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

The 90th percentile lands at $72,970. 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 $60,040.

How many Firefighters does Minnesota employ?

BLS OES counts 4,890 Firefighters employed in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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. Minnesota's overall index of 98.3 reflects rents 90.7, services 89.4, and goods 102.1.

Where does Minnesota rank for Firefighter pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Minnesota 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Minnesota?

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 Minnesota.

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

Most career firefighters in Minnesota 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 Minnesota firefighters?

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

Firefighter Salary in Minnesota (2026): $42K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Headline Firefighter pay in Minnesota is $41,990. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $42,715.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $29,040 · P25 $37,030 · P75 $60,040 · P90 $72,970.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
State ranks #45 nationally on nominal wage, #46 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Minnesota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$29,040	$29,542
P25 (lower quartile)	$37,030	$37,670
P50 (median)	$41,990	$42,715
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,040	$61,077
P90 (top tier)	$72,970	$74,230
Mean	$48,510	$49,348
Employment	4,890 Firefighters in Minnesota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Minnesota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.3
Goods	102.1
Services	89.4
Rents	90.7

Minnesota's overall RPP (98.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$41,990	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,901	6.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,467	5.35–9.85% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,212	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$34,410	81.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$35,005	÷ (98.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $34,410 (81.9% of gross). After the 98.3 RPP, real take-home is $35,005.

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. Minnesota sits at #45 on nominal pay and #46 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Minnesota falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Minnesota?: The 90th percentile lands at $72,970. 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 $60,040.
How many Firefighters does Minnesota employ?: BLS OES counts 4,890 Firefighters employed in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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. Minnesota's overall index of 98.3 reflects rents 90.7, services 89.4, and goods 102.1.
Where does Minnesota rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Minnesota 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Minnesota?: 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 Minnesota.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Minnesota?: Most career firefighters in Minnesota 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 Minnesota firefighters?: Most Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.