OK, so you think you may have found your passion in life – becoming an emergency medical technician.

However, the million-dollar question is…

How much will I earn per year as an EMT or paramedic?

We will share more information on emergency medical technician salaries with you, but there are some other things to consider first:

Is being an emergency medical technician a growing or a dying career?

How are the employment prospects for EMTs and paramedics?

And where is the best place to live and get paid as an EMT?

Keep reading and, hopefully, we can answer some of these questions for you.

What kind of salary can I expect?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for an emergency medical technician was $33,380 in May 2017. By the term “median wage,” we mean that half the workers in the occupation earned more than this. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,880, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $56,990.

What are the highest paying states for emergency medical technicians?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 5 highest paying states. Numbers are based on the mean.

  1. Washington – $33.16 per hour / $68,970 per year
  2. District of Columbia – $27.94 per hour / $58,110 per year
  3. Alaska – $23.28 per hour / $48,420 per year
  4. Connecticut – $22.99 per hour / $47,810 per year
  5. Maryland – $22.12 per hour / $46,010 per year

What are the lowest paying states for emergency medical technicians?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 5 lowest paying states. Numbers are based on the mean.

  1. West Virginia – $13.62 per hour / $28,320 per year
  2. Alabama – $14.29 per hour / $29,720 per year
  3. Kansas – $14.34 per hour / $29,820 per year
  4. Arkansas – $14.35 per hour / $29,850 per year
  5. South Dakota – $14.46 per hour / $30,080 per year

What is the career ranking for this job?

Well, according to usnews.com, becoming an emergency medical technician is exceptionally fulfilling. They analyze a boatload of data about salary, unemployment rate, and stress to select the top jobs for each year.

Emergency medical technicians are ranked:

  • #23 in Best Health Care Support Jobs

What is the growth potential as an emergency medical technician?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical job growth in a sector is 7%. Emergency medical technician job growth between 2016 and 2026 is expected to be 15%, adding 37,400 new jobs. That is much faster than average.

What are the unemployment figures like for emergency medical technicians?

When looking at a career to get into, it is a good idea to factor in data on how long you can stay employed. Emergency medical technicians have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the US. According to usnews.com, the unemployment rate for emergency medical technicians is only 1.9%.

The bottom line: Becoming an emergency medical technician is not just a rewarding career; it is a growing and lucrative one, too.