Firefighter Salary (United States)

United States career firefighters typically earn around 50,000 to 70,000 dollars per year, with engineers, paramedics and lieutenants above 90,000.

Overview

Schedules run in 24-hour shifts, commonly about ten days a month, which many use for second occupations. Paramedic cross-certification and overtime are reliable pay escalators, and civil service ladders run from firefighter through engineer and lieutenant to chief. Most US firefighters are volunteers, serving small communities without pay, while career departments anchor the big cities. Defined-benefit pensions and presumptive cancer coverage are now standard legislative wins. These indicative figures come from federal wage statistics and department schedules.