Here's how much firefighters make in every US state

"Chris Lake, the director of collective bargaining for the International Association of Firefighters, told Business Insider that many factors contribute to pay differences from state to state. For starters, every state has differences in cost of living, housing prices, taxes, and other factors, so salaries will often reflect these characteristics."

"And beyond the economic conditions a fire department operates in, budgets and pay can vary massively on a local level. "There's an old saying: If you've seen one fire department, well, you've only seen one fire department," Lake said. Differences in the type of department - local, county/regional, state, or federal - paired with balancing a budget for other agencies and services adds to the complexity."

Firefighter compensation in the United States shows significant regional variation according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data from May 2024. Washington and New York report the highest median wages, while Louisiana has the lowest. California records the highest 90th percentile wage at $143,830, while some states' 10th percentile earners make barely $25,000 annually. Multiple factors drive these disparities, including state-level differences in cost of living, housing prices, and taxes. Local budget constraints and department structure—whether local, county, state, or federal—further influence compensation. Fire department funding typically derives from tax dollars, creating additional complexity in pay determination across jurisdictions.

Read at Business Insider