Firefighters in New Jersey

Considering a career as a Firefighter in New Jersey?

While jobs for Firefighters in New Jersey are decreasing, those who do work in these jobs get paid higher than average.

• Employment for Firefighters in New Jersey is expected to decrease.

• Firefighters in New Jersey 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 New Jersey?

In 2018, there were 5,590 Firefighters working in the state.

There were 5,530 Firefighters employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 60 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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

Job Projections for New Jersey

Jobs for Firefighters in this state are declining at a rate of 1.5% which is a faster decline than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.2%.

New Jersey Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 370 annual job openings, and 5,810 total jobs in 2026 for Firefighters in this state.

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

What do Firefighters Make in New Jersey?

In 2018 wages for Firefighters ranged from $39,790 to $114,440 with $76,380 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $19.13 to $55.02. The median hourly rate was $36.72.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $36.26 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.46.

The median salary in New Jersey is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top New Jersey Metros for Firefighters

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

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	13,070	$85,840
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	3,730	$63,820
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	320	$73,860
Trenton, NJ	300	$70,870
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	210	$56,490
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ	50	$60,310
Ocean City, NJ	40	n/a

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.