How much does a Firefighter make in Illinois?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $79,080 for Firefighters in Illinois as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $45,760 and the 75th-percentile is $107,120.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $117,060. 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 $107,120.

Why is the BEA RPP for Illinois different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Illinois's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 92.4, services 80.4, and goods 101.6.

Where does Illinois rank for Firefighter pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Illinois 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 Illinois a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?

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

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

Most career firefighters in Illinois 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.

Paramedic dual-certification premium for Illinois firefighters?

Most Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois? $79K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Illinois pays Firefighters a BLS median of $79,080 — the more useful number is $80,079, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Nominal: #6/51 · Real: #4/51 — ranking shifts by 2 positions after RPP.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
P25-P75 spread runs $45,760 to $107,120; P10 floor $33,760, P90 ceiling $117,060.

Wage breakdown — Illinois

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$33,760	$34,187
P25 (lower quartile)	$45,760	$46,338
P50 (median)	$79,080	$80,079
P75 (upper quartile)	$107,120	$108,474
P90 (top tier)	$117,060	$118,539
Mean	$76,650	$77,619
Employment	14,510 Firefighters in Illinois

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Illinois index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.8
Goods	101.6
Services	80.4
Rents	92.4

Illinois's overall RPP (98.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$79,080	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,645	10.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,914	4.95% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,050	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$60,471	76.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$61,236	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $60,471 (76.5% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $61,236.

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. Illinois sits at #6 on nominal pay and #4 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Illinois climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Firefighter make in Illinois?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $79,080 for Firefighters in Illinois as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $45,760 and the 75th-percentile is $107,120.
What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Illinois?: The 90th percentile lands at $117,060. 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 $107,120.
Why is the BEA RPP for Illinois different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Illinois's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 92.4, services 80.4, and goods 101.6.
Where does Illinois rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Illinois 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 Illinois a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: No — Illinois's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Illinois?: Most career firefighters in Illinois 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.
Paramedic dual-certification premium for Illinois firefighters?: Most Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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.