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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
33-2011 Firefighters
Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster assistance.
National estimates for Firefighters
Industry profile for Firefighters
Geographic profile for Firefighters
National estimates for Firefighters:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Firefighters:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 311,350 |
0.7 % |
$ 27.09 |
$ 56,360 |
1.0 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Firefighters:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 12.95 |
$ 17.24 |
$ 25.24 |
$ 34.07 |
$ 45.09 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 26,940 |
$ 35,850 |
$ 52,500 |
$ 70,870 |
$ 93,790 |
Industry profile for Firefighters:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Firefighters are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Firefighters, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Firefighters:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
277,370 |
5.13 |
$ 27.64 |
$ 57,490 |
| Other Support Services |
13,720 |
4.60 |
$ 17.80 |
$ 37,020 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
9,310 |
0.42 |
$ 26.28 |
$ 54,670 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
7,660 |
0.37 |
$ 26.43 |
$ 54,970 |
| Other Ambulatory Health Care Services |
700 |
0.23 |
$ 18.64 |
$ 38,780 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Firefighters:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
277,370 |
5.13 |
$ 27.64 |
$ 57,490 |
| Other Support Services |
13,720 |
4.60 |
$ 17.80 |
$ 37,020 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
9,310 |
0.42 |
$ 26.28 |
$ 54,670 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
7,660 |
0.37 |
$ 26.43 |
$ 54,970 |
| Other Ambulatory Health Care Services |
700 |
0.23 |
$ 18.64 |
$ 38,780 |
Top paying industries for Firefighters:
Geographic profile for Firefighters:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Firefighters are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Firefighters, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Firefighters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
32,600 |
1.98 |
0.89 |
$ 41.76 |
$ 86,860 |
| Texas |
24,690 |
2.04 |
0.91 |
$ 27.21 |
$ 56,610 |
| Florida |
19,000 |
2.25 |
1.01 |
$ 25.35 |
$ 52,720 |
| Ohio |
17,580 |
3.42 |
1.53 |
$ 24.25 |
$ 50,440 |
| North Carolina |
14,910 |
3.48 |
1.55 |
$ 16.46 |
$ 34,230 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Firefighters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Hampshire |
2,430 |
3.93 |
1.75 |
$ 23.02 |
$ 47,870 |
| Maine |
2,130 |
3.70 |
1.65 |
$ 19.24 |
$ 40,020 |
| North Carolina |
14,910 |
3.48 |
1.55 |
$ 16.46 |
$ 34,230 |
| Louisiana |
6,230 |
3.46 |
1.55 |
$ 15.66 |
$ 32,580 |
| Ohio |
17,580 |
3.42 |
1.53 |
$ 24.25 |
$ 50,440 |
Top paying states for Firefighters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Jersey |
6,800 |
1.80 |
0.80 |
$ 41.77 |
$ 86,880 |
| California |
32,600 |
1.98 |
0.89 |
$ 41.76 |
$ 86,860 |
| Washington |
6,520 |
2.04 |
0.91 |
$ 37.36 |
$ 77,700 |
| New York |
14,200 |
1.63 |
0.73 |
$ 37.20 |
$ 77,380 |
| Hawaii |
1,810 |
3.15 |
1.41 |
$ 32.97 |
$ 68,590 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Firefighters:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
15,770 |
1.79 |
0.80 |
$ 40.89 |
$ 85,040 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
10,680 |
2.45 |
1.09 |
$ 31.96 |
$ 66,480 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
9,970 |
1.71 |
0.76 |
$ 48.19 |
$ 100,230 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
7,400 |
2.06 |
0.92 |
$ 30.46 |
$ 63,360 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
7,350 |
2.82 |
1.26 |
$ 32.50 |
$ 67,590 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
6,560 |
2.17 |
0.97 |
$ 33.35 |
$ 69,370 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
6,120 |
2.32 |
1.04 |
$ 20.03 |
$ 41,660 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
5,920 |
1.99 |
0.89 |
$ 26.03 |
$ 54,140 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
4,680 |
1.87 |
0.83 |
$ 33.17 |
$ 68,980 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
4,030 |
3.33 |
1.49 |
$ 16.61 |
$ 34,540 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Firefighters:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ |
440 |
8.79 |
3.93 |
$ 21.81 |
$ 45,360 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC |
500 |
6.71 |
3.00 |
$ 21.82 |
$ 45,390 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI |
790 |
6.24 |
2.79 |
$ 26.27 |
$ 54,650 |
| Yakima, WA |
560 |
6.23 |
2.78 |
$ 29.85 |
$ 62,080 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ |
200 |
6.19 |
2.77 |
$ 17.51 |
$ 36,420 |
| Mansfield, OH |
270 |
5.99 |
2.68 |
$ 19.00 |
$ 39,520 |
| Leominster-Gardner, MA |
280 |
5.85 |
2.61 |
$ 28.47 |
$ 59,220 |
| Hinesville, GA |
100 |
5.74 |
2.57 |
$ 20.26 |
$ 42,130 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA |
910 |
5.57 |
2.49 |
$ 19.82 |
$ 41,220 |
| Jacksonville, NC |
250 |
5.48 |
2.45 |
$ 19.29 |
$ 40,120 |
|
United States Department of Labor
