Emergency Medical Technicians: Career Overview
Assess injuries and illnesses and administer basic emergency medical care. May transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.
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What Do Emergency Medical Technicians Take On?
The core tasks performed by emergency medical technicians span:
- Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
- Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
- Attend training classes to maintain certification licensure, keep abreast of new developments in the field, or maintain existing knowledge.
- Comfort and reassure patients.
- Communicate with dispatchers or treatment center personnel to provide information about situation, to arrange reception of survivors, or to receive instructions for further treatment.
- Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.
- Decontaminate ambulance interior following treatment of patient with infectious disease, and report case to proper authorities.
- Drive mobile intensive care unit to specified location, following instructions from emergency medical dispatcher.
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT)
- Ambulance Driver
- Dispatcher
- EMT Paramedic (Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic)
- EMT-B (Emergency Medical Technician- Basic)
- EMT-I/85
- EMT-I/99
- EMT-P
How Many Emergency Medical Technicians Are There?
There are roughly 2,764,765 emergency medical technicians working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +14.6% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Emergency Medical Technicians
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $105,175 |
| Hourly median | $50.57 |
| 10th percentile | $59,451 |
| 25th percentile | $82,313 |
| 75th percentile | $128,038 |
| 90th percentile | $150,900 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Emergency Medical Technicians Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | $61,310 |
| Alaska | $56,900 |
| New Jersey | $49,500 |
| Rhode Island | $49,500 |
| Washington | $48,850 |
| Oregon | $48,070 |
| Connecticut | $47,550 |
| Maryland | $47,390 |
| Virgin Islands | $47,040 |
| New York | $46,000 |
| Massachusetts | $45,970 |
| District of Columbia | $45,920 |
| Maine | $45,720 |
| Minnesota | $45,690 |
| California | $45,680 |
| Delaware | $45,310 |
| New Hampshire | $45,170 |
| Virginia | $45,060 |
| Colorado | $43,950 |
| Wisconsin | $43,340 |
| Wyoming | $41,330 |
| Illinois | $40,780 |
| North Carolina | $40,530 |
| Florida | $40,420 |
| Indiana | $39,850 |
| Vermont | $39,520 |
| South Dakota | $39,520 |
| Idaho | $39,430 |
| Nebraska | $39,370 |
| Iowa | $39,260 |
| Georgia | $39,250 |
| Nevada | $38,980 |
| Michigan | $38,890 |
| South Carolina | $38,670 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,580 |
| Missouri | $38,580 |
| Ohio | $38,140 |
| Arizona | $38,110 |
| North Dakota | $37,670 |
| Tennessee | $37,630 |
| Texas | $37,000 |
| Utah | $36,940 |
| New Mexico | $36,850 |
| Alabama | $36,260 |
| Kentucky | $36,050 |
| Mississippi | $35,980 |
| West Virginia | $35,060 |
| Montana | $34,900 |
| Kansas | $34,650 |
| Louisiana | $33,990 |
| Oklahoma | $32,420 |
| Arkansas | $31,710 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,360 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for emergency medical technicians differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $46,332 | 14.7% | 0.88 |
| New England | $45,804 | 5.5% | 1.23 |
| Middle Atlantic | $44,545 | 19.1% | 1.28 |
| Rocky Mountains | $40,919 | 3.7% | 0.97 |
| Great Lakes | $40,200 | 14.3% | 1.03 |
| Plains States | $39,780 | 6.5% | 1.10 |
| Southeast | $38,871 | 24.1% | 1.07 |
| Southwest | $36,709 | 11.6% | 0.94 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu, HI | HI | $63,880 | 440 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $58,250 | 750 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $53,920 | 100 |
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $52,140 | 130 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | FL | $51,300 | 110 |
| Vineland, NJ | NJ | $51,040 | 150 |
| New Haven, CT | CT | $50,750 | 490 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $50,400 | 1,440 |
Which Industries Hire Emergency Medical Technicians
The bulk of emergency medical technicians work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 124,100 | $40,610 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1,730 | $42,790 |
| Educational Services | 620 | $47,940 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 280 | $44,920 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 230 | $37,030 |
| Information | 180 | $107,160 |
| Manufacturing | 140 | $53,560 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 40 | $98,740 |
Emergency Medical Technicians work in the following industries:
Software Emergency Medical Technicians Use
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
How to Become Emergency Medical Technicians
The role falls in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Physician Assistants (Supplemental)
- Anesthesiologist Assistants (Supplemental)
- Respiratory Therapists (Primary-Long)
- Registered Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Acute Care Nurses (Primary-Long)
- Critical Care Nurses (Supplemental)
- Nurse Anesthetists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Practitioners (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future emergency medical technicians commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-2042.00 (Emergency Medical Technicians).
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