Emergency Medical Technicians Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 29-2042 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$44,470
$21.38/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Emergency Medical Technicians is $44,470 per year ($21.38/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,960 and $50,107 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $62,504 per year. There are approximately 180,510 emergency medical technicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assess injuries and illnesses and administer basic emergency medical care. May transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.1%
Faster than average
Annual openings
14K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
181K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
7% from new growth93% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services
NAICS 621900
85K
$42,470
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
42K
$45,770
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
36K
$46,890
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
4K
$67,560
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
3K
$40,490
Wage range across top 5 industries: $40,490 to $67,560 (67% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.41
$34,133
P25
$18.25
$37,960
P50MEDIAN
$21.38
$44,470
P75
$24.09
$50,107
P90
$30.05
$62,504
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average emergency medical technicians salary?
The national median salary for Emergency Medical Technicians is $44,470 per year ($21.38/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,960 and $50,107 annually.
How much do top-earning emergency medical technicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for Emergency Medical Technicians is $62,504 per year ($30.05/hr). The 75th percentile is $50,107 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for emergency medical technicians?
Entry-level Emergency Medical Technicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $34,133 per year ($16.41/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,960 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.