How much does a Firefighter make in Maryland?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $70,580 for Firefighters in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $53,710 and the 75th-percentile is $89,590.

How many Firefighters does Maryland employ?

BLS OES counts 5,250 Firefighters employed in Maryland in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Maryland rank for Firefighter pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland 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.

How wide is the wage spread in Maryland?

P10 to P90 spans $45,450 to $99,940. 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.

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

Most career firefighters in Maryland 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 Maryland firefighters?

Most Maryland 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 Maryland median for paramedic-certified firefighters runs above the BLS figure shown on this page, while EMT-only firefighters cluster at or below it.

Firefighter Pay in Maryland: $71K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Maryland Firefighter median pay at $70,580. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $67,475.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $45,450 · P25 $53,710 · P75 $89,590 · P90 $99,940.
State ranks #12 nationally on nominal wage, #16 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Maryland

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$45,450	$43,450
P25 (lower quartile)	$53,710	$51,347
P50 (median)	$70,580	$67,475
P75 (upper quartile)	$89,590	$85,648
P90 (top tier)	$99,940	$95,543
Mean	$72,070	$68,899
Employment	5,250 Firefighters in Maryland

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maryland index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.6
Goods	103.2
Services	108.7
Rents	119.9

Maryland's overall RPP (104.6) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$70,580	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$6,775	9.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,179	2–5.75% (graduated, +county piggyback 2.25–3.2%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,399	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$55,227	78.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$52,797	÷ (104.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $55,227 (78.2% of gross). After the 104.6 RPP, real take-home is $52,797. Local-tax overlay: Maryland counties piggyback 2.25–3.2% on state liability — Baltimore City and Howard / Montgomery / PG counties at the top of the range.

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. Maryland sits at #12 on nominal pay and #16 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maryland falls 4 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Firefighter make in Maryland?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $70,580 for Firefighters in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $53,710 and the 75th-percentile is $89,590.
How many Firefighters does Maryland employ?: BLS OES counts 5,250 Firefighters employed in Maryland in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Maryland rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland 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.
How wide is the wage spread in Maryland?: P10 to P90 spans $45,450 to $99,940. 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.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Maryland?: Most career firefighters in Maryland 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 Maryland firefighters?: Most Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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.