Firefighters in North Carolina

Is North Carolina a good place for you to work as a Firefighter?

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

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

• Firefighters in North Carolina earn lower 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 North Carolina?

There were approximately 14,870 workers employed as Firefighters in this state in 2018.

There were 15,230 Firefighters employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 360 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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

Job Projections for North Carolina

Jobs for Firefighters in this state are growing at a rate of 9.4% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.2%.

North Carolina Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 1,160 annual job openings, and a total of 16,390 jobs for North Carolina Firefighters in 2026.

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

What do Firefighters Make in North Carolina?

In 2018 wages for Firefighters ranged from $21,540 to $54,270 with $32,590 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $10.35 to $26.09. The median hourly rate was $15.67.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $16.23 an hour.

The hourly rate declined by $0.56.

The median salary in North Carolina is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top North Carolina Metros for Firefighters

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

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	4,190	$33,100
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	2,520	$48,410
Raleigh, NC	1,610	$42,460
Greensboro-High Point, NC	1,370	$36,360
Winston-Salem, NC	1,100	$29,420
Asheville, NC	890	$31,220
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC	810	$31,540
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	790	$30,430
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	560	$27,430
Wilmington, NC	550	$32,690
Fayetteville, NC	460	$25,900
Jacksonville, NC	290	$45,040
Rocky Mount, NC	230	$32,070
Burlington, NC	200	$30,400
Greenville, NC	170	$31,670
New Bern, NC	130	$39,480
Goldsboro, NC	100	$29,800

Top States for Firefighters Employment

View the list below to see 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.