How much do paramedics make in 2026?
Paramedics earn a national median of $60,600 a year ($29.13 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-2043), the advanced-life-support code BLS separates from EMTs. The bottom 10% earn about $44,230 and the top 10% reach $84,850. The structural driver is who employs you: fire-based EMS pay scales with step increases and overtime sit at the top of the range, municipal third-service and hospital-based systems in the middle, and private ambulance contracts at the bottom. Beyond employer type, the credentialed premiums are critical-care transport (CCP-C) and flight paramedic (FP-C), which put paramedics near the $73,470 P75. Employment is projected to grow 5% through 2034 with roughly 4,900 openings a year. → Full paramedic career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $60,600 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Paramedics earn a national median $60,600/yr ($29.13/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2043); the P10 to P90 range is $44,230 to $84,850.
- Employer type is the dominant variable: fire-based EMS with contractual step increases sits near the $84,850 top decile while private ambulance contracts sit near the $44,230 floor.
- Critical-care transport and flight paramedic credentials are the clearest clinical premiums available, moving paramedics toward the $73,470 P75.
- Paramedics earn about $16,000 more than the $44,470 EMT median, which is the strongest argument for completing the advanced certification rather than changing employers.
US Paramedic Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do paramedics 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 29-2043; 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 29-2043, 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 a paramedic earn at each career stage?
Paramedic practice is credential-led, so the stages below follow certification and transport environment rather than tenure. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 29-2043.
By State
Which states pay paramedics the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. For paramedics the more consequential local variable is system design: a fire-based system, a municipal third service and a private contract in the same state can pay very differently for identical clinical scope.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($69,690), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
paramedic pay by state — all 26 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay paramedics 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 are local wage-level estimates rather than 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 a paramedic’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 paramedic pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Paramedics 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 paramedic wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a paramedic 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
Paramedic Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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