Maine | 470 | $63,050 | $54,810 | $78,340 | $49,947 | $51,466 |
| North Dakota | 220 | $62,320 | $48,270 | $75,440 | $52,254 | $58,740 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,750 | $61,000 | $48,040 | $81,590 | $49,278 | $50,504 |
| Illinois | 3,890 | $60,660 | $47,210 | $106,810 | $48,062 | $48,083 |
| Iowa | 1,170 | $60,590 | $47,750 | $78,140 | $49,213 | $56,076 |
| Virginia | 1,960 | $60,480 | $42,520 | $77,280 | $48,112 | $47,587 |
| Idaho | 440 | $60,380 | $48,940 | $83,510 | $48,603 | $50,897 |
| Vermont | 190 | $60,360 | $47,140 | $76,150 | $49,091 | $50,114 |
| Indiana | 2,680 | $60,320 | $46,040 | $76,030 | $48,897 | $52,392 |
| Florida | 6,970 | $60,140 | $44,050 | $85,390 | $50,502 | $48,835 |
| Wisconsin | 1,990 | $59,710 | $46,530 | $75,760 | $48,102 | $51,120 |
| Nevada | 950 | $59,280 | $49,320 | $83,580 | $49,811 | $49,822 |
| Missouri | 3,300 | $59,180 | $45,480 | $81,300 | $47,887 | $52,729 |
| Arizona | 2,200 | $58,600 | $46,180 | $76,540 | $48,194 | $47,870 |
| Tennessee | 3,710 | $57,690 | $41,410 | $80,190 | $48,534 | $52,829 |
| Georgia | 3,250 | $57,660 | $40,600 | $82,980 | $46,381 | $48,167 |
| Texas | 8,410 | $57,500 | $41,030 | $77,700 | $48,381 | $49,848 |
| North Carolina | 5,660 | $57,320 | $44,730 | $75,170 | $46,458 | $49,253 |
| Nebraska | 490 | $56,230 | $45,240 | $76,710 | $45,682 | $50,700 |
| Louisiana | 2,040 | $56,050 | $37,530 | $63,470 | $45,921 | $52,060 |
| New Mexico | 810 | $55,530 | $39,830 | $78,010 | $45,354 | $49,185 |
| Mississippi | 1,150 | $54,630 | $39,690 | $71,710 | $44,622 | $51,317 |
| South Carolina | 2,250 | $53,550 | $40,710 | $67,180 | $43,972 | $46,904 |
| Michigan | 2,750 | $52,080 | $43,400 | $66,070 | $42,064 | $43,717 |
| Ohio | 3,600 | $51,300 | $38,750 | $72,140 | $42,432 | $45,737 |
| Kansas | 1,030 | $51,020 | $40,780 | $64,090 | $41,127 | $45,663 |
| Montana | 300 | $50,890 | $35,590 | $70,190 | $41,435 | $43,779 |
| Arkansas | 1,170 | $50,310 | $38,840 | $72,880 | $41,230 | $47,425 |
| Kentucky | 1,800 | $49,890 | $40,050 | $66,820 | $40,638 | $45,074 |
| South Dakota | 280 | $48,830 | $30,950 | $58,380 | $41,415 | $46,751 |
| Alabama | 1,700 | $48,540 | $36,160 | $62,230 | $39,177 | $44,107 |
| West Virginia | 1,090 | $48,460 | $35,930 | $62,800 | $39,738 | $44,402 |
| Oklahoma | 1,590 | $46,790 | $37,180 | $61,310 | $38,216 | $43,505 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,390 | $29,960 | $22,190 | $40,880 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-2043. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.