How much do emts make in 2026?
Emergency medical technicians earn a national median of $44,470 a year ($21.38 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-2042), the code BLS uses for EMTs separately from paramedics. The bottom 10% earn about $34,130 and the top 10% reach $62,500. Employer type explains most of that gap: private ambulance and interfacility transport services sit at the bottom, hospital-based and municipal third-service systems sit in the middle, and fire-based EMS positions with structured pay steps and overtime sit at the top. The single largest earnings step available is not a raise but a credential change — advancing to the paramedic level moves you into a separate BLS code with a $60,600 median. Employment is projected to grow 5.1% through 2034 with roughly 14,100 openings a year. → Full emt career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $44,470 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- EMTs earn a national median $44,470/yr ($21.38/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2042); the P10 to P90 range is $34,130 to $62,500.
- Employer type sets EMT pay: private transport services sit near the $34,130 floor while fire-based EMS with contractual step increases sits toward the $62,500 top decile.
- The largest available earnings move is advancing to the paramedic level, which BLS tracks in a separate code with a $60,600 median — roughly $16,000 above the EMT median.
- BLS projects 5.1% growth through 2034 with roughly 14,100 openings a year, and the annual openings figure is inflated by well-known turnover out of private ambulance work.
US EMT Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do emts earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-2042; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2042, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an emt earn at each career stage?
EMS is a certification ladder, so the stages below follow the national certification levels and employer type rather than seniority alone. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 29-2042.
By State
Which states pay emts the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. EMS is regulated state by state, and the structural question when you move is not just wage level but whether the local system is fire-based, hospital-based or contracted to a private service, because that decides the pay scale you land on.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($51,140), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
emt pay by state — all 28 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay emts the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an emt’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does emt pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. EMTs sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify emt wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an emt actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
EMT Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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