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

The 90th percentile lands at $88,940. 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 $75,510.

How many Firefighters does Indiana employ?

BLS OES counts 8,550 Firefighters employed in Indiana in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Indiana 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. Indiana's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 71.3, services 84.7, and goods 95.6.

How wide is the wage spread in Indiana?

P10 to P90 spans $36,940 to $88,940. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the 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 Indiana?

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 Indiana.

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

Most career firefighters in Indiana 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.

Indiana Firefighter Salary: BLS $61K Median, Real $67K (2026)

TL;DR

Firefighters in Indiana earn a BLS median of $61,470, with real take-home of $66,745 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Nominal: #18/51 · Real: #17/51 — ranking shifts by 1 positions after RPP.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $5,275 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Wage envelope: $36,940 (P10) to $88,940 (P90), with quartiles at $47,470 and $75,510.

Wage breakdown — Indiana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$36,940	$40,110
P25 (lower quartile)	$47,470	$51,543
P50 (median)	$61,470	$66,745
P75 (upper quartile)	$75,510	$81,990
P90 (top tier)	$88,940	$96,572
Mean	$61,850	$67,157
Employment	8,550 Firefighters in Indiana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Indiana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.1
Goods	95.6
Services	84.7
Rents	71.3

Indiana sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 71.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$61,470	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,238	8.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,783	2.9% flat 2026 (+ ~1% county avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,702	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$49,747	80.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$54,015	÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $49,747 (80.9% of gross). After the 92.1 RPP, real take-home is $54,015. Local-tax overlay: Every Indiana county levies a local income tax averaging 1–3% — Marion (Indianapolis) 2.02%, Lake 1.5%, Allen 1.59%.

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. Indiana sits at #18 on nominal pay and #17 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Indiana climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Indiana?: The 90th percentile lands at $88,940. 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 $75,510.
How many Firefighters does Indiana employ?: BLS OES counts 8,550 Firefighters employed in Indiana in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Indiana 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. Indiana's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 71.3, services 84.7, and goods 95.6.
How wide is the wage spread in Indiana?: P10 to P90 spans $36,940 to $88,940. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the 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 Indiana?: 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 Indiana.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Indiana?: Most career firefighters in Indiana 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.

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 Indiana 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.