North Carolina Firefighter Salary 2026 by Department: Twelve Departments, Their Own Documents

The short answer. There is no single North Carolina firefighter salary. Twelve departments' own documents, read September 8, 2026: nine print an annual figure for a firefighter, from Fayetteville's $45,000 (as of July 2024) and Winston-Salem's $46,978 certified figure to Concord's $56,381.15 band minimum, Raleigh's $56,825 and Wilmington's $58,052 after graduation; five print a recruit figure for the academy months, from Asheville's $44,276.18 to Cary's $57,012; four print a range top (Raleigh $72,700, Greensboro $58,170, Cary $83,969.60, Concord $93,028.89) and none prints a step table. Charlotte prints pay only inside an open posting and none was open; Durham prints lateral figures only. One window was open on the read date: Asheville's 103rd Academy closes September 18, 2026. The registry counts 1,088 North Carolina fire departments, 5.1 percent of them career and 7.2 percent mostly career.

Last verified: 2026-09-08.

The national picture, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics medians beside these department figures, is on the firefighter salary guide 2026.

This is not a statewide table and it is not an apply-now board. North Carolina cities print most of their pay on dated job bulletins, so several rows cite a bulletin whose window has closed and say so; the figure is the last the city printed, not a promise about the next posting. Every row records what the department's or city's document prints and nothing more. A 2024 pay plan and a 2026 bulletin are not averaged into one "North Carolina start."

The Texas comparison, built the same way at a larger N, is Texas firefighter salary 2026 by department. Missouri, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Washington, Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Colorado and California, built the same way, are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

What do these documents actually show?

Three column definitions, because most published comparisons blur roles, and the blur is where the misleading numbers come from.

• Recruit / academy is a printed pre-certification annual when the employer prints one. Five rows do: Raleigh $56,825 (the recruit is paid the starting firefighter salary), Winston-Salem $44,741 (28-week academy, no degree), Cary $57,012 (Fire Recruit starting salary), Wilmington $55,140 (academy), Asheville $44,276.18 (during the academy).
• Starting (certified) is the first annual figure the document names for a firefighter past the academy or holding the credential the title requires: Raleigh $56,825, Greensboro $49,724 (the 83rd Academy bulletin's hiring salary), Winston-Salem $46,978 (Certified Firefighter, 56-hour week, no degree), Fayetteville $45,000 (as of July 2024), Wilmington $58,052 (after graduation), High Point $47,914, Asheville $50,309.74 (upon graduation), Concord $56,381.15 (Firefighter band minimum, June 8, 2026), Gastonia $48,084 (Certified Firefighter, from a bulletin that closed December 2, 2024).
• Top firefighter step is the highest printed firefighter-rank annual before promotion. No North Carolina row prints a step table; four print a range or band maximum, carried and labeled as such: Raleigh $72,700, Greensboro $58,170, Cary $83,969.60, Concord $93,028.89.
• Source is the document title, the link, the effective date or fiscal year where the document prints one, and the date we read it.
• Every annual figure is base pay as the document prints it. Degree money sits outside the columns: Winston-Salem prints separate figures for an associate ($49,327 certified) and a bachelor's ($51,794 certified); Charlotte pays 5 or 10 percent; Durham 2.5 or 5 percent; Greensboro $2,500 or $5,000 as bonuses; Wilmington $1,000 or $2,000; Asheville adds 5 percent for AEMT and 5 percent for Advanced Firefighter.

Why isn't there a statewide starting salary?

Because North Carolina does not publish one. The Office of State Fire Marshal and the Fire and Rescue Commission certify firefighters and the Office of EMS certifies EMTs; neither sets pay, and each city writes its own pay plan or bulletin. Most of these cities print their pay on a NEOGOV bulletin that opens and closes, which is why the recruit and certified columns are full and the top-step column carries only range maximums: Raleigh, Greensboro, Cary and Concord print a range, and none of the twelve prints the years it takes to cross it. Where two of a city's documents disagree, as Greensboro's dated bulletin ($49,724) and its undated FAQ ($47,812) do, the page says which is carried and why. The Texas, Missouri, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Washington, Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Colorado and California clones use the same rule: null is a value, conflicts are named, and hourly and monthly rates are not converted.

The universe is measured but not yet counted. The U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Department Registry (state totals read September 8, 2026; registry last updated June 11, 2026) lists 1,088 registered fire departments in North Carolina, 5.1 percent of them Career and 7.2 percent Mostly career. The registry prints those shares as percentages, not as a count, so this page does not turn them into a number of career departments. Twelve departments against that universe is a kickoff, not a census; Charlotte's next posting, Durham's next entry process, Huntersville, Chapel Hill, Jacksonville, Wilson, Rocky Mount, Hickory, Burlington and the county departments that hire career firefighters are the next documents to open.

