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
Is this a competitive Emergency Medical Technicians salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$34K
P25$38K
P50$44K
P75$50K
P90$63K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- health care job openings are running at 5.3% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in health care are rising about 3.6% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.2-3.7% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $44,470 to $50,107 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Emergency Medical Technicians pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 7.5% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.6% wage growth of Health Care & Social Assistance (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Health Care & Social Assistance is running a 5.3% job-openings rate with quits at 1.9% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.1% down to 5.3%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.8 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings fell from 5.9% to 5.3% (down 147K), the sharpest monthly cooling this year, though still the second-tightest market.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.6% per year, the fastest of any major sector. Health benefit costs rose 6.0% nationally.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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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
5.3%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings fell 147K to 1.35M in June, rate down from 5.9% to 5.3% -- the sector's biggest monthly cooling this year, though it remains the second-tightest market. Quits edged up to 1.9%; 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.
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