Paramedics in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,102
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$9,438
19.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,461
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$48,540
Kept after tax
$39,102
Worth in national money
$43,461
State rank
49
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for paramedics is on the low side in Alabama. The middle earner gets $48,540. That is 49 of 51 states, and about 19.9% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 482 occupations Alabama reports figures for, this is number 265.
- Alabama is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $48,540 the take-home is $39,102; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $43,461 would nationally. The average comes to $49,910, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For paramedics, Alabama sits in the lower band at $48,540, ranking 49 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 19.9%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- In Alabama's occupational distribution, paramedics sits at 265 of 482 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for paramedics in Alabama, on $48,540, is $39,102 — equivalent to $43,461 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $49,910 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Paramedics
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,160 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $48,540 |
| Top tenth earn over | $62,230 |
| This salary | $48,540 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Alabama | $39,102 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,182 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,082 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $45,952 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,309 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $48,540 as a midpoint for Alabama, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $36,160 and the ninetieth is $62,230 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Alabama the take-home figure of $39,102, from $48,540, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 265 of 482 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $43,461 uses one figure for the whole of Alabama. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 482 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 265.
- The Alabama median of $48,540 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $36,160 to $62,230. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Alabama is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $39,102 from $48,540. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 265 of 482 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $43,461, worked from $48,540, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Alabama address, on work sitting at 265 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $36,160 and the top tenth $62,230, so most people doing this work in Alabama sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Alabama sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $43,461 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Alabama then takes its own share, leaving $39,102.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,160 to $62,230) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Alabama rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Alabama's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $43,461 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $39,102 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.