What are the main factors that influence a Firefighter's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Firefighter's salary?

A Firefighter's salary grows with experience: a Fire Fighter I (1-3 years)earns $43,951, a Firefighter (3-5 years)earns $60,808, a Fire Captain (5+ years)earns $82,884,

What are the highest paying states for a Firefighter?

Firefighter salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Firefighter roles are District of Columbia $68,924, California $68,663, Massachusetts $67,748. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Firefighter roles make?

Salaries for Firefighter level roles vary by specialization: Firefighter Engineer: $76,097; Firefighter Trainee: $64,553; Industrial Firefighter: $63,442; Volunteer Firefighter: $62,394; Probationary Firefighter: $61,443.

How do different companies affect a Firefighter's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Firefighter roles. Large, established industry leaders like Kpmg Us LLP ($114,295) and Warner Bros Discovery ($114,096) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $88,138.

Firefighter Salary in the United States

How much does a Firefighter make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Firefighter in the United States is $62,251 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $30.

However, a Firefighter's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $75,485
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $56,440 to $69,178
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $51,149

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Firefighter Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$69,178	$5,765	$1,330	$33
Average	$62,251	$5,188	$1,197	$30
25th Percentile	$56,440	$4,703	$1,085	$27

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Key Factors That Influence Firefighter Salaries

A Firefighter's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Do Firefighter Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Firefighters. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $68,924.
California: $68,663.
Massachusetts: $67,748.

District of Columbia $68,924 California $68,663 Massachusetts $67,748 Washington $67,499 New Jersey $67,474 Alaska $67,386 Connecticut $66,527 New York $66,179

Hawaii $65,065 Rhode Island $64,542 Maryland $64,187 Minnesota $63,701 Colorado $63,514 Illinois $63,452 Oregon $63,216 Delaware $63,041

New Hampshire $62,932 Virginia $62,687 Pennsylvania $61,971 Nevada $61,610 North Dakota $61,491 Michigan $61,305 Wisconsin $61,236 Vermont $61,099

Texas $60,719 Maine $60,695 Arizona $60,657 Ohio $60,614 Georgia $60,041 Indiana $59,755 Wyoming $59,699 Utah $59,611

Iowa $59,574 Kansas $59,275 Louisiana $59,188 North Carolina $59,157 Missouri $59,144 Florida $58,902 Montana $58,771 Nebraska $58,646

Kentucky $58,578 South Carolina $58,329 Tennessee $58,173 Idaho $58,111 New Mexico $57,657 Oklahoma $57,557 Alabama $57,190 South Dakota $56,574

Arkansas $56,237 West Virginia $56,057 Mississippi $55,515

Top Paying Cities for Firefighters

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $78,517
San Francisco: $77,745
Oakland: $76,021

