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Ambulance Driver

$34,330
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Drive ambulances to and from emergencies and facilities, helping load patients but not providing medical care.

Where you work

Ambulances and roadways

The hours

Shifts, nights and weekends, on-call

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$34,330
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~1,400
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-1%
Little change
Working in the U.S.
12,300
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Safe drivingComposureMap knowledgeTeamwork

The honest take

Drives the rig without the medical role — most people aim past it for EMT or paramedic work that pays more.

Standard Occupational Classification 53-3011. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.