Every day, firefighters in communities across the US risk their lives responding to emergencies. And in the age of worsening wildfires driven by the climate crisis, their jobs have become more important than ever.
So how does pay correlate to such a key job? As we’ll see below, firefighter wages fluctuate dramatically across the 50 states, with some states recording six-figure earnings for the highest earners, while others in the 10th percentile of earners barely scratch the $25,000 mark.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics provides data on firefighter wages. Using the most recent data from May 2024, Business Insider identified the median annual salaries of firefighters in every US state.
We also identified the overall salary range of firefighters in each state, ranging from the low-end 10th percentile to the high-end 90th percentile of salaries.
Chris Lake, the director of collective bargaining for the International Association of Firefighters, told Business Insider that many factors contribute to pay differences from state to state. For starters, every state has differences in cost of living, housing prices, taxes, and other factors, so salaries will often reflect these characteristics.
And beyond the economic conditions a fire department operates in, budgets and pay can vary massively on a local level.
“There’s an old saying: If you’ve seen one fire department, well, you’ve only seen one fire department,” Lake said. Differences in the type of department — local, county/regional, state, or federal — paired with balancing a budget for other agencies and services adds to the complexity, he said. The pay a career firefighter receives usually comes from tax dollars at the department’s respective level of government.
“There’s no uniform method anywhere that says, ‘This is how you’re going to fund emergency services,'” Lake said.
He also noted that a department’s location and the makeup of the response area play a role. While some fire departments train for responding to fires in dense cities with skyscrapers, others are preparing for wildfires and water rescue. These differences in response, training, and equipment could affect budgeting and pay.
Another crucial detail: Nearly 70% of firefighters in the US are volunteers, according to FEMA, and many states heavily rely on their services. Though these firefighters may receive benefits, such as tax credits and certifications, they respond to emergencies for no regular paycheck.
All in all, a host of variables determine the final amount on a firefighter’s pay stub. Here’s what that pay might look like for firefighters across the US.
Hawaii was not included in the BLS data.
Alabama
Luisa P Oswalt/Shutterstock
Alaska
Robert J Lype/Shutterstock
Arizona
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP
Arkansas
TAH Media/Shutterstock
California
Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Colorado
Matthew Jonas/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images/MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Connecticut
Connecticut Post/Hearst Newspapers/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Delaware
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Florida
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Georgia
Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images
Idaho
txking/Shutterstock
Illinois
Roberto Galan/Shutterstock
Indiana
Jeremy Hogan/Jeremy Hogan
Iowa
Ken’s Clicks/Shutterstock
Kansas
Bo Rader/Wichita Eagle/TNS
Kentucky
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Louisiana
Jen Golbeck/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Maine
Portland Press Herald/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Maryland
Wesley Lapointe for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Massachusetts
David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Michigan
UCG/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Minnesota
Jerry Pruitt/Shutterstock
Mississippi
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Missouri
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Montana
Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Nebraska
Dave Weaver/Shutterstock
Nevada
Kyle Oster/Shutterstock
New Hampshire
Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty
New Jersey
Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images
New Mexico
MICHAEL A JACKSON FILMS/Shutterstock
New York
Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images
North Carolina
Allison Joyce/Getty Images
North Dakota
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Ohio
Martin Wheeler III/Shutterstock
Oklahoma
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Oregon
Payton Bruni / AFP
Pennsylvania
Cavan-Images/Shutterstock
Rhode Island
Darren McCollester/Getty Images
South Carolina
Adam McCullough/Shutterstock
South Dakota
Jim Parkin/Shutterstock
Tennessee
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
Texas
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Utah
MATTHEW GOLDBERG/Shutterstock
Vermont
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Virginia
Cindy Goff/Shutterstock
Washington
Ian Dewar Photography/Shutterstock
West Virginia
Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Wisconsin
Andy Manis/Getty Images
Wyoming
GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images
