Firefighter Salary by State (2026) – 50-State Pay & Department Comparison Hub
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There are two different questions hidden inside “How much do firefighters make?” The first is a labor-market question: what does the federal wage survey show for firefighters in a state? The second is an applicant question: what will this department pay a recruit, Firefighter/EMT, Firefighter/Paramedic or top-step firefighter right now?
This hub keeps those questions separate. The national and state benchmarks below use the latest complete May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data. Current 2026 pay comes from department recruitment pages, city salary schedules, collective bargaining agreements and public retirement documents linked through the individual state guides.
2026 update: the old hub relied too heavily on generic “pay context / overtime potential / benefits / cost of living” descriptions repeated across 50 rows. The new version uses federal wage benchmarks for context, real department examples for current pay, and a clean 50-state index for deeper research.
Jump to:National benchmark · State wage examples · 2026 department examples · All 50 states · How to compare offers · Overtime · Pensions · Methodology · FAQ
The U.S. Firefighter Salary Benchmark Is $59,280 — but It Is Not a Starting Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $59,280 median annual wage for firefighters in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned below $34,910 and the highest 10% earned above $101,040. BLS also reports a $59,850 median for firefighters working in local government, excluding schools and hospitals.
Those are occupational wage estimates across workers at different departments, steps and experience levels. They should not be turned into a statement such as “a firefighter starts at $59,280 in 2026.” A current recruit posting or labor agreement is the better source for an applicant.
Why 2025 data appear on a 2026 page: federal OEWS wage releases lag the calendar year. As of this September 2026 update, May 2025 is the latest complete BLS wage release for firefighters. We label the survey year instead of renaming it “2026 data.”
How Much Can Statewide Firefighter Wages Differ?
The table below is a selected cross-section, not a ranking of all 50 states. It shows why one national number cannot describe every fire-service labor market. “Low” and “high” here are the BLS 10th and 90th percentiles, not recruit and top-step salaries.
| State | 2025 BLS median | 10th–90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $94,520 | $47,640–$123,980 |
| California | $85,120 | $52,390–$136,150 |
| Illinois | $78,380 | $38,900–$106,060 |
| Colorado | $74,170 | $47,000–$114,170 |
| Indiana | $62,780 | $38,460–$81,890 |
| Florida | $58,550 | $37,260–$93,310 |
| Iowa | $55,810 | $32,240–$87,720 |
| Utah | $48,310 | $27,660–$80,320 |
| West Virginia | $37,350 | $29,020–$51,390 |
Source: BLS 2025 wage data distributed through OEWS/O*NET. Open each state guide for the department-level salary schedules that matter to applicants.
What Current 2026 Department Pay Looks Like
These examples come from state guides that were checked against current public department, city or contract sources. They are intentionally not ranked: a recruit rate, a Firefighter/Paramedic salary and a later career step are different classifications.
| State | Department | Verified pay example |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Phoenix | Recruit $51,646.40; post-academy range $58,324.45–$78,158.08 |
| California | San Jose | Post-academy Step 1 $124,151.98; paramedic premium published separately |
| Connecticut | Stamford | 2026 firefighter posting $62,142–$95,277 |
| Florida | Orlando | Certified firefighter starting salary $64,219.23 |
| Georgia | Atlanta | Recruit $54,613; Firefighter Tier 1 $58,677 |
| Idaho | Boise | 2026 entry firefighter $72,615.14 |
| Illinois | Naperville | 2026 Firefighter/Paramedic starting salary $85,257 |
| Indiana | South Bend | Recruit $57,400; Firefighter 1st Class $75,223.73 |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 2026 firefighter recruitment $79,152.32–$98,168.72 |
| Kansas | Shawnee | Recruit $52,326; published career ladder reaches $90,025 |
| Oklahoma | Broken Arrow | Academy $58,633.05; FF/EMT $71,592.30; FF/Paramedic $82,868.74 |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | July 2026 FF/EMT entry $63,803; FF/Paramedic entry $73,629 |
| West Virginia | Wheeling | Base $48,885; EMT $53,235; EMT + Paramedic $61,560 |
Do not compare the largest number in each row. San Jose's post-academy Step 1, Salt Lake City's paramedic entry rate, South Bend's Firefighter 1st Class and Phoenix recruit pay describe different points in a career. The individual state guides explain what is included.
Open the Firefighter Salary Comparison Tool →
Firefighter Salary Guides for All 50 States
The state URLs are evergreen. Each guide can be updated when a department changes salary, a new CBA takes effect, a pension contribution changes or a newer BLS wage release arrives without changing the internal link.
How to Compare Two Firefighter Job Offers Correctly
- Match the same career stage. Recruit/academy pay should be compared with recruit/academy pay, not a five-year firefighter step.
- Separate EMT and paramedic classifications. Some departments pay a flat medic stipend; others maintain a completely different salary scale.
- Check the work schedule. A 40-hour academy rate, 56-hour fire schedule and 48/96 operations schedule cannot be annualized with the same assumption.
- Ask what the annual figure already includes. Some published salaries include scheduled FLSA compensation, holiday pay or other recurring items; others are pure base salary.
- Identify the retirement system tied to your hire date. Pension plans can change by municipality, tier and entry date.
- Use actual payroll deductions. State tax, local tax, pension contribution, health insurance and union dues can change the result more than a small difference in gross salary.
