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The national median salary for Paramedics is $58,406 per year ($28.08/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $47,923 and $68,432 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $82,430 per year. There are approximately 99,530 paramedics employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses. May administer medication intravenously, use equipment such as EKGs, or administer advanced life support to sick or injured individuals.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.0%
Faster than average
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
102K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
10% from new growth90% 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
Less than 5 years
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
40K
$57,680
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
37K
$59,840
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
18K
$58,630
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
1K
$59,370
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
440
$60,410
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.29
$40,123
P25
$23.04
$47,923
P50MEDIAN
$28.08
$58,406
P75
$32.90
$68,432
P90
$39.63
$82,430
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 paramedics salary?
The national median salary for Paramedics is $58,406 per year ($28.08/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $47,923 and $68,432 annually.
How much do top-earning paramedics make?
The 90th percentile salary for Paramedics is $82,430 per year ($39.63/hr). The 75th percentile is $68,432 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for paramedics?
Entry-level Paramedics (10th percentile) earn approximately $40,123 per year ($19.29/hr). The 25th percentile is $47,923 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 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.