National Salary Info » Firefighters

Highest Paying Industries for Firefighters

The top 51 highest paying industries for firefighters (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $80,150, petroleum and coal products manufacturing is the highest paying industry for firefighters. It is followed by arts, entertainment, and recreation industry (average annual salary $61,800). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of firefighters in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 51 Highest Paying Industries for Firefighters

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	$80,150	$39,260	60
2	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	$61,800	$26,470	n/a
3	Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	$60,390	$30,610	90
4	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	$60,390	$30,610	90
5	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$58,400	$22,090	50
6	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$58,400	$22,090	50
7	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$57,200	$22,600	380
8	Scientific Research and Development Services	$57,200	$22,600	380
9	Hospitals - State government owned	$56,290	$22,750	60
10	Engineering Services	$56,050	$44,780	90
11	Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	$56,050	$44,780	90
12	Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events	$55,490	$35,740	40
13	Manufacturing	$55,060	$33,470	740
14	Ship and Boat Building	$54,780	$32,460	n/a
15	Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	$53,250	$35,690	440
16	Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	$52,700	$36,930	n/a
17	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$51,690	$31,380	110
18	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$50,890	$19,350	590
19	Chemical Manufacturing	$49,400	$20,910	n/a
20	State government, including schools and hospitals	$49,220	$33,190	6,110
21	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$49,220	$33,260	5,950
22	Federal government, including USPS	$48,330	$40,490	7,490
23	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$48,330	$40,490	7,460
24	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$48,300	$40,220	50
25	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$47,710	$40,110	50
26	Hospitals - Privately owned	$47,710	$40,110	50
27	Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing	$47,100	$19,370	n/a
28	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$46,800	$22,590	294,820
29	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$46,800	$22,580	294,600
30	Federal, State, and Local Government	$46,800	$22,580	294,600
31	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$46,500	$22,230	281,220
32	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$46,500	$22,230	281,200
33	Facilities Support Services	$45,300	$31,840	n/a
34	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$39,490	$25,890	100
35	Educational Services - State government owned	$39,490	$25,890	100
36	Investigation, Guard, and Armored Car Services	$38,440	$18,650	100
37	Investigation and Security Services	$38,440	$18,650	100
38	Educational Services	$37,470	$25,140	160
39	Transportation and Warehousing	$37,460	$24,630	160
40	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$36,710	$25,020	150
41	Support Activities for Air Transportation	$35,840	$22,990	110
42	Support Activities for Transportation	$35,510	$23,550	130
43	Employment Services	$33,880	$25,680	n/a
44	Health Care and Social Assistance	$29,750	$18,800	n/a
45	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$29,050	$24,840	50
46	Educational Services - Privately owned	$29,050	$24,840	50
47	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$27,540	$19,120	11,530
48	Other Support Services	$27,240	$19,060	10,990
49	Ambulance Services	$24,090	$17,790	n/a
50	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$24,090	$17,790	n/a
51	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$24,090	$17,790	n/a