Staffing shortages affect most U.S. EMS agencies. Seventy three percent report operational challenges that hinder response time goals despite a 5.1 percent employment growth forecast. Data on clinical survival rates, market values, and technology use outline the broader picture.
Key Takeaways
- 5.1% U.S. EMS agency employment growth forecast for 2024–2034 (BLS Occupational Employment Projections for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics)
- 8.2% U.S. EMS employment growth for 2019–2029 for EMTs and paramedics (BLS Occupational Employment Projections)
- 10% of EMTs and paramedics earned more than $71,630 in the U.S. in May 2023 (top 10% wage threshold in BLS OES)
- $4.9 billion U.S. ambulance services industry value-added for 2022 (IBISWorld “Ambulance Services” contribution figure)
- $4.3 billion global market size for point-of-care ultrasound in 2023 with projected CAGR (relevant to EMS transport diagnostics adoption) (Verified in market research report)
- $17.8 billion global market size for prehospital emergency care services in 2022 (global emergency medical services market sizing)
- 78.0% survival rate in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest witnessed by EMS with shockable rhythm when treated under best-practice emergency response protocols (peer-reviewed review study)
- 39.1% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients achieve ROSC after EMS care in the U.S. (systematic review/meta-analysis of EMS-based ROSC rates)
- 8-minute median EMS response time reduction associated with 14% improvement in survival in urban cardiac arrest studies (peer-reviewed EMS time-to-treatment evidence)
- 9.2% of ambulance transports in some U.S. markets are related to non-emergent conditions (audit/distribution findings from government or academic studies)
- 34.4% of adults who had a medical emergency reported that they called 911 (share of respondents using 911 as the first action in emergency care situations)
- In 2021, 10.7% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests had an AED used by a rescuer (national OHCA reporting rate)
- 2.4x higher odds of complete documentation when EMS uses automated ePCR prompts vs. manual fields (documentation completeness association from implementation evaluation)
Staffing shortages persist, but faster response, better protocols, and smarter dispatch improve survival and outcomes.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workforce8 stats
01
5.1% U.S. EMS agency employment growth forecast for 2024–2034 (BLS Occupational Employment Projections for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics)
02
8.2% U.S. EMS employment growth for 2019–2029 for EMTs and paramedics (BLS Occupational Employment Projections)
03
10% of EMTs and paramedics earned more than $71,630 in the U.S. in May 2023 (top 10% wage threshold in BLS OES)
04
3.0% unemployment rate in the U.S. healthcare workforce in 2023 (U.S. BLS workforce unemployment indicator for healthcare occupations; EMS-aligned healthcare labor market conditions)
05
73% of EMS agencies in the U.S. reported experiencing operational challenges due to staffing shortages in a 2022 survey (National EMS Information System / EMS agency survey results reported by NFPA)
06
2.2 million ambulance dispatches occur in the U.S. per year for 911-related incidents (U.S. NHTSA EMS-related incident estimates used in NFPA/EMS context)
07
42.0% of EMS agencies reported difficulty maintaining sufficient staffing levels to meet response-time goals (workforce operational constraint share)
08
48.7% of EMS clinicians reported that their organization had insufficient staffing during shifts (survey measure of staffing adequacy)
Interpretation
Workforce Interpretation
Workforce conditions for U.S. EMS are tightening, with staffing shortages cited by 73% of agencies in 2022 and employment projected to grow only 5.1% to 8.2% through the 2020s, while the system still handles about 2.2 million 911-related ambulance dispatches each year.
02 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
$4.9 billion U.S. ambulance services industry value-added for 2022 (IBISWorld “Ambulance Services” contribution figure)
02
$4.3 billion global market size for point-of-care ultrasound in 2023 with projected CAGR (relevant to EMS transport diagnostics adoption) (Verified in market research report)
03
$17.8 billion global market size for prehospital emergency care services in 2022 (global emergency medical services market sizing)
04
$1.3 billion global market size for EMS communication solutions in 2023 (dispatch/communications software segment sizing)
05
$2.0 billion U.S. revenue in the EMS equipment and supplies retail distribution channel in 2023 (IBISWorld distribution estimate)
06
1.7 million ambulances in service globally (W.H.O./ITU referenced EMS fleet scale estimate reported in public health literature)
07
$1.2 billion U.S. market size for ambulance billing and revenue cycle management software in 2023 (vendor segment report)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size signals rapid, sizable growth for EMS infrastructure and tools, with 2022 prehospital emergency care at $17.8 billion and 2023 point-of-care ultrasound reaching $4.3 billion, alongside a large $4.9 billion U.S. ambulance services value-added base and a global fleet of 1.7 million ambulances that together point to strong demand across transport, diagnostics, and communications.
