The highest-paying states 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 of firefighters in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $80,820, Washington is the highest paying state for firefighters. It is followed by New Jersey (average annual salary $77,020). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of firefighters in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $80,820 |
$34,820 | 7,200 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $77,020 |
$39,520 | 6,310 |
| 3 | New York | $75,860 |
$51,380 | 14,150 |
| 4 | California | $71,240 |
$44,390 | 32,930 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $70,760 |
$53,980 | 1,470 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $70,630 |
$46,180 | 2,340 |
| 7 | Illinois | $69,030 |
$35,860 | 16,210 |
| 8 | Oregon | $67,240 |
$31,680 | 3,410 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $66,780 |
$51,190 | 1,770 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $66,110 |
$36,460 | 4,970 |
| 11 | Colorado | $65,020 |
$38,540 | 5,640 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $61,780 |
$35,360 | 1,630 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $61,570 |
$47,270 | 11,730 |
| 14 | Maryland | $60,760 |
$40,460 | 4,660 |
| 15 | Nevada | $60,680 |
$45,840 | 1,970 |
| 16 | Indiana | $57,480 |
$30,570 | 8,680 |
| 17 | Alaska | $56,910 |
$24,110 | 960 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $55,500 |
$37,270 | 1,080 |
| 19 | Texas | $52,350 |
$34,800 | 25,080 |
| 20 | Virginia | $51,370 |
$35,790 | 10,060 |
| 21 | Florida | $50,800 |
$31,450 | 21,580 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $50,550 |
$32,740 | 790 |
| 23 | Ohio | $49,900 |
$29,560 | 18,790 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $49,720 |
$31,200 | 2,400 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $49,360 |
$26,870 | 4,220 |
| 26 | Michigan | $48,790 |
$28,800 | 6,640 |
| 27 | Missouri | $48,320 |
$27,870 | 7,320 |
| 28 | Montana | $48,200 |
$36,150 | 900 |
| 29 | Guam | $48,110 |
$33,700 | 310 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $47,520 |
$35,940 | 470 |
| 31 | Arizona | $47,490 |
$33,280 | 7,130 |
| 32 | Iowa | $44,850 |
$30,020 | 2,260 |
| 33 | Vermont | $44,800 |
$35,450 | 330 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $43,190 |
$26,860 | 560 |
| 35 | Utah | $41,590 |
$26,390 | 2,230 |
| 36 | Maine | $40,460 |
$29,010 | 2,280 |
| 37 | Delaware | $40,030 |
$36,600 | 600 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $39,540 |
$24,940 | 4,440 |
| 39 | Alabama | $38,950 |
$23,350 | 6,400 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $38,900 |
$29,070 | 5,360 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $38,370 |
$25,630 | 2,030 |
| 42 | Georgia | $38,260 |
$27,360 | 11,290 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $37,900 |
$23,620 | 5,920 |
| 44 | Idaho | $37,870 |
$20,800 | 1,750 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $37,750 |
$25,020 | 7,980 |
| 46 | Kansas | $36,830 |
$22,920 | 2,820 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $36,820 |
$22,250 | 1,060 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $36,350 |
$24,280 | 2,100 |
| 49 | North Carolina | $33,920 |
$23,960 | 16,140 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $32,450 |
$21,920 | 2,690 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $30,030 |
$23,150 | 4,460 |
| 52 | Louisiana | $28,640 |
$21,320 | 6,250 |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | $27,890 |
$20,990 | 1,710 |