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

The 90th percentile lands at $90,010. 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 $76,010.

How many Firefighters does Florida employ?

BLS OES counts 21,470 Firefighters employed in Florida 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 Florida a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?

No — Florida'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.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Florida?

Most career firefighters in Florida work a 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off rotation totaling roughly 56 hours per week — substantially more than the 40-hour assumption underlying many salary comparisons. BLS OEWS reports annual W-2 wages, which include the structurally elevated base from the longer schedule plus FLSA-mandated overtime above 53 hours/week. The headline number understates intensity: per-shift effective compensation looks high; per-hour-of-life-spent-at-the-station it's closer to a typical municipal worker's rate.

Volunteer / paid-on-call vs career firefighter pay in Florida?

BLS captures career (full-time) firefighters under 33-2011; volunteer departments and paid-on-call firefighters are not represented in the OEWS wage figures. Roughly two-thirds of US fire departments are still volunteer or combination, concentrated in rural and suburban Florida jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Florida median therefore reflects only career departments and dramatically overstates 'firefighter pay' if interpreted as the population average.

Florida Firefighter Salary: BLS $58K Median, Real $56K (2026)

TL;DR

Florida pays Firefighters a BLS median of $58,360 — the more useful number is $56,312, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #28 of 51; nominal rank is #22.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Wage envelope: $37,330 (P10) to $90,010 (P90), with quartiles at $46,060 and $76,010.

Wage breakdown — Florida

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$37,330	$36,020
P25 (lower quartile)	$46,060	$44,444
P50 (median)	$58,360	$56,312
P75 (upper quartile)	$76,010	$73,343
P90 (top tier)	$90,010	$86,852
Mean	$63,610	$61,378
Employment	21,470 Firefighters in Florida

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Florida index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	103.6
Goods	98.2
Services	93.7
Rents	123.2

Florida's overall RPP (103.6) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$58,360	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,865	8.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,465	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$49,030	84.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$47,310	÷ (103.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Florida levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,918 a year for a Firefighter at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $47,310 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

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. Florida sits at #22 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Florida falls 6 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Florida?: The 90th percentile lands at $90,010. 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 $76,010.
How many Firefighters does Florida employ?: BLS OES counts 21,470 Firefighters employed in Florida 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 Florida a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: No — Florida'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.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Florida?: Most career firefighters in Florida work a 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off rotation totaling roughly 56 hours per week — substantially more than the 40-hour assumption underlying many salary comparisons. BLS OEWS reports annual W-2 wages, which include the structurally elevated base from the longer schedule plus FLSA-mandated overtime above 53 hours/week. The headline number understates intensity: per-shift effective compensation looks high; per-hour-of-life-spent-at-the-station it's closer to a typical municipal worker's rate.
Volunteer / paid-on-call vs career firefighter pay in Florida?: BLS captures career (full-time) firefighters under 33-2011; volunteer departments and paid-on-call firefighters are not represented in the OEWS wage figures. Roughly two-thirds of US fire departments are still volunteer or combination, concentrated in rural and suburban Florida jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Florida median therefore reflects only career departments and dramatically overstates 'firefighter pay' if interpreted as the population average.

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 Florida 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.