Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 29-2043

Paramedics

Median pay sits 82% below the mid peer in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (neighbors include Pediatric Surgeons, Physicians, All Other, Dermatologists, Physicians, Pathologists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Paramedics: Pediatric Surgeons ($559K) , Physicians, All Other ($266K) , Dermatologists ($329K) , Physicians, Pathologists ($312K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Paramedics publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-2043 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Administer drugs, orally or by injection, or perform intravenous procedures
  2. 2. Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings
  3. 3. Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures
  4. 4. Attend training classes to maintain certification licensure, keep abreast of new developments in the field, or maintain existing knowledge
  5. 5. Comfort and reassure patients
  6. 6. Coordinate with treatment center personnel to obtain patients' vital statistics and medical history, to determine the circumstances of th…
  7. 7. Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel
  8. 8. Instruct emergency medical response team about emergency interventions to ensure correct application of procedures
  9. 9. Observe, record, and report to physician the patient's condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment
  10. 10. Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support…
  11. 11. Perform emergency cardiac care, such as cardioversion and manual defibrillation
  12. 12. Perform emergency invasive intervention before delivering patient to an acute care facility
Pay vs Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers
-82%
vs mid peer median $335,550
This role $60,600/yr
$61K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
4,900
Annual openings
100,610
Estimated US jobs
Pediatric Surgeons
Highest-pay peer · $559K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Paramedics

1. Alaska $71,860
2. Connecticut $77,480
3. Hawaii $81,280
4. District of Columbia $78,550
5. Oregon $74,840
6. New Jersey $86,630
7. Washington $104,310
8. California $74,590
9. Minnesota $76,300
10. New York $73,200

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Physicians, All Other $265,930
  2. 2. Pediatric Surgeons $559,030
  3. 3. Dermatologists $328,730
  4. 4. Physicians, Pathologists $312,400
  5. 5. Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $300,080
  6. 6. Orthodontists $289,140

Among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers on this card, Paramedics sits 82% below the mid peer median ($335,550). Its own median is $60,600.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Alaska at $71,860. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Pediatric Surgeons at $559,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Paramedics pay-rank #61 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

On the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table (71 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Paramedics lands at #61, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Paramedics pays 82% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Paramedics salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-2043

Alaska · top state for Paramedics

$72K published median

Connecticut · #2 state pay

$77K · behind Alaska

Pediatric Surgeons

Highest-pay peer vs Paramedics · $559K

Physicians, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Paramedics · $266K

Compare Paramedics

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Paramedics with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Paramedics

Against another occupation

Pediatric Surgeons card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Paramedics land on the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table? ▼
Paramedics is pay-rank #61 of 71 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Exercise Physiologists ($59K), Recreational Therapists ($62K), Athletic Trainers ($63K), Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians ($63K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do paramedics do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Paramedics. Leading ones include: Administer drugs, orally or by injection, or perform intravenous procedures; 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
What is the OEWS national median for Paramedics? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $60,600 as the national median for Paramedics. The published 10th-90th range is $44,230 to $84,850. Beside Pediatric Surgeons ($559,030), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Paramedics? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Paramedics is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 4,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Paramedics? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Paramedics. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Paramedics? ▼
Alaska ($71,860), Connecticut ($77,480), Hawaii ($81,280) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Paramedics card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-2043. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Paramedics. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics