EMT Salary in Massachusetts 2026,
$50,230 Median | BLS Data by City

Massachusetts EMTs earn a median $50,230 a year, $24.15 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025, with the middle half between $46,880 and $54,000 and a full range of $40,140 to $69,830. That is 13.0% above the $44,470 national median, and the state's 90th percentile is notably high for this occupation.

Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Worcester tie at $50,560, then Springfield at $45,600, Pittsfield at $45,330 and Amherst Town-Northampton at $39,580. The near eleven-thousand-dollar gap between the eastern and central metros and Amherst Town-Northampton is the widest geographic spread for this occupation in the state.

Through the Office of Emergency Medical Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. You complete an approved EMT course, pass the National Registry examinations, and apply to the Department for Massachusetts certification, which renews on a defined cycle with continuing education. The same office administers the Advanced EMT and Paramedic levels and licenses the ambulance services themselves.

Different employers and different call economics. Eastern and central Massachusetts services operate in dense service zones with high call volume, municipal contracts and hospital affiliations that support better pay and more overtime. Western Massachusetts services cover larger, less dense territory with fewer transports per unit hour, and the figures reflect that: $45,600 in Springfield and $39,580 in Amherst Town-Northampton against $50,560 in Boston and Worcester.

Each Massachusetts municipality designates a primary ambulance service for its area, which may be private, municipal or hospital-based, and those services are licensed by the Department of Public Health's Office of EMS. The contract structure matters to EMTs because a service holding a stable municipal designation offers steadier hours and better progression than one relying primarily on interfacility transport work.

Because of who the top employers are. Eastern Massachusetts municipal and hospital-based ambulance services operate under contracts with real wage scales, substantial overtime availability and defined progression, and some are unionised. That produces a $69,830 ninetieth percentile well above what a state with a purely private-transport EMS market would show — and it is why the paramedic and supervisory rungs are worth reaching here rather than leaving the field.

It is an annual wage in a field where hours and second jobs vary enormously. Holding positions at two Massachusetts services is common, and OEWS counts each employment relationship separately, so the $40,140 tenth percentile substantially reflects part-time rosters rather than poorly paid full-time work. The $24.15 hourly figure is the more reliable comparison.

Overtime first, certification second. Eastern Massachusetts services offer significant overtime, and it is taxed at the state's flat 5.0% with no local income tax anywhere, so extra shifts are worth their full nominal value. Beyond hours, the reliable step is the paramedic rung of the Office of EMS ladder together with field training officer and supervisory duty — which is what most of the distance from $50,230 to the $69,830 ninetieth percentile actually represents.