Pay depends heavily on the state. A New York firefighter at the median earns about three times as much as one in Louisiana. BLS counts only paid firefighters, not volunteers, who BLS says make up the largest share of firefighters nationwide, especially in towns of fewer than 25,000 people.

How much do firefighters make?

BLS counted 345,990 paid firefighter jobs in May 2025. Their pay spread:

Measure (May 2025) Annual Hourly
Lowest 10% earned less than $34,910
25th percentile $44,490
Median $59,280 $28.50
Average (mean) $63,630 $30.59
75th percentile $77,250
Top 10% earned more than $101,040

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, occupation 33-2011, from the BLS national data file downloaded October 27, 2026.

These are straight-time wages. Firefighters usually work 24-hour shifts, according to BLS, and many departments add overtime, holiday pay and allowances that BLS does not count.

Firefighter salary by rank and related jobs

Job (BLS title) Jobs Median, May 2025 Average
First-line supervisors of firefighting (lieutenants and captains) 99,140 $93,530 $96,930
Fire inspectors and investigators 13,800 $75,920 $78,670
Paramedics 100,610 $60,600 $63,360
Firefighters 345,990 $59,280 $63,630
Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists 2,780 $56,870 $66,640
Emergency medical technicians 180,510 $44,470 $46,830

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national estimates.

Promotion is where the money is. The median fire officer earned about $34,000 more than the median firefighter in May 2025. BLS says the usual ladder runs from firefighter to engineer, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and chief, and that many departments want a bachelor's degree for ranks above battalion chief.

Firefighter salary by state

BLS WAGE DATA · MAY 2025

Firefighter salary by state

Median annual wage and number of jobs in each state for firefighters, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national median is $59,280.

Color the map by
Alabama: $47,600 medianALAlaska: $58,830 medianAKArizona: $59,280 medianAZArkansas: $39,690 medianARCalifornia: $85,120 medianCAColorado: $74,170 medianCOConnecticut: $77,630 medianDelaware: $46,710 medianFlorida: $58,550 medianFLGeorgia: $46,550 medianGAHawaii: no BLS estimateHIIdaho: $47,320 medianIDIllinois: $78,380 medianILIndiana: $62,780 medianINIowa: $55,810 medianIAKansas: $45,900 medianKSKentucky: $37,150 medianKYLouisiana: $33,120 medianLAMaine: $48,290 medianMEMaryland: $73,810 medianMassachusetts: $72,800 medianMichigan: $54,640 medianMIMinnesota: $38,110 medianMNMississippi: $35,880 medianMSMissouri: $49,080 medianMOMontana: $59,310 medianMTNebraska: $61,040 medianNENevada: $66,570 medianNVNew Hampshire: $56,620 medianNHNew Jersey: $84,130 medianNew Mexico: $41,590 medianNMNew York: $100,960 medianNYNorth Carolina: $37,940 medianNCNorth Dakota: $55,080 medianNDOhio: $59,370 medianOHOklahoma: $49,710 medianOKOregon: $70,900 medianORPennsylvania: $73,460 medianPARhode Island: $67,380 medianSouth Carolina: $42,570 medianSCSouth Dakota: $48,160 medianSDTennessee: $49,300 medianTNTexas: $60,180 medianTXUtah: $48,310 medianUTVermont: $46,430 medianVTVirginia: $58,670 medianVAWashington: $94,520 medianWAWashington, D.C.: $75,870 medianWest Virginia: $37,350 medianWVWisconsin: $46,850 medianWIWyoming: $58,090 medianWY
Small states
Under $45K$45K to $55K$55K to $65K$65K to $75K$75K+No BLS estimate
NEW YORK · MAY 2025$100,960median annual wage, #1 of 50 with a figure
THE DETAIL$87,150 average · 12,950 jobsBureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Click or tap a state, or use Tab and Enter. These are wages paid in May 2025 to firefighters, BLS occupation 33-2011. BLS counts straight-time pay, so overtime is not included. Paid firefighters only; BLS does not count volunteers.

All 50 state figures
Firefighters pay by state, May 2025
StateMedianAverageJobs
$100,960$87,15012,950
$94,520$89,2007,560
$85,120$95,09031,470
$84,130$85,8107,500
$78,380$76,53018,400
$77,630$73,7602,970
$75,870$79,5501,480
$74,170$78,3806,510
$73,810$72,5505,340
$73,460$71,3405,020
$72,800$73,22011,940
$70,900$71,2903,790
$67,380$67,4801,620
$66,570$70,5102,640
$62,780$62,4208,530
$61,040$59,1901,070
$60,180$60,39028,170
$59,370$58,13018,100
$59,310$57,6601,010
$59,280$60,8507,500
$58,830$59,1901,040
$58,670$58,24011,160
$58,550$61,37024,570
$58,090$56,800680
$56,620$55,7302,700
$55,810$57,2402,170
$55,080$57,980820
$54,640$56,2506,610
$49,710$52,2804,150
$49,300$51,5907,020
$49,080$55,2406,580
$48,310$51,2702,870
$48,290$50,2302,480
$48,160$51,180610
$47,600$49,7207,260
$47,320$54,4702,240
$46,850$50,7108,120
$46,710$53,420560
$46,550$47,17012,700
$46,430$49,570n/a
$45,900$49,1103,360
$42,570$43,9007,780
$41,590$43,1802,420
$39,690$43,3802,480
$38,110$45,1705,810
$37,940$43,06019,410
$37,350$40,100900
$37,150$42,1005,150
$35,880$37,2302,920
$33,120$36,6105,230

