Firefighter Salary Guide: What You'll Earn by State, City, and Rank

Career firefighters in the United States earned a median of $59,280 a year, or $28.50 an hour, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release of May 2025. The mean was $63,630 a year, or $30.59 an hour. The middle of the wage survey ran from $44,490 at the 25th percentile to $77,250 at the 75th. Those are survey wages across ranks and years of service, not a starting offer at a named department. Last verified 2026-09-03 against the shared register (register accessed 2026-08-11; oesprofile firefighter row re-read 2026-09-01). The department table below was compiled September 8, 2026 from this site's state pages, each of which cites the department's own document and the date it was read.

A department starting rate is the number on that city's pay plan. Where a city's own documents disagree, this page prints every published version and says they disagree. The five highest published state medians are below. This page does not print a 50-state table.

How much do firefighters make nationally?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 345,990 firefighter jobs in its May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release, occupation 33-2011.

Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Register accessed 2026-08-11.

These are base wages from the wage survey. They are not starting pay, and they do not include overtime. Under the FLSA 7(k) overtime threshold for fire protection employees, overtime begins after 212 hours in a 28-day work period, or 106 hours in a 14-day period (29 CFR 553.230; Department of Labor Fact Sheet #8).

The Employment Projections table also prints a May 2024 median for firefighters. That is last year's wage, not the current OEWS figure, so this page does not use it. This page uses OEWS May 2025.

BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 cycle, published August 27, 2026: firefighters grow 4 percent, from 355,300 in 2025 to 368,400 in 2035, with about 26,800 openings a year, mostly replacements. The 355,300 figure is the projection base year, not current OEWS employment of 345,990. Primary URL: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, firefighters.

For what the job itself involves and how to get hired, start with our complete guide to becoming a firefighter.

What do departments pay to start? Nineteen states, 435 departments, their own documents

The number a candidate is offered is on a pay plan, not in a survey. This site reads those documents department by department, and the state pages below carry the source and the read date on every row. Across the 435 department rows read so far, 313 print a certified starting salary. The lowest printed start is Alice Fire Department in Texas at $37,633.44; the highest is West Metro Fire Rescue in Colorado at $112,591.43. One hundred twenty-two rows stay blank on purpose: the employer prints hourly, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly rates only, the posted agreement has expired, two of its own documents disagree, or, in five Pennsylvania cities, six New York departments and five Massachusetts cities and six Missouri departments and districts, the civil service notice, agreement, posting or recruiting page prints no salary at all.

Each figure is the "starting (certified)" column as that state page defines it: the first annual firefighter figure the department's document names after the academy, in base pay. Some are prior-year schedules and are marked partial on their pages; recruit and academy rates sit in a separate column there; paramedic and specialty premiums are reported separately. The five highest printed starts on file are West Metro Fire Rescue (Colorado) at $112,591.43, Poudre Fire Authority (Colorado) at $101,437.81, Allen Fire Department (Texas) at $97,528.75, Chicago Fire Department (Illinois) at $96,354 and Olympia Fire Department (Washington) at $95,385.53. How every figure is chosen, and how to report one that is wrong, is in the editorial policy.

Which states publish the highest firefighter medians?

Top published state medians from the same May 2025 OEWS release, occupation 33-2011. Hawaii's estimate was not published in this release; this page does not substitute an older figure.

Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Register accessed 2026-08-11; oesprofile browser re-read 2026-09-01 matched these five.

A state median is not a department starting rate. Texas is $60,180, with employment 28,170 (BLS OEWS May 2025, Texas 33-2011, retrieved 2026-09-03 via api.bls.gov as recorded in the shared register). That statewide midpoint mixes small departments with large metros. Named Texas schedules are on Texas firefighter salary 2026 by department and in the Texas fire department directory sorted by pay. California department schedules are on California firefighter salary 2026 by department.

What do Dallas, Austin, and Houston actually pay?

State medians blend small rural departments with major metros. The published pay plans of three Texas departments with a bound source on file:

Department hubs: Dallas Fire-Rescue, Austin Fire Department, Houston Fire Department.

