Paramedic Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Approximately 201,000 paramedics can be found working in the US. Recent data shows that compared to other careers this occupation has a very low level of unemployment. Employees without jobs represent 3% of the total.

Area Job Conditions

The most jobs per capita are found in Ocean City (New Jersey), Johnstown (Pennsylvania), and Anderson (South Carolina), and the least jobs per capita are found in Topeka (Kansas), Salem (Oregon), and Tacoma (Washington).

The salary for this career is highest in Tacoma (Washington), Olympia (Washington), and Bremerton (Washington) and lowest in Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Jackson (Mississippi), and Anderson (Indiana).

Training and Education

Most people pursuing this career path get a postsecondary vocational award. Among employees, 14% have a four year degree. Some 68% of paramedics started college but did not get a four year degree. A high school diploma was enough for 18% of workers. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Paramedics in part-time roles are about 11% of the total.

Paramedics: An Introductory Video

Paramedics Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of paramedics compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for paramedics.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Birmingham	$33,000	840
Tuscaloosa	$26,000	290
Mobile	$23,000	290
Decatur	$25,000	100
Dothan	$28,000	50

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Phoenix	$29,000	2,100
Prescott	$27,000	330
Flagstaff	$26,000	110

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Fort Smith	$27,000	200
Fayetteville	$31,000	200
Jonesboro	$26,000	190
Little Rock	$25,000	140

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Riverside	$31,000	1,900
San Diego	$32,000	1,160
Santa Ana	$32,000	1,130
Oakland	$27,000	890
Sacramento	$34,000	500
San Francisco	$54,000	390
Salinas	$40,000	240
Bakersfield	$32,000	190
Visalia	$24,000	130
El Centro	$24,000	70
Madera	$46,000	60

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Denver	$38,000	1,490
Colorado Springs	$34,000	560
Greeley	$42,000	180
Fort Collins	$42,000	120
Boulder	$34,000	100
Pueblo	$36,000	80
Grand Junction	$29,000	50

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Hartford	$35,000	630
New Haven	$43,000	410
Bridgeport	$41,000	350
Norwich	$29,000	260

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$43,000	400

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$45,000	2,410

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Fort Lauderdale	$30,000	1,290
Tampa	$32,000	1,270
Orlando	$33,000	1,190
Miami	$29,000	890
Jacksonville	$30,000	530
Deltona	$40,000	380
West Palm Beach	$39,000	290
Sarasota	$30,000	290
Ocala	$31,000	220
Tallahassee	$25,000	200
Pensacola	$38,000	180
Fort Walton Beach	$27,000	170
Palm Bay	$32,000	90
Gainesville	$23,000	80
Punta Gorda	$28,000	80
Port St Lucie	$33,000	60

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Atlanta	$34,000	3,810
Augusta	$30,000	580
Gainesville	$31,000	200
Macon	$27,000	200
Albany	$34,000	170
Athens	$27,000	160
Dalton	$31,000	120
Savannah	$27,000	110
Valdosta	$26,000	80
Columbus	$25,000	70

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$49,000	270

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Idaho Falls	$30,000	90
Pocatello	$33,000	60

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Chicago	$42,000	6,860
Springfield	$27,000	220
Rockford	$27,000	120
Kankakee	$35,000	80
Bloomington	$23,000	40

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Indianapolis	$31,000	1,380
Gary	$31,000	720
Fort Wayne	$26,000	320
Evansville	$30,000	270
Terre Haute	$27,000	180
Lafayette	$32,000	170
Bloomington	$26,000	160
South Bend	$27,000	120
Elkhart	$29,000	100
Muncie	$28,000	100
Michigan City	$28,000	80
Anderson	$18,000	70
Kokomo	$33,000	60

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Des Moines	$34,000	250
Cedar Rapids	$22,000	210
Waterloo	$27,000	100
Dubuque	$25,000	70
Davenport	$27,000	70

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$33,000	340
Topeka	$30,000	40

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$29,000	1,210
Lexington	$29,000	240

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Orleans	$32,000	610
Shreveport	$24,000	220
Baton Rouge	$36,000	180
Lake Charles	$28,000	170
Houma	$29,000	120
Alexandria	$25,000	80

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$31,000	210
Lewiston	$30,000	60

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Baltimore	$39,000	1,810
Hagerstown	$27,000	250
Salisbury	$34,000	100
Cumberland	$23,000	50

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boston	$39,000	2,560
Worcester	$37,000	440
Springfield	$36,000	400
Lowell	$44,000	260
Barnstable Town	$47,000	240
Leominster	$32,000	170
New Bedford	$35,000	110
Haverhill	$36,000	90

