U.S. firefighter pay varies widely by state as wage data highlights staffing and cost pressures

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Firefighter pay varies by state

Highlights

Washington posts the highest median firefighter salary at $93,490, while Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kentucky have medians below $40,000 as of May 2024.
California's 90th percentile firefighter pay reaches $143,830, contrasting sharply with Louisiana’s 10th percentile at $23,320, highlighting wide regional income disparities.
Nearly 70% of U.S. firefighters are volunteers, impacting staffing and payroll budgets as local tax structures and public safety risks drive funding variations.

State wage gaps and latest pay data

As reported by Business Insider, wage figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics show large differences in firefighter earnings across the U.S., based on the most recent data from May 2024. Hawaii is not included in the dataset, while the figures track median annual pay as well as earnings at the 10th and 90th percentiles.

Among the highest median salaries, Washington stands at $93,490, New York at $88,380, New Jersey at $87,660 and California at $83,400. At the upper end of pay bands, California records a 90th percentile salary of $143,830, one of the highest levels in the data, while several lower-paying states show medians below $40,000, including Louisiana at $33,700, Mississippi at $36,980 and Kentucky at $37,140.

The spread is also wide at the bottom of the pay scale. Louisiana posts a 10th percentile annual salary of $23,320, while other states at the low end include Kentucky at $26,680 and Mississippi at $27,070, underscoring how entry-level and lower-paid firefighters can face very different income conditions depending on location.

Budget structures and regional workforce impact

Chris Lake, director of collective bargaining for the International Association of Firefighters, says pay differences reflect a mix of cost of living, housing, taxes and local budget choices. He says compensation also varies by department type, including local, county or regional, state and federal agencies, with funding generally tied to tax dollars at each level of government.

Lake says no single funding model exists for emergency services, and that departments face different operating demands depending on whether they prepare for dense urban fire response, wildfires or water rescues. Those differences can influence training needs, equipment costs and ultimately payroll capacity.

Another structural factor is the heavy reliance on unpaid labor. According to FEMA, nearly 70% of firefighters in the U.S. are volunteers, meaning many emergency responders receive benefits such as tax credits or certifications but do not draw a regular paycheck, a dynamic that shapes staffing economics across states as climate-related fire risks continue to pressure public safety systems.

In our earlier coverage of Social Security’s growing funding gap, we explained that the program’s trust funds are projected to run dry within about six years without fiscal changes. We also noted that lawmakers are weighing options such as extending the 12.4% payroll tax above the current income cap, underscoring how tax-based funding decisions can directly affect workers’ compensation and long-term benefits.

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