Firefighters Salary: $100,992 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 332,240 firefighters nationally earn a mean of $100,992. Much hiring sits in federal, state, and local government, including state and local government schools and hospitals and the u.s. postal service (oews designation); about 62% of workers are women.
Key Statistics
Firefighters: what the data shows
Common questions about firefighters careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a firefighters?
Firefighters is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-2011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 332,240 workers.
What does a firefighters do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a firefighters make?
BLS national median annual wage: $59,530 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $100,992 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $53,046 |
| 25th percentile | $68,987 |
| Median (50th) | $85,771 |
| 75th percentile | $123,720 |
| 90th percentile | $147,919 |
What education do you need?
For Firefighters, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Coordination, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Building and Construction. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is firefighters in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 1.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 2.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 332,240.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do firefighterss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 332,240 | 16.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 310,000 | 15.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 309,750 | 15.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 309,750 | 15.7% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 292,060 | 14.8% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 292,050 | 14.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Firefighters in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Firefighters workforce.
Employment Over Time
332,240 Workforce in 2023
The Firefighters workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Firefighters.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$100,992 Average Wage
In 2023, Firefighters earned an average of $100,992.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Firefighters.
Salary distribution for Firefighters.
Employment Growth Projections
0.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
111,092 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 1.3%
112,502 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 2.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Firefighters.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Firefighters and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Firefighters employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Firefighters.
Wage Trends by Industry
16.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Firefighters.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Firefighters.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 30,400 employees, $60,880 avg wage
- CA: 27,580 employees, $98,200 avg wage
- FL: 21,470 employees, $63,610 avg wage
- OH: 18,750 employees, $59,170 avg wage
- NC: 18,200 employees, $42,450 avg wage
- NY: 14,730 employees, $86,680 avg wage
- IL: 14,510 employees, $76,650 avg wage
- MA: 11,910 employees, $73,130 avg wage
- GA: 11,660 employees, $47,340 avg wage
- VA: 10,820 employees, $58,510 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Firefighters.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 15,770 employees, $92,290 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 10,560 employees, $84,130 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 9,320 employees, $67,460 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 8,550 employees, $74,810 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 7,470 employees, $71,160 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 7,200 employees, $109,880 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 6,610 employees, $60,100 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 6,050 employees, $49,790 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 5,280 employees, $85,270 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 4,520 employees, $46,190 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Firefighters.
Diversity
Demographic information on Firefighters in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Firefighters in 2023 was 332,240 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Firefighters.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Firefighters.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Firefighters.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Firefighters in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.
Common majors for Firefighters.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Firefighters workers.
Education level distribution for Firefighters.
Skills
Firefighters need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Coordination, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning.
Required skills for Firefighters.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Firefighters.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Firefighters include Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Building and Construction, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Firefighters.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Firefighters include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Static Strength, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Firefighters.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Firefighters.
Daily Activities
Firefighters spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing General Physical Activities.
Most important work activities for Firefighters.
About
Firefighters
The average yearly wage for Firefighters was $100,992 in 2023.
SOC Code
33-2011 - Firefighters
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Firefighters reports an average salary of $100,992, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 332,240 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.