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Warren	$31,000	1,770
Detroit	$32,000	980
Grand Rapids	$27,000	340
Lansing	$35,000	300
Flint	$28,000	300

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Minneapolis	$36,000	1,690
Rochester	$33,000	290
Duluth	$25,000	150

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$23,000	140

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers
St Louis	$41,000	2,740
Kansas City	$36,000	1,630
Jefferson City	$31,000	330
Joplin	$25,000	260
Columbia	$32,000	210

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$32,000	140

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$34,000	740

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashua	$33,000	290
Manchester	$32,000	180
Rochester	$45,000	80

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Edison	$34,000	2,360
Newark	$35,000	1,610
Camden	$32,000	1,090
Atlantic City	$30,000	460
Ocean City	$30,000	290

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Albuquerque	$29,000	350
Las Cruces	$24,000	170
Farmington	$44,000	70

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New York	$41,000	8,880
Nassau	$39,000	1,380
Rochester	$30,000	680
Buffalo	$28,000	620
Albany	$31,000	580
Poughkeepsie	$35,000	570
Syracuse	$28,000	510
Utica	$35,000	150
Glens Falls	$28,000	60
Kingston	$32,000	60
Ithaca	$32,000	50

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Raleigh	$30,000	910
Charlotte	$33,000	880
Asheville	$32,000	480
Greensboro	$32,000	460
Durham	$32,000	380
Wilmington	$30,000	350
Hickory	$31,000	310
Winston Salem	$33,000	290
Greenville	$30,000	120

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$31,000	90

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Cleveland	$31,000	1,680
Cincinnati	$32,000	1,050
Columbus	$29,000	940
Akron	$29,000	820
Toledo	$26,000	720
Youngstown	$26,000	580
Dayton	$27,000	510
Canton	$29,000	310
Mansfield	$24,000	110

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Oklahoma City	$28,000	510
Tulsa	$30,000	500
Lawton	$21,000	80

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$48,000	1,210
Eugene	$38,000	90
Salem	$29,000	50

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Philadelphia	$35,000	3,610
Pittsburgh	$29,000	2,730
Allentown	$29,000	960
Harrisburg	$29,000	770
Scranton	$26,000	670
Lancaster	$31,000	510
York	$25,000	420
Johnstown	$21,000	380
Reading	$36,000	310
Erie	$23,000	300
Williamsport	$29,000	130
State College	$26,000	80

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$35,000	790

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Columbia	$32,000	680
Greenville	$32,000	570
Charleston	$35,000	490
Anderson	$25,000	340
Florence	$34,000	180
Myrtle Beach	$31,000	70

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Rapid City	$27,000	120
Sioux Falls	$25,000	110

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashville	$35,000	1,240
Memphis	$40,000	960
Knoxville	$28,000	750
Chattanooga	$29,000	630
Kingsport	$29,000	250
Clarksville	$27,000	180
Johnson City	$33,000	170
Morristown	$26,000	160

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Houston	$31,000	3,610
San Antonio	$30,000	1,140
Dallas	$33,000	1,000
Austin	$26,000	990
Fort Worth	$32,000	890
Mcallen	$28,000	860
Beaumont	$24,000	310
El Paso	$22,000	290
Corpus Christi	$28,000	270
Tyler	$34,000	250
Lubbock	$24,000	200
College Station	$28,000	200
Killeen	$30,000	130
Amarillo	$29,000	90
Abilene	$22,000	60
Odessa	$35,000	40
Midland	$26,000	40

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Salt Lake City	$33,000	970
Ogden	$31,000	190
Provo	$24,000	170
Logan	$31,000	50
St George	$35,000	40

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$30,000	160

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Virginia Beach	$35,000	730
Richmond	$36,000	650
Roanoke	$31,000	480
Charlottesville	$31,000	130
Lynchburg	$30,000	90
Winchester	$20,000	40

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Seattle	$38,000	1,790
Bremerton	$52,000	130
Tacoma	$69,000	90
Olympia	$57,000	80
Kennewick	$35,000	80

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Huntington	$30,000	370
Charleston	$25,000	350
Weirton	$26,000	170
Wheeling	$24,000	130
Parkersburg	$22,000	130

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Milwaukee	$35,000	1,370
Madison	$25,000	340
La Crosse	$27,000	230
Green Bay	$33,000	150
Wausau	$29,000	140
Racine	$46,000	140
Oshkosh	$29,000	140
Eau Claire	$27,000	110
Fond	$26,000	100
Janesville	$35,000	90
Appleton	$29,000	60

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$45,000	110

Our paramedic career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.