Emergency Medical Technicians Salary
In Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL, emergency medical technicians earn $35,260 at the median, or about $16.95 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 84.82), which stretches that salary to about $41,570 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,000/month, about 41.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $35K get you in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Florence-Muscle Shoals’s Regional Price Parity (84.82). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About emergency medical technicians
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What this looks like in Florence-Muscle Shoals
Pay for emergency medical technicians in Florence-Muscle Shoals runs about 21% below the U.S. median of $44K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,000/month, which is 41.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 84.82 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 15% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for emergency medical technicianss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for emergency medical technicians in metros near Florence-Muscle Shoals, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $39K | $42K |
| Montgomery | $40K | $45K |
| Auburn-Opelika | $48K | $55K |
| Dothan | $33K | $39K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
Entry-level emergency medical technicians (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $14K spread from bottom to top.
Emergency Medical Technicians pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Emergency Medical Technicians salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $66K | +49% | 560 |
| Alaska | $57K | +29% | 310 |
| New Jersey | $54K | +21% | 6,120 |
| Washington | $53K | +18% | 2,940 |
| Rhode Island | $51K | +15% | 430 |
| Connecticut | $51K | +14% | 2,190 |
| Massachusetts | $50K | +13% | 4,550 |
| Oregon | $49K | +11% | 1,970 |
| New York | $48K | +9% | 14,840 |
| Maryland | $48K | +8% | 3,400 |
| Minnesota | $48K | +8% | 3,160 |
| Wyoming | $47K | +6% | 400 |
| New Hampshire | $47K | +5% | 1,010 |
| Delaware | $47K | +5% | 950 |
| District of Columbia | $47K | +5% | 370 |
| California | $46K | +4% | 21,880 |
| Maine | $46K | +4% | 1,110 |
| Colorado | $46K | +3% | 3,060 |
| Vermont | $46K | +3% | 790 |
| Georgia | $46K | +2% | 6,260 |
| Virginia | $45K | +2% | 4,490 |
| North Carolina | $44K | -0% | 6,680 |
| Pennsylvania | $43K | -3% | 10,160 |
| Wisconsin | $43K | -3% | 3,930 |
| Indiana | $43K | -4% | 4,160 |
| Illinois | $42K | -5% | 7,840 |
| Missouri | $42K | -5% | 2,800 |
| Nebraska | $42K | -6% | 540 |
| Iowa | $41K | -9% | 1,510 |
| South Carolina | $40K | -9% | 4,010 |
| Tennessee | $40K | -9% | 3,860 |
| Ohio | $40K | -10% | 5,560 |
| Florida | $40K | -10% | 6,060 |
| Michigan | $40K | -10% | 4,230 |
| North Dakota | $40K | -11% | 760 |
| Arizona | $40K | -11% | 3,970 |
| Utah | $39K | -12% | 1,280 |
| Idaho | $39K | -13% | 780 |
| Alabama | $38K | -15% | 2,020 |
| Nevada | $38K | -16% | 1,530 |
| New Mexico | $38K | -16% | 1,260 |
| Texas | $37K | -16% | 12,770 |
| South Dakota | $37K | -17% | 600 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -17% | 2,770 |
| Mississippi | $37K | -18% | 1,390 |
| Arkansas | $36K | -19% | 1,120 |
| Montana | $36K | -19% | 860 |
| Louisiana | $36K | -19% | 2,450 |
| Kansas | $36K | -20% | 1,510 |
| West Virginia | $34K | -23% | 900 |
| Oklahoma | $34K | -23% | 2,410 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track emergency medical technicians salary changes
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Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a emergency medical technician afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 41.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,000/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for emergency medical technicians in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new emergency medical technicians typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,732/month. At HUD’s $1,000/month FMR, rent would take 58% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is emergency medical technician a high-paying job in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $35K here vs. $44K nationally. Cost of living is 15% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Florence-Muscle Shoals compare to the national average for emergency medical technicians?
Florence-Muscle Shoals pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 84.82), the purchasing-power equivalent is $42K — below the national median.
How much do emergency medical technicians make in Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL?
The median is $35,260 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,860, and experienced emergency medical technicians can clear $43,210. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,398/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,000/month, which eats 41.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a emergency medical technicians salary go in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
Florence-Muscle Shoals has a Regional Price Parity of 84.82 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median emergency medical technicians salary is worth about $41,570 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do emergency medical technicians get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.