Thinking about becoming a paramedic, but interested in what it pays before you decide? You will find this article useful when it comes to paramedic salary information.
The level of paramedic salary really varies based on the city and state that you will work in. It also depends if you work in the government or private institutions. Paramedics and EMTs are paid an hourly wage and work 40 hours per week. In general, they make between $12 and $20 an hour.
The median (middle) paramedic salary in the United States is $16.01/hour. This would imply that 50% of paramedics are paid much higher than $16.01 per hour while the other 50% gets less than that. Again, this depends on where you work, education and training levels, and experience. If you get to work in local government the paramedic salary is at an average of $17.77 per hour. If you work in the hospital $16.24 per hour while if you are in medical offices they earn $16 per hour.
The Amusement and Recreation Industries employ the highest paid paramedics and emergency medical technicians. The average salary for a paramedic working in these companies is around $20 per hour. But only about 7% of the Paramedic/EMT industry is in the amusement and recreation industries. This means that it is difficult to get into their companies because they require extensive work experience.
Other top paying industries include colleges and universities and home health care. Again, these top paying industries make up a small portion of the Paramedic/EMT industry and can be difficult to obtain.
States that Pay the Highest and Highest Employment Levels
Washington, D.C. is the state that pays the highest income for paramedics with a range of around $20 per hour. Other high ranking states include Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
The top 5 states when it comes to the number of paramedics employed are Texas, New York, California, Illinois and Pennsylvania. There is a high probability that you would get employed if you stay in one of these above mentioned states.