San Jose, CA $78,517

San Francisco, CA $77,745

Oakland, CA $76,021

New York, NY $72,142

Queens Village, NY $71,676

Paramus, NJ $71,178

Passaic, NJ $71,115

Bergenfield, NJ $71,053

Stamford, CT $70,960

Huntington, NY $70,897

Newark, NJ $70,493

Bridgeport, CT $70,368

New Brunswick, NJ $70,163

Vallejo, CA $70,032

Middlesex, NJ $69,995

Somerset, NJ $69,939

Petaluma, CA $69,796

Santa Cruz, CA $69,553

Boston, MA $69,428

Monterey, CA $69,117

Fairbanks, AK $69,073

Los Angeles, CA $68,955

Washington, DC $68,924

Seattle, WA $68,812

Santa Rosa, CA $68,800

Juneau, AK $68,619

Orange, CA $68,414

Anchorage, AK $68,302

Anaheim, CA $68,258

Santa Ana, CA $68,165

Nassau, NY $68,127

Long Beach, CA $68,102

Danbury, CT $68,084

Santa Maria, CA $67,872

Everett, WA $67,860

Bremerton, WA $67,555

Trenton, NJ $67,436

Sacramento, CA $67,411

San Diego, CA $67,380

Brockton, MA $67,355

Tacoma, WA $67,330

Santa Barbara, CA $67,243

Lowell, MA $66,994

New Suffolk, NY $66,969

Nashua, NH $66,895

Lompoc, CA $66,795

Ventura, CA $66,733

Stockton, CA $66,714

New Haven, CT $66,590

Atlantic City, NJ $66,428

Hartford, CT $66,291

Modesto, CA $66,260

Poughkeepsie, NY $66,123

New Britain, CT $66,092

Olympia, WA $66,005

Kennewick, WA $66,005

New London, CT $65,992

Norwich, CT $65,973

Lawrence, MA $65,942

Bakersfield, CA $65,768

Riverside, CA $65,681

New Bedford, MA $65,681

Richland, WA $65,619

Portsmouth, NH $65,569

Vineland, NJ $65,556

San Bernardino, CA $65,507

Boulder, CO $65,332

Worcester, MA $65,282

Portland, OR $65,226

Saint Paul, MN $65,152

Minneapolis, MN $65,152

Philadelphia, PA $65,065

Honolulu, HI $64,735

Springfield, MA $64,517

Providence, RI $64,511

Chicago, IL $64,330

Bellingham, WA $64,255

Baltimore, MD $64,187

Chico, CA $64,031

Wilmington, DE $63,925

Pittsfield, MA $63,863

Manchester, NH $63,745

Spokane, WA $63,471

Denver, CO $63,465

Albany, NY $63,172

Troy, NY $63,147

Schenectady, NY $63,016

Burlington, VT $62,880

Portland, ME $62,662

Salem, OR $62,612

Yakima, WA $62,599

Ann Arbor, MI $62,581

Rochester, MN $62,406

Fresno, CA $62,375

Reno, NV $62,375

Milwaukee, WI $62,319

Detroit, MI $62,257

Allentown, PA $62,238

Carson City, NV $62,232

Houston, TX $62,139

Colorado Springs, CO $62,133

Syracuse, NY $62,101

Eugene, OR $61,983

Bismarck, ND $61,908

Gary, IN $61,908

Galveston, TX $61,908

Springfield, OR $61,859

Medford, OR $61,709

Fort Collins, CO $61,684

Austin, TX $61,635

Mesa, AZ $61,504

Phoenix, AZ $61,491

Dallas, TX $61,473

Reading, PA $61,435

Saint Cloud, MN $61,410

Concord, NH $61,354

Madison, WI $61,329

Utica, NY $61,161

Raleigh, NC $61,112

Las Vegas, NV $61,105

Rochester, NY $61,062

Des Moines, IA $61,056

Atlanta, GA $60,956

Battle Creek, MI $60,937

Salt Lake City, UT $60,919

Lancaster, PA $60,825

Champaign, IL $60,813

Harrisburg, PA $60,738

Durham, NC $60,682

Kansas City, MO $60,676

Kansas City, KS $60,663

Fort Worth, TX $60,657

Boca Raton, FL $60,632

Cleveland, OH $60,626

Columbus, OH $60,614

Pittsburgh, PA $60,607

Richmond, VA $60,582

Indianapolis, IN $60,570

Cincinnati, OH $60,489

Petersburg, VA $60,396

Billings, MT $60,259

Lansing, MI $60,259

Huntsville, AL $60,259

Lebanon, PA $60,253

Dayton, OH $60,246

Pueblo, CO $60,246

Appleton, WI $60,228

Buffalo, NY $60,203

Racine, WI $60,172

Charlotte, NC $60,165

Saint Louis, MO $60,147

Springfield, IL $60,122

Elkhart, IN $60,109

York, PA $60,109

Gastonia, NC $60,103

Benton Harbor, MI $60,103

Beaumont, TX $60,066

Lorain, OH $60,053

Toledo, OH $60,028

Binghamton, NY $59,997

Rock Hill, SC $59,991

Rockford, IL $59,960

Fargo, ND $59,929

Elyria, OH $59,929

Flagstaff, AZ $59,885

Fort Lauderdale, FL $59,848

Miami, FL $59,811

Duluth, MN $59,711

Bangor, ME $59,630

Cedar Rapids, IA $59,562

Louisville, KY $59,530

Grand Rapids, MI $59,518

Hialeah, FL $59,512

Casper, WY $59,425

Scranton, PA $59,350

New Orleans, LA $59,331

Virginia Beach, VA $59,325

Akron, OH $59,294

Peoria, IL $59,213

Sarasota, FL $59,201

Green Bay, WI $59,157

Baton Rouge, LA $59,126

Charleston, SC $59,113

Nashville, TN $59,095

Jamestown, NY $59,082

Davenport, IA $59,082

Tucson, AZ $59,051

Cheyenne, WY $59,032

Saint Petersburg, FL $59,014

Tampa, FL $59,001

Omaha, NE $58,989

Port Arthur, TX $58,964

Evansville, IN $58,964

Bradenton, FL $58,939

Santa Fe, NM $58,827

Orlando, FL $58,765

Clearwater, FL $58,696

Canton, OH $58,566

La Crosse, WI $58,566

Grand Forks, ND $58,547

Albuquerque, NM $58,528

Tulsa, OK $58,528

Newport News, VA $58,522

High Point, NC $58,503

Ogden, UT $58,478

Corpus Christi, TX $58,429

Laramie, WY $58,391