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 33-2011, from the BLS state data file downloaded October 27, 2026. Boundaries: US Census via us-atlas.

The 10 states with the highest median pay in May 2025:

State Median wage, May 2025 Firefighter jobs
New York $100,960 12,950
Washington $94,520 7,560
California $85,120 31,470
New Jersey $84,130 7,500
Illinois $78,380 18,400
Connecticut $77,630 2,970
Colorado $74,170 6,510
Maryland $73,810 5,340
Pennsylvania $73,460 5,020
Massachusetts $72,800 11,940

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. The District of Columbia, at $75,870, would rank between Connecticut and Colorado.

The lowest state medians were Louisiana ($33,120), Mississippi ($35,880), Kentucky ($37,150), West Virginia ($37,350) and North Carolina ($37,940).

The biggest paid forces are in California (31,470 firefighters, $85,120), Texas (28,170, $60,180) and Florida (24,570, $58,550). North Carolina has the fourth-largest count, 19,410, but one of the lowest medians.

Highest-paying metro areas for firefighters

Metro area Median wage, May 2025 Firefighter jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $113,700 3,450
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $106,420 14,960
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $101,090 3,760
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $98,050 7,200
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $94,080 2,590
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $87,980 3,010
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $85,170 1,730
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $82,820 14,560
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $79,160 3,390
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $78,050 3,970

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan areas with at least 1,500 firefighter jobs. San Jose's median was $152,100 for 1,330 jobs, the highest of any metro.

Southern metros pay far less. The median was $59,120 in Houston, $47,300 in Atlanta and $38,700 in Charlotte. Miami is the exception, at $75,710.

FDNY and LAFD firefighter salary

Big city departments publish their own pay scales.

New York (FDNY), from the FDNY's recruiting site:

Years of service Salary
Starting salary $54,122
After 1.5 years $56,788
After 2.5 years $61,853
After 3.5 years $68,039
After 4.5 years $74,998
After 5.5 years $105,146
Lieutenant (maximum) $130,260
Captain (maximum) $149,518
Battalion chief (maximum) $194,689

Source: Join FDNY, accessed October 27, 2026. The table says overtime, fringe and holiday pay are not included; the text above it describes the five-year figure as including them, so treat $105,146 as the FDNY's own stated figure.

Los Angeles (LAFD), from the LAFD's recruiting site:

Step Salary
Firefighter I (recruit in the academy) $87,883
Firefighter II (probationary) $92,477 to $121,605
Firefighter III $103,063 to $128,286

Source: Join LAFD, accessed October 27, 2026.

An LAFD recruit starts about $33,800 above an FDNY recruit, though the gap closes once FDNY pay jumps after five and a half years.

Where firefighters work

Most paid firefighters, 302,660 of the 345,990 BLS counted, work for local governments, at a median of $59,850. State governments employ 13,240 at $64,980 and the federal government 7,430 at $63,270. Another 18,660 work for private support-service firms, at a median of $37,520.

Job outlook for firefighters

BLS projects employment of firefighters to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, from 355,300 to 368,400 jobs, about as fast as the average for all occupations. It expects about 26,800 openings a year, mostly to replace firefighters who retire or leave.

How to become a firefighter

BLS says firefighters typically need a high school diploma and emergency medical training, and most go through a fire academy. Applicants usually must be at least 18, hold a driver's license, and pass medical, drug and fitness tests. Departments often require EMT certification.

How I checked these numbers

Every state, metro and national figure comes from the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data files, which I downloaded on October 27, 2026, for occupation 33-2011. They count paid firefighters' straight-time pay without overtime. FDNY and LAFD scales come from each department's recruiting site.

Related reading

Sources & methodology

Observations retain their source, period and definition. Uncertainty is preserved; missing values are not zero.

  1. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: national, state and metropolitan area data files (BLS) ↗

    BLS

    Accessed 2026-10-25.

  2. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Firefighters (BLS) ↗

    BLS

    Accessed 2026-10-27.

  3. Firefighter salary guide (Join FDNY) ↗

    Join FDNY

    Accessed 2026-10-27.

  4. Salary and benefits (Join LAFD) ↗

    Join LAFD

    Accessed 2026-10-27.