Los Angeles Fire Department and FDNY dollars that used to sit on this page are not on file as a department pay source. They are omitted until a department pay source binds them.

How does firefighter pay grow over a career?

Career departments pay on step-and-grade systems: automatic step raises for years of service inside each rank, and larger jumps at promotion. Dallas Fire-Rescue's adopted 2026 schedule, for the firefighter rank only, is a documented example of that first ladder:

Data: City of Dallas Uniformed Fire Rescue Salary Schedule, effective 2026-01-01. Read 2026-08-19. Year-9 firefighter pay on that schedule is $102,304. Promotional ranks on the same PDF are not sourced on this page.

Nationally, first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers (occupation 33-1021) earn a median of $93,530 per BLS OEWS May 2025, which is $34,250 above the firefighter median of $59,280.

How does overtime work for firefighters?

Firefighter overtime runs on different rules than most jobs. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act section 7(k) exemption, fire protection employees do not earn overtime at 40 hours per week. The maximum-hours standard is 212 hours in a 28-day work period, or 106 hours in a 14-day period, before overtime pay is owed, per 29 CFR 553.230 and the Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #8.

Because a typical 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off schedule averages close to that threshold, extra shifts convert to overtime quickly. Departments running short on staff also use mandatory overtime, which is unwelcome for work-life balance but does raise annual earnings. Named-department overtime totals are omitted here unless a pay source binds them.

Which certifications raise firefighter pay?

Most career departments pay standing incentives for certifications on top of base salary. Houston is the named example on file.

The city's HR sibling page, under the same 07/8/2023 stamp, prints the same $414.88 / $10,787 pair. Those two Houston pages agree on the paramedic incentive.

Phoenix assignment pay and Los Angeles education percentages that used to sit on this page are not on file as a department pay source. They are omitted until a department pay source binds them.

The paramedic credential is still the standout hiring preference in departments that run their own EMS transport. If you are weighing the medical track, our firefighter EMT versus paramedic comparison covers the tradeoff, and paramedic school itself is mapped in our EMT and paramedic career guide.

Beyond pay incentives, certifications also decide who gets hired at all. Most metro departments require a passing CPAT before academy entry, and in Texas the TCFP certification is the gate to career employment.

What benefits do firefighters get?

Benefits are a large share of total compensation in career departments, and they are the part aggregator salary sites miss entirely.

Pension. Most career firefighters are in defined-benefit pension plans through state or municipal retirement systems. Formulas vary by system, but the common shape is a fixed percentage of final average salary per year of service, paid for life. Confirm the specific system and vesting rules for any department you are considering; they differ.

Health coverage. Career departments typically provide employer-subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage for the firefighter and family.

Deferred compensation. Most municipal employers offer 457(b) plans, which work like a 401(k) and stack on top of the pension.

Leave. Paid vacation, sick leave, and holiday pay or holiday premiums are standard.

The details differ enough by department that they belong in your comparison next to base pay. Our first responder benefits guide breaks down pensions, insurance, and leave across fire, EMS, and law enforcement careers.

How much do volunteer firefighters get paid?

Most are not paid a salary at all. The National Volunteer Fire Council Volunteer Fire Service Fact Sheet (February 2026), compiling the NFPA U.S. Fire Department Profile, reports:

Fetched and read 2026-08-11. Primary URL: nvfc.org volunteer fire service fact sheet. NFPA count page: nfpa.org number of firefighters in the US.

OEWS employment (345,990) and the NVFC/NFPA headcount (1,018,100) are different series. This page does not add them. Most volunteers are not paid a salary. An older volunteer count and volunteer-share percentage are superseded and are not printed here.

Depending on the department, volunteers may receive per-call or annual stipends, tax incentives, retirement-style length-of-service award programs, or nothing beyond training and gear. For career-track candidates, volunteering is often a paid position's best setup: real fireground experience, training hours, and references. Requirements differ by state: volunteer firefighter requirements by state.

How does firefighter pay compare to other first responder careers?

National medians from the same BLS May 2025 OEWS release:

Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025, occupations 33-1021, 33-3051, 29-2043, 33-2011, 29-2042. Register accessed 2026-08-11.