Norfolk, VA $58,391

Rock Island, IL $58,354

Saginaw, MI $58,341

Jacksonville, FL $58,335

Salisbury, NC $58,323

Memphis, TN $58,310

Moline, IL $58,279

Fort Myers, FL $58,261

Waterloo, IA $58,180

Spartanburg, SC $58,117

Lincoln, NE $58,086

Fort Wayne, IN $58,074

Birmingham, AL $58,005

Cedar Falls, IA $57,993

Provo, UT $57,987

Springfield, OH $57,980

San Antonio, TX $57,968

Greensboro, NC $57,943

South Bend, IN $57,937

Winston Salem, NC $57,931

Boise, ID $57,912

Savannah, GA $57,868

Muskegon, MI $57,756

Lima, OH $57,682

Lake Charles, LA $57,657

Anderson, IN $57,644

Lexington, KY $57,626

Augusta, GA $57,607

Greenville, SC $57,607

Wichita, KS $57,551

Tuscaloosa, AL $57,551

Columbia, SC $57,495

Bloomington, IN $57,339

Roanoke, VA $57,302

Asheville, NC $57,221

Knoxville, TN $57,115

Shreveport, LA $57,109

Wilmington, NC $57,028

Frankfort, KY $56,910

Oklahoma City, OK $56,866

Chillicothe, OH $56,841

Longview, TX $56,835

Topeka, KS $56,816

Mobile, AL $56,723

Terre Haute, IN $56,698

Erie, PA $56,692

Altoona, PA $56,661

Melbourne, FL $56,642

Amarillo, TX $56,617

Killeen, TX $56,598

Fayetteville, AR $56,549

Sioux Falls, SD $56,505

Chattanooga, TN $56,468

Idaho Falls, ID $56,461

Gainesville, FL $56,331

Portsmouth, OH $56,300

Little Rock, AR $56,287

Lynchburg, VA $56,287

Lafayette, LA $56,262

Youngstown, OH $56,262

Temple, TX $56,237

Daytona Beach, FL $56,225

Clarksville, TN $56,219

Pensacola, FL $56,212

Hopkinsville, KY $56,026

Charleston, WV $56,019

Florence, SC $55,988

Sioux City, IA $55,951

Macon, GA $55,770

Tallahassee, FL $55,764

Fayetteville, NC $55,752

Waco, TX $55,739

Wichita Falls, TX $55,739

Pine Bluff, AR $55,714

Vincennes, IN $55,596

Lubbock, TX $55,571

Great Falls, MT $55,534

Alamogordo, NM $55,528

Abilene, TX $55,478

Rapid City, SD $55,397

Monroe, LA $55,397

Albany, GA $55,360

Huntington, WV $55,353

Jackson, MS $55,347

Greenville, MS $55,341

Parkersburg, WV $55,279

Montgomery, AL $55,266

Johnstown, PA $55,254

Springfield, MO $55,204

Biloxi, MS $55,173

Sumter, SC $55,042

Columbus, GA $55,036

Twin Falls, ID $54,999

Pascagoula, MS $54,918

Kingsport, TN $54,756

Gulfport, MS $54,737

Alexandria, LA $54,532

Fort Smith, AR $54,376

El Paso, TX $54,208

Helena, MT $54,127

Las Cruces, NM $53,928

Harlingen, TX $53,754

Pocatello, ID $53,698

Florence, AL $53,679

Brownsville, TX $53,666

Dothan, AL $53,567

Mcallen, TX $53,536

Columbus, MS $53,075

Altus, OK $52,789

Lawton, OK $52,670

Pierre, SD $52,446

What Skills Can Increase a Firefighter's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Agility (Mentioned in 5.01% Job Postings): The ability to think quickly and clearly.
CPR (Mentioned in 5.28% Job Postings): Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combines rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) and chest compressions to temporarily pump enough blood to the brain until specialized treatment is available.
Hydraulics (Mentioned in 1.79% Job Postings): Hydraulics is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Agility	5.01%
CPR	5.28%
Hydraulics	1.79%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Firefighter's salary.

Risk Management: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Analysis: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Risk Management	$65,363	5%
Innovation	$64,741	4%
Analysis	$64,118	3%
Leadership	$64,118	3%
Accountability	$64,118	3%
Dedication	$63,496	2%

Get Latest Data

Firefighter Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Firefighter's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

$56,440

Average $62,251/year

$69,178

$4,703

Average $5,188/month

$5,765

$1,085

Average $1,197/week

$1,330

$27

Average $30/hour

$33

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$69,178	$5,765	$1,330	$33
Average	$62,251	$5,188	$1,197	$30
25th Percentile	$56,440	$4,703	$1,085	$27

Salaries of jobs related to Firefighter

Salary Trends for Firefighter

Salaries for a Firefighter can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $42,715 in 2023 to around $42,652 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Firefighter salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Firefighter Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$42,715

2024

$43,000

2025

$42,652

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$42,715
2024	$43,000
2025	$42,652
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Firefighter

Social Security

401(k)

Disability

Healthcare

Pension

Time Off (days)

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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