Emergency Medical Technicians Salary
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, emergency medical technicians earn $38,890 at the median, or about $18.7 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $54K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $39,430 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 56.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $39K actually covers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for emergency medical technicians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 13% below the U.S. median of $44K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 56.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for emergency medical technicians.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for emergency medical technicians in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $38K | $37K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $37K | $39K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $46K | $47K |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $34K | $39K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level emergency medical technicians (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $54K or more, a $21K 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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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a emergency medical technician afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 56.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new emergency medical technicians typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,353/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 67% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $39K here vs. $44K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for emergency medical technicians?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — below the national median.
How much do emergency medical technicians make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $38,890 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,610, and experienced emergency medical technicians can clear $53,690. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,774/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 56.7% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (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 $39,430 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.