EMT Salary

For those considering pursuing a career as an EMT, chances are, you want to know more about EMT salary ranges across the United States, and in your particular state. We are going to outline the various levels of EMTs and their salary respectively, and also some other EMT salary statistics that you may find useful.

EMT-Basic Certification

EMT-B is the primary level of EMT certification, and evidently, when one has lower certification, they generally receive a lower salary. According to a number of well reputed salary databases, the average EMT salary for basic level EMTs was somewhere between $8.50 and $15.00 per hour. When looking at this over a year long period, this equates to an annual EMT salary of between $18,000 and $37,000. EMTs are paid overtime, and this figures do account for that. Again, keep in mind that these are simply statistics, and are only meant as guidelines. In some cases, and EMTs salary may be more or less.

EMT-Intermediate Certification

The next level of certification is EMT-I, also known as EMT-Intermediate. Again, a higher level of certification will merit a higher EMT salary. Those with EMT-I certification are usually paid more than those with EMT-B certification. Those who are certified intermediate level EMTs receive an average EMT salary of roughly $9.70 to $19.50 per hour, which equates to an EMT salary of roughly $21,000 to $52,000 per year.

EMT-Paramedic Certification

At the highest level of EMTs are paramedics, and respectively, they receive the highest EMT salary. Within the United States, a certified paramedic earns an average of $23.75 per hour, and those who have additional experience often earn more. With that hourly wage in mind, paramedics can earn upwards of $50,000 per year, and in certain states, some paramedics earn upwards of $75,000 per year (usually due to their experience and expertise). If money is an important factor, than it is in your best interest to gain your basic level certification, and then work towards becoming a certified paramedic where your EMT salary will be the most.

EMT Salary By State

As previously mentioned, the EMT salary does differ from one state to another, and in some cases, even from city to city. Statistics show that EMTs and paramedics in urban, metropolitan cities receive the highest EMT salary. For example, EMTs and paramedics in California, New York (particularly New York City), and North Carolina are among the highest paid.

Without a doubt, there is no dollar figure that can compensate EMTs and paramedics for what they do adequately. They save lives day by day, and most would agree they are underpaid. Regardless, given you pursue higher level certification (paramedic certification), the salary can be rewarding. Doing some extensive job hunting is also a great idea, as it can often lead to finding jobs that offer a higher EMT salary. Jobs offered by private agencies tend to pay higher than government jobs.

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EMT Job Outlook

For those who are thinking about a career as an EMT, the primary concern is generally not to find a local EMT training course and get signed up. Like any career decision making, individuals will often have a number of questions prior to pursuing that career path. One of the most common questions is “what is the current outlook as far as employment for EMTs?”. Fair question! Let’s give you a run down of what the future looks like for EMTs as far as employment.

The Statistics

Statistics compiled by the United States BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) show that employment in the EMT field will grow by roughly nine percent in the next six to seven years. This is also the projected growth rate for most other careers. Additionally, experts believe that there a number of reasons that will contribute to added growth in EMT related jobs.

Factors Increasing the Demand for EMTs

For starters, there is a huge portion of our population, known as the baby boomers, who have an increasingly high chance of requiring medical assistance. Thus, this will obviously lead to a demand for more EMTs. Secondly, many emergency facilities (such as hospitals) have started to regularly experience overcrowding, and must often refer EMTs to transport patients to other facilities. This means that EMTs will spend more time on the road transporting patients to facilities that may not be the closest, but the only facility that has openings for patients. Both of these are important factors to keep in mind, and will certainly create an increased demand for EMTs.

Furthermore, hospitals across the United States are starting to focus on specializing in specific illness and such. Again, this ties into the factors listed above. Hospitals employees may determine that a patient needs to be transferred to another facility that specializes in the treatment they require, and they must be transferred by an ambulance. This will certainly increase the demand for EMTs.

The Verdict?

Evidently, the above statistics are reassuring, and clearly show that the field is one that will continue to prosper and thrive. In an economy where many other sectors are noticing a decrease in demand, the EMT field is one that will likely always be in demand. One must also keep in mind that there are thousands of EMTs who work on volunteer basis, but in recent years, it has been more and more difficult to keep volunteers due to the extensive training and time required for the job. This has lead to many openings, as the volunteers need to be replaced.

There is no question that landing jobs in this field is more difficult at the government level. Simply put, there are more people applying for those jobs due to the salary and benefits. Non-government EMT jobs can pay extremely well as well. Ultimately, those who hold higher levels of EMT certification will likely land the higher paying jobs.

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EMT Salary Trends

Though many pursue a career because they have a passion for that field, it’s no secret that the salary one will receive is a determining factor in whether they will pursue that career. Understandably, one who is preparing to begin their journey of becoming a certified emergency medical technician is going to be interested in knowing what sort of salary they can expect in the workforce. Here, we’re going to outline the salary an EMT should expect, which will vary based on a number of factors.

For starters, and most importantly, your level of certification is going to be one of the biggest factors in determining your salary. We will now go over the various levels of certification, and the salary associated with that level.

EMT-Basic Level

At the beginning of the EMT training ladder are those who hold Basic level EMT certification. Needless to say, the lower your level of certification, the lower your salary will be. With that in mind, those who are certified at the Basic EMT level will generally receive a lower salary than those holding higher levels of certification. As of 2011, the hourly wage for an EMT who is certified at the Basic level will earn between $8.50 and $15.00 per hour. Looking at this on a salary basis, this equals out to around $20,000 to $38,000 per year. It’s important to also keep in mind that wages will vary based on the State, and sometimes even the County.

EMT-Intermediate Level

Next are those who are certified at the Intermediate level, known as EMT-Intermediate. Though there is not a significant increase in salary and wages, there is an increase nonetheless. Those who are certified at Intermediate level, as of 2011, were said to earn roughly $9.75 to $19.50 an hour, which ultimately equates to roughly $21,000 to $53,000 a year.

Paramedic Level

Evidently, Paramedics are at the top of the ladder in terms of certification levels. Those who are certified at the Paramedic level do earn the highest salaries. 2011 statistics showed that the average wage of a Paramedic was roughly $23.80, with several jobs paying even higher than this based on the applicants experience and skill. In terms of yearly salary, this turns out to equal over $52,000 a year, while many Paramedics earn upwards of $79,000 per year. For those looking to increase their salary significantly, becoming a certified EMT-Paramedic is definitely the best roué to take. They are the most highly paid, and also have the most job opportunities as well.

Although the whopping salary as a Paramedic is attractive, prior to pursuing additional training to become certified at the Paramedic level, it is important to keep in mind that it is a rigorous path. The training required to become a Paramedic is far more rigorous than the EMT training courses at the lower level.

EMT Salary By State

As mentioned previously, ones location in the United States is a determining factor as far as salary goes. For years, the trend has been that EMTs in larger, urban cities earn higher salaries. Statistics show that EMTs in states such as New York, California, Texas, and North Carolina earn the highest salaries. This is not to say that EMTs in other states cannot earn similar salaries, but simply means that statistically and on average, EMTs in those states are paid higher.

The great thing about a career as an EMT is that the satisfaction of helping people daily is almost like an additional salary, or a bonus, in itself. If it were up to most people, they would significantly increase the salaries of emergency medical technicians, primarily due to the fact that they are the people out there helping others and saving lives every day. If you feel that this is a career that interests you, you can start off by visiting our page on EMT State Requirements, to get an idea of what steps you need to take to get started.

Filed Under: EMT Salary