Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$66,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$6,500
10.1% of base
Total target cash
$72,500
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$4,00050th$6,50075th$10,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
ShareLink copied
About this role
Firefighter is a professional role within the function in the Protective Service job family.
Typical entry preparation: High School Diploma and up to 1 year of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.
Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.
Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents.
Top skills:Critical ThinkingService OrientationJudgment and Decision MakingCoordinationSpeakingMonitoring
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Firefighter pay by experience level
Entry level$36,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$46,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$61,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$80,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$104,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+3.4%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
27,100
projected openings per year
Growing about as fast as average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Firefighter salary by industry
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
323,330 workers
$67,500
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
302,660 workers
$67,500
Administrative and Support Services
19,590 workers
$43,000
Other Support Services
18,660 workers
$43,000
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
13,240 workers
$68,500
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
7,430 workers
$66,000
Ambulatory Health Care Services
690 workers
$39,000
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services
670 workers
$39,000
Educational Services
620 workers
$70,000
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
470 workers
$73,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 352,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
5.1%
White
85.9%
Black or African American
8.2%
Asian
0.5%
Hispanic or Latino
11.3%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $52,500 to $59,280.
+12.9% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$36,000
Early career25th percentile
$46,000
Median50th percentile
$61,500
Experienced75th percentile
$80,000
Top earners90th percentile
$104,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
The abilities employers and analysts most associate with this occupation.
Critical ThinkingService OrientationJudgment and Decision MakingCoordinationSpeakingMonitoring
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.
Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.
Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$66,000
2027$68,500
2028$70,500
2029$73,000
2030$75,500
2031$78,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
Get your Personal Pay Report for Firefighter
Keep your market comparison in a print-ready PDF, with negotiation targets, a script using your numbers, and a five-year market-pay illustration. Career ladder where available.
StateYears of experienceCurrent salary
One-time purchase. Review the final total, including any applicable tax, in Stripe before you pay. Report available immediately after successful payment. Full refund on request within 7 days of purchase. Refund terms. Prefer to explore first? Run a free market check.
Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
Your free market check includes an estimated percentile and pay gap when you enter your salary. The paid report adds a PDF, negotiation targets and script, and a five-year market-pay illustration. See a full sample report
The median market pay for a Firefighter in the United States is about $66,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Firefighter?
Most Firefighter pay falls between about $46,000 (25th percentile) and $80,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $104,500.
What does a Firefighter do?
Core responsibilities include: rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards; and dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
Is pay for Firefighter roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $52,500 in 2020 to $59,280 in 2025, a change of +12.9% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Firefighter pays 6% below the average across 28 roles in the Protective Service job family (family average $70,500).
Need Firefighter pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
