How Much Do Firefighters Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary firefighters make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for firefighters and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of firefighters are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much firefighters can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Firefighters
According to data from 2023, there were about 85,180 positions for firefighters in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for firefighters was reported to be $86,216. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 2,609 job postings related to positions for firefighters.
How Much Money Do Firefighters Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money firefighters and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for firefighters.
Annual Salary for Firefighters
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for firefighters and related professions earned about $49,920 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $135,054 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for firefighters in the United States in 2023 was $86,216.
Annual Salary Range For Firefighters In 2023
Hourly Salary for Firefighters
The BLS also breaks down compensation for firefighters by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for firefighters in 2023 was $41. Lowest hourly earners took home $24 while the highest reported hourly salaries for firefighters was $65.
Hourly Salary Range For Firefighters In 2023
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- Months To Complete: 14
- Placement Tests: GMAT/GRE not required for admission
Advertised Compensation for Firefighters
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for firefighters, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for firefighters.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Firefighters
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 2,266 job postings related to firefighters, advertised salary was included in 1,304 of them, which was 58%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for firefighters was $94,976 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Firefighters
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for firefighters. Based on 50% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for firefighters in the United States is about $46.
Salary Trend for Firefighters
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for firefighters. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for firefighters dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for firefighters have increased 9%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Firefighters
What's the Job Growth for Firefighters?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for firefighters over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 85,257 jobs for firefighters in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 6,481 jobs will be added. That's a 7.6% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Firefighters
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about firefighters? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for firefighters.
What do firefighters do?
Firefighters: How do you become one?
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