BLS OEWS May 2025 · SOC 29-2042 · 6,060 FL workers · Florida DOH Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight licensed
EMT Salary in Florida 2026, $39,870 Median | BLS Data by City
Florida runs one of the most fire-based EMS systems in the country, and that single structural fact explains the shape of this page: a low median for EMTs working private transport, and a much better outcome for the ones who get into a fire department.
Updated July 2026 · BLS OEWS May 2025
Compiled by GlobalCybers Labor Market Research · Reviewed by GlobalCybers Compliance Desk, Safety & compliance review · See methodology & sources →
FL Median
$39,870
$19.17/hr
vs National
−$4,600
10.3% below US median
FL P90
$59,000
$28.37/hr · top earners
FL Job Growth
+5.1%
2024–2034 · national BLS EP 2024–34
🤑Florida levies no state income tax, which matters proportionally more at this income level than at higher ones because the alternative states with comparable EMT pay all withhold something. The practical financial picture for a Florida EMT, though, is dominated by hours rather than tax: overtime and shift structure in county fire-rescue and private transport determine annual earnings far more than any state deduction, and the difference between a 24/48 fire schedule and a 12-hour transport rotation is the largest number on the payslip.
Direct Answer
How much do emts make in Florida in 2026?
Florida EMTs earn a median $39,870 a year, or $19.17 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025, 10.3% below the national median of $44,470, though Florida levies no state income tax. The range runs $34,120 to $59,000, and the difference between the bottom and the top is employer type rather than experience: private ambulance and hospital transport at the low end, fire-based EMS at the high end. Lakeland-Winter Haven pays the most at $48,510, ahead of North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota at $46,690 and Naples-Marco Island at $46,220. → Full emt career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $39,870 blends every experience level, apprentice through master. For pay by license level alone, see pay by level below.
Key takeaways
Florida emts earn a median $39,870/yr ($19.17/hr) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-2042), 10.3% below the $44,470 national median; the state P10–P90 range is $34,120 to $59,000.
Florida has a below-average concentration of EMTs because so much of its 911 response is delivered by firefighter-paramedics rather than by standalone EMTs, which shapes both the number of posts and their pay.
Lakeland-Winter Haven at $48,510 and North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota at $46,690 lead the metros, well ahead of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater at $43,540 — county fire-rescue employment, not metro size, is what lifts these figures.
The realistic Florida path is EMT then firefighter or paramedic: the state 90th percentile of $59,000 is largely fire-based employment rather than a senior private ambulance role.
Florida at a glance
Median salary$39,870
Median hourly$19.17
Range (P10–P90)$34,120–$59,000
Top-paying metroLakeland-Winter Haven · $48,510
vs national10.3% below
State income tax0%
FL employment (BLS)6,060
Location quotient0.53× US concentration
Wage basisBLS OEWS May 2025, Florida
Florida EMT Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
$34,120
P10
$36,690
P25
$39,870
Median
$47,000
P75
$59,000
P90
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025
Methodology & Sources
How the Florida emt pay figures on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2042, Florida statewide 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. OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation in Florida; it does not break pay out by credential or licence level.
Pay by level: the level and career-stage tables on this page distribute Florida's own published BLS pay range across the tiers employers actually hire at. They are GlobalCybers estimates aligned to published percentiles, not separate BLS publications.
Placement sample: GlobalCybers holds no Florida placement sample for this occupation, so this page shows published and percentile-aligned figures only — no placement-based median is claimed anywhere on it.
How to become a licensed emt in Florida, step by step
1
Complete a state-approved EMT programme
Finish an approved Florida EMT course and pass the National Registry cognitive and psychomotor examinations.
2
Certify with the Florida Department of Health
Apply for EMT certification to the Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, which issues a statewide certificate.
3
Get 911 field experience
Move from interfacility transport onto a 911 contract or into a hospital emergency department, which lifts pay toward the Florida median and is the prerequisite for most fire and paramedic applications.
4
Enter a county fire-rescue department
Apply to a county fire-rescue department, ideally with firefighter certification alongside your EMT certificate, which is the step to the state 75th percentile of $47,000 and the 90th of $59,000.
