How much should I pay a firefighters in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Firefighters is $59,280 to $77,251 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows private industry wages growing about 3.1% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a firefighters?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $44,491 is below market, $59,280 to $77,251 is competitive, and above $77,251 is above market for Firefighters.

Firefighters Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 33-2011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$59,280

$28.50/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Firefighters salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$35K

P25$44K

P50$59K

P75$77K

P90$101K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

⚡

Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- the broader market openings are at 4.4% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in private industry are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $59,280 to $77,251 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Firefighters pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role fell 0.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.1% wage growth of the broader market (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · MODERATE

the broader market is running a 4.4% job-openings rate with quits at 2.0% (BLS JOLTS).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.9 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.4M (4.4% rate), hires flat at 5.3M, quits steady at 2.0%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: national wages rose 3.2% over the year while CPI reached 3.5%, the first negative real-wage reading since 2022. Benefit costs accelerated to 3.8%.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Firefighters is $59,280 per year ($28.50/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $44,491 and $77,251 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $101,046 per year. There are approximately 345,990 firefighters employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster assistance.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

+3.4%

About as fast as average

Annual openings

27K

per year, on avg

Workforce today

345K

as of 2024

Why those openings exist

4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role

Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.

Typical entry requirements

Education

Postsecondary nondegree award

Experience

None

On-the-job training

Long-term on-the-job training

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific

Industry	Workforce	Median Pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300	303K	$59,850
Other Support Services NAICS 561900	19K	$37,520
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999200	13K	$64,980
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999100	7K	$63,270
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services NAICS 621900	670	$34,850

Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,850 to $64,980 (86% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$16.79	$34,923
P25	$21.39	$44,491
P50MEDIAN	$28.50	$59,280
P75	$37.14	$77,251
P90	$48.58	$101,046

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · other sector

Active

Openings Rate

4.4%

Quits Rate

2.0%

The labor market stayed steady in June: job openings were little changed at 7.4M (rate 4.4%), hires held at 5.3M, and total separations changed little at 5.4M. Quits were 3.2M (rate 2.0%). Openings rose in transportation, warehousing & utilities (+97K) and fell in wholesale trade (-74K).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average firefighters salary?

The national median salary for Firefighters is $59,280 per year ($28.50/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $44,491 and $77,251 annually.

How much do top-earning firefighters make?

The 90th percentile salary for Firefighters is $101,046 per year ($48.58/hr). The 75th percentile is $77,251 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for firefighters?

Entry-level Firefighters (10th percentile) earn approximately $34,923 per year ($16.79/hr). The 25th percentile is $44,491 per year.

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Firefighters Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

California31,470 workers Texas28,170 workers Florida24,570 workers North Carolina19,410 workers Illinois18,400 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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