- Treat unscheduled overtime as variable. Do not build a household budget around wildfire, storm, callback or vacancy overtime unless the contract guarantees it.
Why This Hub Does Not Publish a “Typical Overtime by State” Number
Overtime is one of the easiest firefighter salary topics to overstate. Two people with the same rank and base salary can finish the year with very different gross earnings because one accepts callbacks, works holdovers or receives specialty assignments while the other does not.
There is also a difference between scheduled FLSA compensation created by a fire-service work cycle and unscheduled overtime created by vacancies, leave coverage, emergency incidents or special events. Department contracts do not handle those categories identically.
For that reason, the state guides use department-specific overtime rules when they are public and avoid generic claims such as “add $20,000” or “firefighters in this state usually make $100,000 with OT.”
Pension Contributions Can Change the Salary Comparison
A firefighter with a higher base salary does not automatically have a higher paycheck. Public-safety retirement deductions can be substantial, and several states have multiple pension systems or tiers.
Recent state-guide updates illustrate the range of structures: Arizona uses PSPRS tiers; Florida employers may use FRS or separate local firefighter plans; Illinois separates Chicago's Article 6 system from many Article 4 municipal funds; Indiana's 1977 Fund has a 6% statutory member contribution; Iowa MFPRSI currently uses a 9.675% member contribution; Oklahoma OFPRS uses 9%; and Utah Tier 2 Public Safety/Firefighter members can face a required member contribution depending on employer pickup.
The takeaway is simple: never copy one statewide pension percentage into every city in that state. Confirm the employer, plan, tier and hire-date rules.
Base Pay, Gross Earnings and Total Compensation Are Three Different Numbers
| Term | Usually includes | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Base pay | Contract/classification salary before most variable extras | Comparing the same rank and step |
| Gross earnings | Base plus paid overtime, holiday, specialty or other earned compensation | Looking backward at an actual employee payroll year |
| Total compensation | Gross earnings plus employer-paid benefits such as retirement and healthcare | Evaluating the employer's full compensation package |
What About Cost of Living?
Cost of living matters, but a statewide cost-of-living label is often too coarse. A firefighter living near San Jose, Miami, Boise, Chicago or a resort community can face a very different housing market from another firefighter elsewhere in the same state.
For a real relocation decision, compare your department salary with housing and commuting costs in the actual service area. State tax rules also matter: Florida has no individual state income tax, while other states have flat or graduated income taxes and some add local income taxes.
Sources & Methodology
This hub uses two levels of evidence:
- Federal benchmark: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), latest complete release available at update time. The current hub uses May 2025 data for SOC 33-2011, Firefighters.
- Current department pay: official fire department recruitment pages, city/county HR postings, GovernmentJobs pages published by the employer, salary ordinances, collective bargaining agreements, public budget documents and official retirement-system material.
When a current city recruitment page still displays an older salary schedule, the state guide keeps that original effective date. We do not add an assumed COLA, extrapolate an old union schedule or label a 2025 figure as “2026” unless the source actually supports it.
Likewise, BLS statewide estimates are labeled by their survey year. They are used to describe the labor market, not to manufacture recruit, mid-career or top-step salary ranges.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Firefighters Occupational Outlook Handbook
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tables
- O*NET / BLS firefighter national and local wage tables
Editorial standard: this hub is updated when federal wage releases change or when state-level reviews materially change the comparison. Individual state pages may be updated more frequently as departments publish new salary schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average firefighter salary in the United States in 2026?
The latest federal wage benchmark available in 2026 is the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 estimate. It reports a U.S. firefighter median annual wage of $59,280. That is a 2025 occupational wage estimate, not a 2026 department starting salary.
Why does this 2026 hub use 2025 BLS wage data?
Federal OEWS wage data are released on a lag. As of September 2026, May 2025 is the latest complete BLS wage release for firefighters. Current 2026 department salaries are taken from city and county job postings, contracts and salary schedules on the individual state guides.
Which state pays firefighters the most?
There is no single useful answer without defining the measure. Statewide BLS medians, city starting salaries, top-step base pay and total earnings with overtime measure different things. For example, Washington's 2025 statewide firefighter median is $94,520, while specific city departments in other states may publish higher top-step or paramedic base pay.
Should I compare firefighter salaries by base pay or total compensation?
Start with base pay for the same rank and step. Then compare scheduled FLSA pay, overtime, paramedic or specialty incentives, pension deductions, health insurance and employer retirement contributions separately.
Does paramedic certification increase firefighter pay?
Often, but the structure varies. Some departments use a flat stipend, others maintain a separate Firefighter/Paramedic classification, and some require paramedic certification as a condition of employment. The state guides identify the department-specific structure where public data are available.
Can I estimate firefighter income by adding a standard overtime amount?
No. Overtime depends on the work cycle, staffing, callbacks, holdovers, vacancies, special events and contract rules. This hub does not add a generic overtime amount to every state.
How should I compare firefighter take-home pay between states?
Use the actual department offer, identify the pension contribution tied to your hire date, apply state and local income taxes where applicable, add health insurance and other payroll deductions, and keep variable overtime outside the base comparison unless it is contractually guaranteed.
New to the hiring process? See the 2026 firefighter career guide for testing, CPAT, EMS credentials and academy basics.
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