DOH License Levels
How much more does a DOH licence earn you in Florida?
Florida licenses issued by Florida DOH Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight (Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight). Each level's median pay in Florida markets.
DOH License
FL Pay Range
FL Median
Key Note
New EMT, private transport
$31K–$37K
$34,120
Around the state 10th percentile. Interfacility and non-emergency transport for a private provider, often part-time or on an irregular schedule.
Experienced EMT, 911 or hospital-based
$37K–$47K
$39,870
The Florida median. Full-time work on a 911 contract or in a hospital emergency department, with the shift differentials that come with it.
Fire-based or county EMS EMT
$45K–$59K
$47,000
The state 75th percentile. Employed by a county fire-rescue department or public agency on a public pay scale with a pension, overtime and benefits.
Senior fire-rescue EMT or field training officer
$57K–$72K
$59,000
The state 90th percentile. Senior county fire-rescue posts, field training officers and specialty transport, with substantial overtime built into the annual figure.
Beyond Base Pay
What's a Florida emt's total compensation, not just base wage?
BLS and verified-placement medians above are base wage only. Total comp for an FL emt typically adds the following on top.
Florida EMTs earn a median $39,870 a year, $19.17 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between $36,690 and $47,000, and the full range is $34,120 to $59,000. No state income tax is withheld from any of it, which lifts Florida's position on take-home relative to its gross ranking.
Which Florida city pays emts the most?
Lakeland-Winter Haven leads at $48,510, then North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota at $46,690, Naples-Marco Island at $46,220, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater at $43,540 and Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent at $42,990. County fire-rescue employment rather than metro size drives the top of that list.
How do I become an EMT in Florida?
Complete a state-approved EMT programme, pass the National Registry cognitive and psychomotor examinations, and apply for certification to the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight. Florida certifies EMTs at state level rather than through county agencies, so the certificate is valid statewide once issued.
Do Florida fire departments pay EMTs more?
Considerably, and it is the defining fact of EMS employment in this state. County fire-rescue departments pay on a public salary schedule with a pension, health cover and overtime, and most Florida 911 response runs through them. That is why the state 75th percentile of $47,000 and the 90th of $59,000 are essentially fire-based figures.
Should I go straight for paramedic or firefighter in Florida?
For most people entering Florida EMS, yes. The state's structure rewards dual certification: fire departments hire firefighter-paramedics and firefighter-EMTs, and a standalone EMT certificate has a limited ceiling here. Using an EMT year to confirm you want the work, then moving into a fire academy or paramedic programme, is the standard and financially sensible Florida route.
Why is Florida's EMT concentration below the national average?
Because the job is largely folded into the fire service. In states where private or third-service ambulance providers run 911 response, EMTs appear as a large standalone workforce. In Florida, county fire-rescue departments handle most emergency response with firefighter-EMTs and firefighter-paramedics, who are coded to the fire occupations rather than to EMT. What remains under the EMT code is weighted toward private transport, which pays least.
What does that mean for someone comparing Florida with another state?
That the median on this page understates what an EMS career in Florida can pay and overstates what a standalone EMT job pays elsewhere in the state. If you intend to stay an EMT and work transport, Florida is a below-median market. If you intend to enter a fire department, the relevant comparison is a firefighter salary schedule, not this figure.
Does Florida's population growth help EMTs?
Indirectly. Growth drives call volume, which drives fire-rescue hiring and overtime, and it drives interfacility transport volume too. What it has not done is raise the private transport rate much, because that sector competes on county and hospital contract price rather than on labour supply — the same dynamic that holds EMT pay down across the country.
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Outlook & openings: BLS projects 5.1% national growth for EMTs through 2034, and Florida's share of national employment works out to roughly 470 openings a year, pro-rated from the national average annual openings figure. That figure is small relative to Florida's population precisely because the state staffs 911 response through fire departments; the larger hiring flow in Florida EMS shows up in firefighter and paramedic recruitment rather than in EMT posts.
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