What is the real (cost-adjusted) Firefighter salary in District of Columbia?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 110.7 for District of Columbia), the real-wage equivalent is $71,744 — what the $79,430 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $60,499 to $83,513.

How are District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia?

The 90th percentile lands at $99,760. 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 $92,460.

Where does District of Columbia rank for Firefighter pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, District of Columbia ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Is District of Columbia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?

No — District of Columbia's RPP of 110.7 sits above 100, meaning the $79,430 nominal wage compresses to a real-wage equivalent of $71,744. The cost premium goes mostly to rents and services.

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 District of Columbia?

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 District of Columbia.

District of Columbia Firefighter Salary: BLS $79K Median, Real $72K (2026)

TL;DR

Firefighters in District of Columbia earn a BLS median of $79,430, with real take-home of $71,744 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Real wage trails nominal by $7,686 after BEA adjustment — the cost-of-living bill, mostly rents.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $61,050 · P25 $66,980 · P75 $92,460 · P90 $99,760.
Firefighter ranking: #5 on the BLS table, #9 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — District of Columbia

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$61,050	$55,143
P25 (lower quartile)	$66,980	$60,499
P50 (median)	$79,430	$71,744
P75 (upper quartile)	$92,460	$83,513
P90 (top tier)	$99,760	$90,107
Mean	$80,320	$72,548
Employment	1,430 Firefighters in District of Columbia

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	District of Columbia index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	110.7
Goods	106.5
Services	109.0
Rents	168.1

District of Columbia is a high-cost state — RPP 110.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (168.1) and services (109.0).

After-tax take-home — District of Columbia (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$79,430	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,722	11.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,911	4–10.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,076	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$60,721	76.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$54,846	÷ (110.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the District of Columbia state-tax burden means for Firefighter take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $60,721 (76.4% of gross). After the 110.7 RPP, real take-home is $54,846.

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. District of Columbia sits at #5 on nominal pay and #9 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, District of Columbia falls 4 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Firefighter salary in District of Columbia?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 110.7 for District of Columbia), the real-wage equivalent is $71,744 — what the $79,430 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $60,499 to $83,513.
How are District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia?: The 90th percentile lands at $99,760. 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 $92,460.
Where does District of Columbia rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, District of Columbia ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Is District of Columbia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: No — District of Columbia's RPP of 110.7 sits above 100, meaning the $79,430 nominal wage compresses to a real-wage equivalent of $71,744. The cost premium goes mostly to rents and services.
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 District of Columbia?: 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 District of Columbia.

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 District of Columbia 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.