How Much Money Does a Paramedic Make?

Paramedics play a critical at emergency scenes.

Paramedics perform emergency medical services at the scene of accidents. Their priority is to stabilize patients until they can be brought for treatment by a doctor.They work in all types of weather, both indoors and out, and encounter high-stress situations at incidents as varied as car accidents, childbirth, sports injuries, heart attacks and gunshot wounds.

Medians

Paramedics made a median hourly wage of $14.42, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2009. This translates to an annual salary of $30,000. The top 10 percent receive $24.74 or $51,460, while the bottom 10 percent make $9.31 or $19,360.

Industries

The workplace that hires paramedics determines pay, with the highest-paying being mining support, where rates are $26.63 or $55,380; waste treatment and disposal, where rates are $24.81 or $51,610; state government, where rates are $23.83 or $49,560; iron and steel mills, where rates are $20.93 or $43,530; and medical and diagnostic laboratories, with salaries of $20.20 or $42,010.

States

The states in which the job is performed affects pay, with the top five payers belonging to Hawaii, with salaries at $22.78 or $47,380; Alaska, with salaries at $22.42 or $46,630; Oregon, with salaries at $20.78 or $43,220; Washington, with salaries at $20.11 or $41,830; and Maryland, with salaries at $19.79 or $41,150.

Cities

Compensation can vary by city. The highest-paying metro areas for paramedics are Tacoma, Wash., with wages of $34.40 or $71,550; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, with wages of $32.46 or $67,520; Olympia, Wash., with wages of $25.52 or $53,090; Portsmouth, N.H., with wages of $23.99 or $49,890; and Racine, Wis., with wages of $23.92 or $49,750.

Employment Levels

Greater job opportunities do not mean higher pay. For example, none of the following industries, states or cities rank in the top five in terms of compensation, though employment levels are highest: health-care services, with wages of $14.48 or $30,110; local government, with wages of $17.68 or $36,780; Missouri, where pay runs $15.69 or $32,630; West Virginia, where pay runs $11.47 or $23,860; Johnstown, Penn., with salaries at $10.32 or $21,460; and Ocean City, N.J., with salaries at $15.03 or $31,270.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Paramedics Description
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Paramedics Wages