Firefighters in California

Is California a good place for you to work as a Firefighter?

You’re in luck! Jobs for Firefighters in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Firefighters in California is growing faster than average.

• Firefighters in California earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Firefighter Career?

• Natural Resources & Conservation
• Natural Resource Management
• Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
• Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
• Fire Protection
• Fire Science
• Wildl&/Forest Firefighting & Investigation

How Many Firefighters Work in California?

In California, there were 32,910 people working as Firefighters in the year 2018.

There were 31,150 Firefighters employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 1,760 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 4,240 Firefighters working in it, which means California has more Firefighters than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Firefighters in this state are growing at a rate of 5.1% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.2%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 2,110 annual Firefighters job openings in California, and 31,100 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 24,300 annual jobs and 350,900 total jobs in 2026.

What do Firefighters Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Firefighters ranged from $40,100 to $135,240 with $74,700 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $19.28 to $65.02. The median hourly rate was $35.92.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $34.74 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $1.18.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Firefighters

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Firefighters.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	8,870	$91,630
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	4,430	$96,040
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	3,190	$67,300
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	2,840	$63,090
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	1,880	$65,830
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	1,560	$111,900
Bakersfield, CA	770	n/a
Salinas, CA	760	n/a
Fresno, CA	720	$63,510
Stockton-Lodi, CA	710	$57,260
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA	580	$54,720
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	580	$86,670
Santa Rosa, CA	480	$57,790
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	470	$96,990
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	460	$57,560
Visalia-Porterville, CA	370	$64,780
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	320	$73,770
Modesto, CA	310	$73,700
Chico, CA	270	$57,570
Redding, CA	250	$52,850
Napa, CA	190	$61,780
El Centro, CA	170	$35,700
Yuba City, CA	160	$46,250
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	130	$48,570

Top States for Firefighters Employment

The table below shows the states where most Firefighters work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	32,910	$74,700
Texas	29,110	$51,240
Florida	22,690	$50,620
Ohio	19,210	$45,910
Illinois	17,170	$52,650
North Carolina	14,870	$32,590
New York	11,880	$81,240
Massachusetts	11,640	$59,330
Georgia	11,280	$37,240
Virginia	10,160	$49,110
Wisconsin	9,450	$35,130
Washington	7,750	$75,200
Indiana	7,430	$50,560
Minnesota	6,840	$30,560
Michigan	6,640	$45,210
Missouri	6,500	$47,750
Arizona	6,380	$44,190
Louisiana	6,220	$28,200
Tennessee	5,710	$39,610
Alabama	5,680	$41,330

Below are the states where Firefighters get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
New York	$81,240
New Jersey	$76,380
Washington	$75,200
California	$74,700
Oregon	$67,820
Connecticut	$67,260
Nevada	$64,920
Hawaii	$60,420
Maryland	$59,870
Massachusetts	$59,330

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.