03 · Category
Clinical Outcomes12 stats
01
78.0% survival rate in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest witnessed by EMS with shockable rhythm when treated under best-practice emergency response protocols (peer-reviewed review study)
02
39.1% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients achieve ROSC after EMS care in the U.S. (systematic review/meta-analysis of EMS-based ROSC rates)
03
8-minute median EMS response time reduction associated with 14% improvement in survival in urban cardiac arrest studies (peer-reviewed EMS time-to-treatment evidence)
04
1.7x higher odds of survival when first documented chest compression starts within 5 minutes by EMS (Utstein-style EMS time evidence from peer-reviewed study)
05
2.3% reduction in mortality for every additional minute reduction in time to first defibrillation during EMS-treated shockable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (meta-analysis)
06
64.3% adherence to opioid overdose administration protocols by EMS when using standardized naloxone standing orders (peer-reviewed EMS naloxone implementation study)
07
28.4% lower EMS-to-hospital time for stroke after implementation of prehospital stroke activation (peer-reviewed quasi-experimental study)
08
22.0% increased likelihood of thrombolysis treatment when EMS used prehospital stroke scales and direct transport pathways (systematic review)
09
9.5% reduction in 30-day mortality for sepsis patients when EMS used pre-arrival hospital alerts and early sepsis bundles (peer-reviewed study)
10
10.0% improvement in return-to-spontaneous circulation for pediatric cardiac arrest when EMS used pediatric advanced life support with impedance threshold devices (randomized/clinical studies summarized in peer-reviewed publications)
11
31% relative increase in bystander CPR rates when community-EMS training campaigns were delivered (systematic review of CPR training effects)
12
45% of trauma deaths are preventable with timely intervention; EMS field triage and rapid transport are key contributors (peer-reviewed trauma care literature)
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Overall, these Clinical Outcomes indicators suggest that faster and more protocol driven EMS care matters a lot, with survival at 78.0% for witnessed out of hospital cardiac arrests with shockable rhythms under best practice treatment and measurable time related gains such as a 14% survival improvement for every 8 minute median response time reduction alongside 39.1% achieving ROSC after EMS in the US.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
9.2% of ambulance transports in some U.S. markets are related to non-emergent conditions (audit/distribution findings from government or academic studies)
02
34.4% of adults who had a medical emergency reported that they called 911 (share of respondents using 911 as the first action in emergency care situations)
03
In 2021, 10.7% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests had an AED used by a rescuer (national OHCA reporting rate)
04
8.0% of U.S. adults reported using an ambulance in the past 12 months (share indicating EMS utilization in household survey data)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across EMS industry trends, ambulance use is substantial yet not purely emergent, with 8.0% of U.S. adults reporting ambulance use in the past year and 9.2% of transports tied to non-emergent conditions, alongside a continued heavy reliance on 911 by emergency respondents at 34.4%.
05 · Category
Technology & Software1 stats
01
2.4x higher odds of complete documentation when EMS uses automated ePCR prompts vs. manual fields (documentation completeness association from implementation evaluation)
Interpretation
Technology & Software Interpretation
For the Technology & Software angle in EMS, using automated ePCR prompts delivers 2.4x higher odds of complete documentation compared with manual field entry.
report visual · Comparison
Staffing shortages are a major operational constraint for EMS
Large shares of EMS agencies and clinicians report insufficient staffing that affects shift coverage and response-time goals.
73% of EMS agencies in the U.S. reported experiencing operational challenges due to staffing shortages in a 2022 survey 73%
48.7% of EMS clinicians reported that their organization had insufficient staffing during shifts (survey measure of staf
48.7%
42.0% of EMS agencies reported difficulty maintaining sufficient staffing levels to meet response-time goals (workforce
42%
source-verifiedems.gov · nfpa.org · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov2022
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Ems Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ems-industry-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Ems Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ems-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Ems Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ems-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+19 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)