How are Colorado Firefighter salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Colorado?

The 90th percentile lands at $109,680. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $101,990.

How many Firefighters does Colorado employ?

BLS OES counts 6,170 Firefighters employed in Colorado in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Is Colorado a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?

No — Colorado's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

What are the limits of these Firefighter salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Colorado?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Colorado.

Paramedic dual-certification premium for Colorado firefighters?

Most Colorado fire departments respond to far more EMS calls than fire calls — roughly 70-80% medical response is typical. Departments add a paramedic-cert premium of 5-15% above firefighter base, reflecting the labor-market scarcity of cross-trained personnel. BLS aggregates all firefighters under SOC 33-2011 regardless of EMT/paramedic status; the actual Colorado median for paramedic-certified firefighters runs above the BLS figure shown on this page, while EMT-only firefighters cluster at or below it.

How Much Do Firefighters Make in Colorado? $77K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

$76,560 is the BLS median wage for Firefighters in Colorado; $75,165 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
P25-P75 spread runs $60,280 to $101,990; P10 floor $47,030, P90 ceiling $109,680.
State ranks #8 nationally on nominal wage, #5 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Colorado

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$47,030	$46,173
P25 (lower quartile)	$60,280	$59,182
P50 (median)	$76,560	$75,165
P75 (upper quartile)	$101,990	$100,132
P90 (top tier)	$109,680	$107,681
Mean	$78,560	$77,128
Employment	6,170 Firefighters in Colorado

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Colorado index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	101.9
Goods	99.2
Services	86.8
Rents	130.5

Colorado's overall RPP (101.9) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Colorado (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$76,560	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,090	10.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,676	4.4% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,857	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$59,937	78.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$58,845	÷ (101.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Colorado state-tax burden means for Firefighter take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $59,937 (78.3% of gross). After the 101.9 RPP, real take-home is $58,845.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $59,530 for Firefighters with mean pay of $63,890 and total employment of 332,240. Colorado sits at #8 on nominal pay and #5 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Colorado climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Colorado Firefighter salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Colorado?: The 90th percentile lands at $109,680. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $101,990.
How many Firefighters does Colorado employ?: BLS OES counts 6,170 Firefighters employed in Colorado in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Is Colorado a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: No — Colorado's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
What are the limits of these Firefighter salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Colorado?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Colorado.
Paramedic dual-certification premium for Colorado firefighters?: Most Colorado fire departments respond to far more EMS calls than fire calls — roughly 70-80% medical response is typical. Departments add a paramedic-cert premium of 5-15% above firefighter base, reflecting the labor-market scarcity of cross-trained personnel. BLS aggregates all firefighters under SOC 33-2011 regardless of EMT/paramedic status; the actual Colorado median for paramedic-certified firefighters runs above the BLS figure shown on this page, while EMT-only firefighters cluster at or below it.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Colorado Firefighter pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.