Best Cities for Emergency Medical Technicianss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where emergency medical technicianss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	HawaiiState	1.36	$66,410	$60,373	43%
2	AlaskaState	1.24	$57,440	$55,072	29%
3	Rhode IslandState	1.15	$51,290	$51,035	35%
4	WyomingState	1.14	$47,070	$50,613	25%
5	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.13	$49,970	$50,221	36%
6	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.12	$47,990	$49,886	39%
7	New JerseyState	1.11	$53,610	$49,274	40%
8	GeorgiaState	1.10	$45,550	$48,769	37%
9	MinnesotaState	1.10	$48,090	$49,071	32%
10	WashingtonState	1.10	$52,690	$49,105	43%
11	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.10	$47,500	$49,070	41%
12	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.10	$55,700	$48,731	47%
13	OregonState	1.08	$49,270	$47,835	39%
14	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.08	$52,010	$48,247	41%
15	MissouriState	1.07	$42,160	$47,585	29%
16	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.07	$45,550	$47,547	40%
17	ConnecticutState	1.06	$50,640	$47,063	37%
18	IndianaState	1.06	$42,740	$47,227	30%
19	North CarolinaState	1.05	$44,250	$46,875	35%
20	WisconsinState	1.05	$43,060	$46,652	30%
21	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.05	$43,240	$46,746	33%
22	DelawareState	1.04	$46,790	$46,327	35%
23	MaineState	1.04	$46,340	$46,433	34%
24	MassachusettsState	1.04	$50,230	$46,295	54%
25	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.04	$42,050	$46,107	35%
26	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.04	$47,790	$46,174	40%
27	IowaState	1.03	$40,660	$45,583	28%
28	NebraskaState	1.03	$41,710	$45,585	30%
29	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.03	$48,330	$45,681	42%
30	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.03	$42,670	$45,981	36%
31	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.02	$54,650	$45,466	69%
32	OhioState	1.00	$40,220	$44,491	31%
33	PennsylvaniaState	1.00	$43,310	$44,649	36%
34	VermontState	1.00	$45,600	$44,488	38%
35	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.00	$50,560	$44,546	61%
36	Columbus, OHMetro	1.00	$41,520	$44,406	37%
37	MarylandState	0.99	$48,100	$44,048	42%
38	New HampshireState	0.99	$46,790	$44,142	41%
39	South CarolinaState	0.99	$40,370	$43,880	37%
40	TennesseeState	0.99	$40,330	$44,077	37%
41	VirginiaState	0.99	$45,420	$43,884	42%
42	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.99	$43,540	$44,203	47%
43	AlabamaState	0.98	$37,810	$43,410	30%
44	ColoradoState	0.98	$45,750	$43,406	48%
45	IllinoisState	0.98	$42,260	$43,388	37%
46	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	0.98	$49,250	$43,661	49%
47	MichiganState	0.97	$39,870	$43,196	34%
48	MississippiState	0.97	$36,630	$43,196	29%
49	New YorkState	0.97	$48,400	$43,022	46%
50	North DakotaState	0.96	$39,670	$42,840	30%
51	ArkansasState	0.94	$36,230	$41,981	29%
52	CaliforniaState	0.94	$46,380	$41,897	59%
53	KentuckyState	0.94	$36,800	$41,582	31%
54	District of ColumbiaState	0.92	$46,650	$40,814	54%
55	New MexicoState	0.92	$37,550	$40,815	33%
56	West VirginiaState	0.92	$34,360	$40,808	29%
57	IdahoState	0.91	$38,840	$40,249	37%
58	South DakotaState	0.91	$36,800	$40,529	31%
59	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	0.91	$37,160	$40,391	42%
60	LouisianaState	0.90	$35,870	$39,811	35%
61	KansasState	0.89	$35,780	$39,756	35%
62	ArizonaState	0.88	$39,500	$39,148	46%
63	FloridaState	0.88	$39,870	$39,281	52%
64	TexasState	0.88	$37,260	$38,975	45%
65	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.88	$37,900	$38,992	50%
66	OklahomaState	0.87	$34,170	$38,610	34%
67	UtahState	0.87	$38,930	$38,852	46%
68	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.87	$45,090	$38,704	60%
69	MontanaState	0.84	$36,140	$37,490	37%
70	NevadaState	0.84	$37,560	$37,485	46%
71	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.83	$40,100	$36,959	61%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).