occupation · 33-2011 · detailed
Firefighters — wages and employment
Firefighters earned a median annual wage of $59,530 in the United States in May 2024, with 332,240 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Firefighters earned a median annual wage of $59,530 in the United States in May 2024, with 332,240 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $34,490 or less, the best-paid tenth $101,330 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $57,120 to $59,530, +4.2 %. The best-paying state is Washington at $93,490; the lowest Louisiana at $33,700. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $164,940. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 332,240 | $59,530 | $63,890 | $34,490 | $44,180 | $77,410 | $101,330 | $28.62 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 315,460 | $57,120 | $60,390 | $31,600 | $40,230 | $75,320 | $93,720 | $27.46 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $93,490 | 8,000 |
| New York | $88,380 | 14,730 |
| New Jersey | $87,660 | 6,590 |
| California | $83,400 | 27,580 |
| District of Columbia | $79,430 | 1,430 |
| Illinois | $79,080 | 14,510 |
| Connecticut | $77,660 | 2,860 |
| Colorado | $76,560 | 6,170 |
| Oregon | $73,270 | 3,660 |
| Massachusetts | $73,110 | 11,910 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,430 | — |
| Maryland | $70,580 | 5,250 |
| Rhode Island | $69,480 | 1,590 |
| Nevada | $67,120 | 2,360 |
| Montana | $64,020 | 960 |
| Alaska | $63,220 | 1,040 |
| Nebraska | $61,760 | 1,060 |
| Indiana | $61,470 | 8,550 |
| Texas | $60,840 | 30,400 |
| Ohio | $59,470 | 18,750 |
| Arizona | $58,650 | 6,870 |
| Florida | $58,360 | 21,470 |
| Virginia | $58,300 | 10,820 |
| New Hampshire | $57,030 | 2,880 |
| Michigan | $55,570 | 7,390 |
| Iowa | $55,190 | 2,050 |
| Idaho | $53,860 | 2,100 |
| North Dakota | $53,660 | 750 |
| Wyoming | $51,850 | 680 |
| Utah | $49,270 | 2,650 |
| Missouri | $48,470 | 6,740 |
| Delaware | $48,060 | 450 |
| Wisconsin | $47,710 | 8,010 |
| South Dakota | $47,520 | 540 |
| Alabama | $47,490 | 6,930 |
| Maine | $47,490 | 2,390 |
| Tennessee | $47,300 | 6,510 |
| Oklahoma | $47,270 | 4,110 |
| Vermont | $46,130 | 470 |
| Georgia | $45,970 | 11,660 |
| South Carolina | $45,960 | 7,570 |
| Kansas | $44,060 | 3,630 |
| New Mexico | $42,920 | 2,200 |
| Arkansas | $42,100 | 2,280 |
| Minnesota | $41,990 | 4,890 |
| West Virginia | $41,500 | 1,040 |
| Puerto Rico | $39,520 | 1,720 |
| North Carolina | $37,250 | 18,200 |
| Kentucky | $37,140 | 5,320 |
| Mississippi | $36,980 | 2,630 |
| Louisiana | $33,700 | 4,690 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $164,940 | 1,180 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $121,270 | 3,410 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $108,320 | 2,140 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $105,250 | 15,770 |
| Vallejo, CA | $104,460 | 330 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $102,220 | 4,150 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $100,040 | 420 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $99,210 | 7,200 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $97,460 | 100 |
| Bellingham, WA | $93,170 | 270 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $90,180 | 350 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $88,970 | 370 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $88,860 | 2,900 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $88,440 | 410 |
| Rochester, NY | $88,380 | 800 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $88,290 | 10,560 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $88,270 | 300 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | $87,640 | 500 |
| Ames, IA | $86,140 | 60 |
| Medford, OR | $85,830 | 150 |
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