Firefighters

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

353k

Average Age

38.2

Estimated Job Growth

3.42%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$85,330

Average Male Salary

$86,159

Average Female Salary

$69,262

About

Firefighters are most often employed by the Justice, public order, & safety activities industry. The average yearly wage for Firefighters was $85,330 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Firefighters are NYC-Staten Island Community District 3--South Shore PUMA, NY, McHenry County (Southeast)--Algonquin, McHenry & Nunda Townships PUMA, IL, and Chicago City (Southwest)--Auburn Gresham, Washington Heights, Morgan Park & Beverly PUMA, IL. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Firefighters are Chicago City (Southwest)--Auburn Gresham, Washington Heights, Morgan Park & Beverly PUMA, IL, NYC-Staten Island Community District 3--South Shore PUMA, NY, and Georgia Mountains Regional Commission (North & Northwest) PUMA, GA.

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Service Occupations Protective service occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Firefighters workforce. Firefighters workforce in 2024 was 352,880 people, of which 4.91% were women and 95.1% were men.

Firefighters are paid most in Glastonbury, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill & Newington Towns PUMA, CT but are relatively concentrated in Chicago City (Southwest)--Auburn Gresham, Washington Heights, Morgan Park & Beverly PUMA, IL.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

335,567

Male Workforce

± 14.2k

17,313

Female Workforce

± 3.23k

The Firefighters workforce in 2024 was 352,880 people (4.91% women and 95.1% men). This implies an average annual growth of 21% between 2014 (291,622) and 2024 (352,880).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Firefighters.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were California ($113,416), Connecticut ($112,614), and Massachusetts ($110,022).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$85,330

AVERAGE WAGE

#106 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Firefighters earned an average of $85,330, $15,453 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Firefighters in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Firefighters had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.289, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Firefighters (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Firefighters compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Firefighters and on wages for those in the field. Justice, public order, & safety activities is the industry that employs the most Firefighters, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Firefighters, by average wage, is Religious organizations ($138,175).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

353k

2024 Workforce

± 14,568

2.17%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.75%

This graphic shows the share of Firefighters employed by various industries. Justice, public order, & safety activities employs the largest share of Firefighters at 96.3%, followed by Executive offices & legislative bodies with 1.34% and Forestry except logging with 1.26%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Firefighters in the US. The workforce of Firefighters in 2024 was 352,880 people, with 4.91% woman, and 95.1% men. The average age of male Firefighters in the workforce is 38.4 and of female Firefighters is 35, and the most common race/ethnicity for Firefighters is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Firefighters in 2024 was 352,880 people, with 4.91% woman, and 95.1% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (60,562 people), 35 to 39 years (59,519 people), and 40 to 44 years (49,421 people). Among them they concentrated 48.1% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 12.9% of Firefighters workers were Hispanic and 87.1% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (52.9%), Puerto Rican (14.1)%, and Cuban (8.37)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 77.1% of the Firefighters workforce were White, of which 4.69% were women and 95.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (9.94%) and Black (7.3%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Firefighters from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Firefighters is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Protective Services.

Among the necessary skills for Firefighters, Critical Thinking stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Firefighters need more than the average amount of Equipment Maintenance.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Firefighters in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (16,662 people), Protective Services (16,630 people), and Social Sciences (6,762 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Firefighters workers were Some college (128,152 people), Associates Degree (76,172 people), and Bachelors Degree (75,678 people).

The graphic shows the Firefighters workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Firefighters from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Firefighters need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Coordination, Monitoring.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Firefighters from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Firefighters are expected to see a growth of 3.42% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

3.42%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Firefighters. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.