Rows to read carefully

Charlotte. The department's page prints no figure. It says recruits receive the fiscal year's Firefighter I new-hire rate listed in the posting, plus 5 percent for an associate degree or 10 percent for a bachelor's and a 5 percent military incentive for some veterans without a degree. The Fire Fighter Trainee requisition the page links to returned a page-not-found notice on the read date, so the row stays null until a posting opens. No lateral program; an accelerated recruit process runs at times for firefighters with three years of full-time municipal service and North Carolina certifications.

Raleigh. Bulletin 2026-00469 (July 1 to July 31, 2026) prints $56,825.00 to $72,700.00 and a hiring range of $56,825.00; the Fire Academy FAQ says recruits earn the starting firefighter salary from day one, so the recruit and certified columns both carry $56,825 and the range maximum is labeled a range. Academy 59 (spring 2027) takes EMT-certified applicants; Academy 60 follows for applicants without certifications.

Greensboro. The 83rd Academy bulletin (August 1, 2025 to February 15, 2026) prints a hiring salary of $49,724.00 and a range to $58,170.00; the department's undated FAQ prints $47,812. The dated bulletin is carried and the FAQ figure is named; the row is marked partial for the disagreement. A $2,500 signing bonus goes to applicants holding North Carolina Firefighter I and II, hazmat operations and EMT-Basic; Greensboro firefighters are not in Social Security.

Durham. The entry-level page prints no figure; the 2026 entry process is closed. The lateral page prints $53,353 for laterals with two years of service and $58,822 for accelerated laterals with four years and at least three listed credentials. Those are lateral figures, so the entry columns stay null.

Winston-Salem. Bulletin 08407 (February 1 to March 1, 2026) prints the recruit and certified figures by degree: $44,741, $46,978 and $49,327 for the academy; $46,978, $49,327 and $51,794 on the 56-hour week. The no-degree figures are carried. The city's Fire Pay Plan effective October 14, 2024 printed lower figures ($43,864 recruit, $46,057 Firefighter I, $48,360 Firefighter II); the 2026 bulletin supersedes it. Public safety hires must live within 60 miles of city hall within 180 days.

Fayetteville. The careers page prints a starting salary of $45,000 as of July 2024 and the September 18, 2025 release prints $45,000 to $52,310 depending on experience. The minimum is carried and the row is marked partial for age; the city says its cycle now begins each September.

Cary. Bulletin 26-02519 (February 24 to March 10, 2026) prints a Fire Recruit starting salary of $57,012 inside a range of $54,163.20 to $83,969.60. The recruit figure and the range maximum are carried; no separate post-academy figure is printed. CPAT cards are not accepted; candidates take Cary's own agility test in person.

Wilmington. The careers page prints $55,140 in the academy and $58,052 after graduation. There is no written exam; the job physical assessment comes before the application counts. No lateral transfers; certified hires start at base and attend the six-month academy.

High Point. The Salary & Benefits page prints one sentence: a firefighter salary starts at $47,914. No academy figure, no table. The page loads with a script, so the desk read it in a browser.

Asheville. The city's page prints $44,276.18 during the academy and $50,309.74 upon graduation, with 5 percent supplements for AEMT and Advanced Firefighter. The 103rd Academy process opened July 27, 2026 and closes September 18, 2026, with a tentative academy start of January 4, 2027; academy length runs from 12 weeks for a certified firefighter with EMT and technical rescuer to 25 weeks with no experience.

Concord. The department's recruitment site prints salary bands as of June 8, 2026: Firefighter $56,381.15 to $93,028.89, Engineer from $71,024.01 after two years, Lieutenant from $76,705.92 after 3.5 years, Captain from $89,469.80 after five. The Firefighter band's ends are carried and labeled a band.

Gastonia. The Firefighter - Certified bulletin (December 29, 2023 to December 2, 2024) prints $48,084 for applicants holding North Carolina firefighter and EMT certification, inside a range of $39,080.08 to $65,758.16. The department's current recruitment page prints no figure, so the bulletin figure is carried and marked partial. Uncertified hires are sent for certification within 18 months.

Which application doors are open today?

• Asheville: the 103rd Academy application closes September 18, 2026; physical ability testing the weeks of September 28 and October 5, written testing the week of October 5, interviews October 19 to 23, the NFPA physical November 2, academy January 4, 2027.
• Fayetteville accepts applications each fall (the 2025 cycle closed September 26, 2025); Wilmington recruits about once a year with no fixed month; High Point, Concord and Gastonia route applicants to their cities' job sites and print no dated window.
• Raleigh (July 1 to 31, 2026), Cary (February 24 to March 10, 2026), Winston-Salem (February 1 to March 1, 2026), Greensboro (August 1, 2025 to February 15, 2026) and Durham's 2026 entry process have closed; each takes an interest card or job alert for the next one.
• Charlotte posts its requisition only during an open period and takes an interest card between periods.