EMT: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get in.
The work, the tools, the pay range and the typical entry path, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of emts earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $34,130
- Hourly
- $16.41
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of emts earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $37,960
- Hourly
- $18.25
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of emts earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $44,470
- Hourly
- $21.38
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of emts earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $50,100
- Hourly
- $24.09
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of emts earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $62,500
- Hourly
- $30.05
- Source
- BLS May 2025
EMTs assess injuries and illnesses and administer basic emergency medical care. The median pay is $44,470 a year ($21.38 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education (Employment Projections, 2025–35). O*NET has published only part of this occupation's profile, so no skills ratings are shown.
- Median pay
- $44,470
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 180,510
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- medium preparation · preliminary (O*NET)
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- BLS Employment Projections
Data O*NET has published only part of its profile for this occupation: tasks, tools and technology, related occupations and a preliminary Job Zone. Its skills, knowledge, work activities and education and training survey data are not yet published (O*NET: “Data collection is currently underway to populate other parts of the profile”), so this page shows no skills ratings and no survey shares.
Data Government data groups this job as Emergency Medical Technicians (O*NET-SOC 29-2042.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
EMTs at a glance
Emergency medical technicians in the United States earned a median annual wage of $44,470 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education for emergency medical technicians in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of emergency medical technicians in the United States to grow 5.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,800 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimated that 180,510 people were employed as emergency medical technicians in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Every page for EMTs
What EMTs do
Data Tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, in O*NET's order. O*NET has not yet published importance ratings for them, so they are not ranked.
- 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.
Software EMTs use
Data Examples reported for the occupation; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- MEDITECH softwareMedical softwareHot technology
- EpocratesInformation retrieval or search software
- HyperToxInformation retrieval or search software
- Informed EMS Field GuideInformation retrieval or search software
- Iterum eMedicInformation retrieval or search software
- MedDataSolutions Regist*rMedical software
- Medical Wizards ER & ICU ToolBoxInformation retrieval or search software
- Medical Wizards ER SuiteInformation retrieval or search software
- Medical Wizards Paramedics ToolBoxInformation retrieval or search software
- Mosby's Drug ConsultInformation retrieval or search software
- PEPID EMSInformation retrieval or search software
- Palmtree EMS Field Reference GuideInformation retrieval or search software
Also called: Emergency Medical Technician, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), First Responder.
How this page is built
Tasks, tools, related occupations and the preliminary Job Zone come from O*NET 31.0, which has not yet published this occupation's skills, knowledge or education survey data. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The typical entry-level education comes from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Which skills matter most: O*NET has not yet rated them for this occupation.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Occupational projections, 2025–35 (released Aug 27, 2026; occupation.xlsx, Tables 1.2 and 1.10; retrieved Oct 25, 2026). Definitions.
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