All careersEveryday & transport

Ambulance Driver

$35,450
median / year
$27,350 – $45,960
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

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

You may also see this posted as: Driver, EMS Driver (Emergency Medical Services Driver), First Responder, Ambulance Attendant, Chair Car Driver, CPR Ambulance Driver (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Ambulance Driver).

Where you work

Ambulances and roadways

The hours

Shifts, nights and weekends, on-call

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Remove and replace soiled linens or equipment to maintain sanitary conditions.
  • Drive ambulances or assist ambulance drivers in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons.
  • Report facts concerning accidents or emergencies to hospital personnel or law enforcement officials.
  • Place patients on stretchers, and load stretchers into ambulances, usually with assistance from other attendants.
  • Accompany and assist emergency medical technicians on calls.

Good fit if you like…

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

O*NET job zone 2 of 5

Some preparation—often a high school credential and on-the-job learning—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

DependabilityStress ToleranceSelf-ControlIntegrity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordComputer aided dispatch softwareMapping software

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$35,450
per year
Hourly median
$17.04
per hour
What most earn
$27,350–$45,960
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~1,400
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-1.3%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
12,630
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.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

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

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.

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.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

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 and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.