The average salary for a firefighter in California is around $74,700 per year.
Avg Salary
Firefighters earn an average yearly salary of $74,700.
Wages typically start from $40,100 and go up to $135,240.
9% above national average Updated in 2018
Firefighter earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level firefighter earnings begin at:
$65.02 per hour
$135,240 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level firefighter earnings begin at:
$50.99 per hour
$106,070 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level firefighter earnings begin at:
$35.92 per hour
$74,700 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level firefighter earnings begin at:
$27.14 per hour
$56,460 per year
10th percentile
Starting level firefighter earnings begin at:
$19.28 per hour
$40,100 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Firefighter salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $81,240 |
| New Jersey | $76,380 |
| Washington | $75,200 |
| California | $74,700 |
| Oregon | $67,820 |
| Connecticut | $64,956 |
| Nevada | $64,920 |
| Maryland | $59,870 |
| Massachusetts | $59,330 |
| Colorado | $59,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,090 |
| Hawaii | $56,015 |
| Rhode Island | $55,900 |
| Illinois | $54,441 |
| Florida | $53,340 |
| Alaska | $52,460 |
| Texas | $51,240 |
| Montana | $50,400 |
| Nebraska | $50,060 |
| Indiana | $49,460 |
| Virginia | $49,110 |
| New Hampshire | $48,540 |
| Missouri | $47,750 |
| Delaware | $46,960 |
| Ohio | $45,910 |
| Michigan | $45,440 |
| Arizona | $44,190 |
| North Dakota | $44,130 |
| Iowa | $43,970 |
| Wyoming | $43,940 |
| Oklahoma | $41,970 |
| South Dakota | $40,470 |
| Alabama | $40,323 |
| Tennessee | $39,610 |
| Idaho | $38,961 |
| Georgia | $37,240 |
| Utah | $36,100 |
| New Mexico | $35,860 |
| Kansas | $35,522 |
| Kentucky | $35,512 |
| West Virginia | $35,340 |
| South Carolina | $35,230 |
| Wisconsin | $35,130 |
| Arkansas | $34,940 |
| Vermont | $34,730 |
| Maine | $34,210 |
| North Carolina | $32,590 |
| Minnesota | $30,560 |
| Mississippi | $28,690 |
| Louisiana | $28,200 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,460 |
How do firefighter salaries compare to similar careers?
Firefighters earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than real estate appraisers but more than make-up artists.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Real estate appraiser salary | $82K |
| Probation officer salary | $89K |
| Court reporter salary | $90K |
| Underwriter salary | $79K |
| Energy auditor salary | $75K |
| Librarian salary | $79K |
| Firefighter salary | $75K |
| Correctional officer salary | $78K |
| Mail superintendent salary | $80K |
| Make-Up artist salary | $72K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)