Police officers out-earn firefighters on median base pay, and paramedics now edge out firefighters nationally. Medians hide two fire-service equalizers: the 7(k) overtime structure, and pension-heavy benefits. In Dallas, the adopted firefighter schedule reaches $102,304 by year 9. Explore the tracks side by side on our fire pathway hub.

How can you maximize your earning potential?

The levers, in rough order of impact:

1. Pick the department deliberately. The spread between departments is wider than the spread between ranks. Compare published pay before you test, starting with our department directory.
2. Get the paramedic credential. Houston's fire-careers compensation table, Beginning 07/8/2023, lists an unrestricted paramedic incentive of $414.88 biweekly (about $10,787 annualized). The HR sibling page prints the same pair. Departments that run EMS transport hire paramedic-certified candidates ahead of everyone else.
3. Test for promotion on schedule. Departments typically require time in rank before you can test for the next one. The candidates who study for promotional exams early move up the ladder fastest.
4. Work overtime deliberately. The 7(k) structure means extra shifts convert to time-and-a-half after 212 hours in 28 days. Watch for burnout; the money is not worth broken sleep for years on end.
5. Count benefits, not just base. A strong pension is worth more over a career than a modest base-pay difference.

If you are starting from zero, the path to that first badge runs through requirements, the CPAT, and an academy. Our complete guide to becoming a firefighter maps the whole sequence, and Texas candidates should start with the Texas-specific hiring guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do firefighters make a year? Two different numbers answer that. The Bureau of Labor Statistics median for firefighters was $59,280 a year in the May 2025 survey, across every rank and every year of service. Starting pay is the figure on a department's own pay plan: on the 199 department documents this site has read that print one, it runs from $37,633.44 (Alice Fire Department, Texas) to $112,591.43 (West Metro Fire Rescue, Colorado), and the state pages linked above carry each department's figure with its source and read date.

Which departments pay firefighters the most to start? On the documents read so far, the highest printed starting salaries are West Metro Fire Rescue in Colorado ($112,591.43), Poudre Fire Authority in Colorado ($101,437.81), Allen Fire Department in Texas ($97,528.75), Chicago Fire Department in Illinois ($96,354 after the recruit year) and Olympia Fire Department in Washington ($95,385.53 for a Firefighter/Paramedic). Each is base pay from the department's own schedule or page, and each state page says when the document was read.

How much do firefighters make per hour? The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025 puts the firefighter (SOC 33-2011) median at $28.50 an hour and the mean at $30.59. The annual median is $59,280; the mean is $63,630. That is a wage survey across all ranks and years of service, not a starting rate. Fire schedules do not map to a 40-hour week: under the FLSA 7(k) maximum-hours standard, overtime for fire protection employees begins after 212 hours in a 28-day work period (or 106 hours in 14 days).

Which state pays firefighters the most? In the same May 2025 OEWS release, the published state medians at the top of the table are New York $100,960, Washington $94,520, California $85,120, New Jersey $84,130, and Illinois $78,380. Hawaii's estimate was not published. Do not substitute an older Hawaii figure. Texas is $60,180 (employment 28,170). A state median is not a department starting rate.

Is the national median the same as starting pay? No. OEWS medians mix recruits, ten-year firefighters, and specialists in every department that responded to the survey. A city's starting rate is the number on that city's pay plan. Where a city's own documents disagree, this page prints every published version and says they disagree.

How many firefighters are there in the United States? Two different counts. OEWS May 2025 counts 345,990 firefighter jobs. NVFC's February 2026 fact sheet, compiling the NFPA U.S. Fire Department Profile, counts 1,018,100 firefighters, of whom 635,100 (62%) are volunteers, across 29,452 departments. Do not add them. Most volunteers are not paid a salary.

How fast is firefighter employment growing? BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 put firefighter employment at 355,300 in 2025 and 368,400 in 2035, 4 percent growth, about 26,800 openings a year, mostly replacements. The 355,300 figure is the projection base year, not the current OEWS headcount of 345,990.