Firefighters in Washington

Get the information you need to know about working as a Firefighter.

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

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

• Firefighters in Washington 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 Washington?

7,750 people worked as Firefighters in 2018 in this state.

There were 8,710 Firefighters employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 960 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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

Job Projections for Washington

Jobs for Firefighters in this state are growing at a rate of 10.8% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.2%.

Washington Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 670 annual job openings, and a total of 9,400 jobs for Washington Firefighters in 2026.

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

What do Firefighters Make in Washington?

In 2018 wages for Firefighters ranged from $31,910 to $103,160 with $75,200 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $15.34 to $49.6. The median hourly rate was $36.15.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $35.28 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.87.

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

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Top Washington Metros for Firefighters

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

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	3,980	$83,280
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	1,590	$84,970
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	610	$67,560
Yakima, WA	440	$58,060
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA	250	$69,500
Olympia-Tumwater, WA	230	$70,080
Kennewick-Richland, WA	230	$66,340
Bellingham, WA	220	$71,810
Wenatchee, WA	160	$33,160
Lewiston, ID-WA	150	n/a
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	110	n/a
Longview, WA	80	$73,270
Walla Walla, WA	70	$60,400

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.