In this page, you are going to get the starting salary for EMT. This job is considered as one of the most common and popular choices for people who have their license on Emergency medical technician or EMT. The basic duties of this kind of position include the ability to provide life support and other emergency medical services or treatment before taking patients to a hospital or care facility
The starting salary for an EMT usually ranges from $27,000 to $30,000 per year. The exact salary may depend on your employer, the location of your department and some other factors. For example, if you work as an emergency medical technician in a smaller organization that doesn’t have many resources available, then you might earn less than a similar position in a larger hospital.
Starting Salary For EMT Overview
If you’re looking to become an EMT, you might be wondering how much your salary will be. The average salary for an EMT is about $31,000 annually. This means that if you work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks per year, your annual salary will be $31k.
But let’s take a look at what this figure means in terms of hourly wages. An EMT who works full-time makes about $15 per hour. If they work less than full-time, their hourly wage will vary by how many hours they work in a week and how many weeks they work during the year.
What kind of experience can you get as an EMT?
EMTs are responsible for responding to emergency medical calls and providing care and transport to those who need it. They respond to fires, car accidents, heart attacks and other emergencies where people may need immediate medical attention. They also assist doctors or nurses with procedures like CPR or administering medications intravenously (IV).
What does an EMT do?
Emergency Medical Technicians, also known as EMTs, are the first responders at the scene of an emergency such as serious accidents or injuries. Hospitals, fire departments, police departments, or private ambulance services are some places where EMTs probably work.
There, they are in charge of assessing and treating patients in emergencies so that patients’ conditions can be stabilized long enough while they are being given to the hospital. Maintaining a patient’s airway, addressing bleeding, and preventing shock are several vital treatments EMTs can take care of on the spot.
To get more information about the job you can do with EMTs, you can try to visit our blog.
Do Paramedics make more than an EMT?
EMTs’ main duties are assessing and stabilizing patients’ conditions by providing them with some basic life-saving treatments. On the other hand, paramedics who are licensed medical providers have the right to apply more advanced life-saving measures such as using a defibrillator, administering drugs, inserting an IV line, and intubating a patient.
To become paramedics, students must study both basic and advanced EMT studies. They also have to finish the supplementary courses and on-job training as well. It means that Paramedics require higher education and more experience, so they can earn more than EMTs.
Read more: The difference between an EMT and a Paramedic
How much does an EMT make?
While paramedics can earn $40,000 as the annual average salary, EMTs earn between $33,000 to $50,000 per year on average. However, EMT salary can be affected by many other factors including the state of the employment and the company a person works for.
Average EMT salary by state
Below are average estimates of wages as reported by Zip Recruiter, ranked from highest to lowest.
| No. | State | The lowest salary | The highest salary | The average salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per hour | Annually | ||||
| 1 | New York | $24,622 | $42,678 | $15.78 | $32,823 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $24,419 | $42,326 | $15.52 | $32,286 |
| 3 | Washington | $22,398 | $38,822 | $15.52 | $32,286 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $23,958 | $41,427 | $15.21 | $31,643 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $22,549 | $39,085 | $15.01 | $31,226 |
| 6 | Maryland | $22,780 | $39,484 | $14.49 | $30,131 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $22,431 | $38,880 | $14.48 | $30,122 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $21,656 | $37,537 | $14.36 | $28,877 |
| 9 | Alaska | $22,500 | $39,000 | $14.35 | $29,838 |
| 10 | Vermont | $22,532 | $39,055 | $14.29 | $29,715 |
| 11 | Nebraska | $22,562 | $39,107 | $14.27 | $29,677 |
| 12 | Nevada | $22,500 | $39,000 | $14.23 | $29,677 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $22,500 | $39,000 | $14.18 | $29,492 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $22,500 | $39,000 | $14.17 | $29,467 |
| 15 | California | $22,466 | $38,942 | $14.14 | $29,419 |
| 16 | Virginia | $22,029 | $38,182 | $14.08 | $29,288 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $20,910 | $36,243 | $13.80 | $28,699 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $21,223 | $36,787 | $13.76 | $28,631 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $21,521 | $37,303 | $13.74 | $28,569 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $21,770 | $37,735 | $13.72 | $28,534 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $21,328 | $36,968 | $13.65 | $28,396 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $21,220 | $36,781 | $13.58 | $28,249 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $21,146 | $36,653 | $13.57 | $28,223 |
| 24 | Oregon | $21,214 | $36,771 | $13.54 | $28,155 |
| 25 | Delaware | $21,251 | $36,835 | $13.53 | $28,151 |
| 26 | Colorado | $21,383 | $37,065 | $13.52 | $28,114 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $21,166 | $36,687 | $13.52 | $28,1114 |
| 28 | Montana | $22,500 | $39,000 | $13.51 | $28,093 |
| 29 | Ohio | $20,914 | $36,251 | $13.43 | $27,929 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $20,509 | $35,549 | $13.40 | $27,862 |
| 31 | Arizona | $21,222 | $36,785 | $13.37 | $27,804 |
| 32 | Kansas | $20,695 | $35,871 | $13.31 | $27,684 |
| 33 | Utah | $21,077 | $36,534 | $13.30 | $27,672 |
| 34 | Indiana | $20,840 | $36,122 | $13.28 | $27,626 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $20,781 | $36,022 | $13.26 | $27,582 |
| 36 | Idaho | $22,500 | $39,000 | $13.22 | $27,504 |
| 37 | Maine | $20,468 | $35,477 | $13.21 | $27,483 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $20,678 | $35,843 | $13.16 | $27,372 |
| 39 | Iowa | $20,616 | $35,734 | $13.02 | $27,090 |
| 40 | Georgia | $20,107 | $34,851 | $12.90 | $26,822 |
| 41 | Texas | $20,231 | $35,068 | $12.75 | $26,514 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $20,216 | $35,041 | $12.68 | $26,370 |
| 43 | Alabama | $20,132 | $34,895 | $12.59 | $26,195 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $19,900 | $34,492 | $12.72 | $26,457 |
| 45 | Michigan | $19,719 | $34,181 | $12.69 | $26,390 |
| 46 | Illinois | $19,712 | $34,168 | $12.61 | $26,227 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $19,826 | $34,366 | $12.47 | $25,930 |
| 48 | Missouri | $19,445 | $33,705 | $12.44 | $25,869 |
| 49 | Florida | $18,972 | $32,883 | $12.15 | $25,281 |
| 50 | North Carolina | $17,455 | $30,256 | $11.57 | $25,072 |
It’s a well-known fact that EMT jobs are not as lucrative as they might seem. There are a few reasons why the EMT salary is so low.
Firstly, becoming an EMT is widely known as the first and fundamental step to getting to a better job or a better life. Therefore, a lot of people take an EMT course and exam first, but not all of them work as EMTs for their whole life, many EMTs then access higher education to become licensed paramedics or doctors and other higher-paid medical professionals.
Why is EMT pay so low?
Another reason why EMTs are paid so low is they are often seen as a public service. They can work for government-funded positions that do not always pay well, or they can work privately and get paid less than their counterparts in other medical fields.
Last but not least, in some rural areas, volunteers are often in charge of EMTs’ roles. This means that it will be harder for EMTs to earn a wage because there are so many people who are ready to do this job for free.
