How many Firefighters does Missouri employ?

BLS OES counts 6,740 Firefighters employed in Missouri 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 Missouri 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. Missouri's overall index of 91.1 reflects rents 70.5, services 85.6, and goods 97.3.

Where does Missouri rank for Firefighter pay?

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $48,470 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $53,203. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Firefighters comparing offers across regions.

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.

Paramedic dual-certification premium for Missouri firefighters?

Most Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri: $48K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Missouri Firefighter median pay at $48,470. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $53,203.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $29,910 · P25 $36,880 · P75 $64,930 · P90 $76,960.
Low BEA RPP (91.1) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $4,733.
Nominal: #31/51 · Real: #33/51 — ranking shifts by 2 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Missouri

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$29,910	$32,831
P25 (lower quartile)	$36,880	$40,481
P50 (median)	$48,470	$53,203
P75 (upper quartile)	$64,930	$71,270
P90 (top tier)	$76,960	$84,475
Mean	$53,180	$58,373
Employment	6,740 Firefighters in Missouri

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Missouri index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.1
Goods	97.3
Services	85.6
Rents	70.5

Missouri sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 70.5.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$48,470	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,678	7.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,484	0–4.95% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,708	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$39,600	81.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$43,467	÷ (91.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $39,600 (81.7% of gross). After the 91.1 RPP, real take-home is $43,467.

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. Missouri sits at #31 on nominal pay and #33 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Missouri falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Firefighters does Missouri employ?: BLS OES counts 6,740 Firefighters employed in Missouri 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 Missouri 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. Missouri's overall index of 91.1 reflects rents 70.5, services 85.6, and goods 97.3.
Where does Missouri rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Missouri 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 Missouri a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $48,470 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $53,203. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Firefighters comparing offers across regions.
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.
Paramedic dual-certification premium for Missouri firefighters?: Most Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri 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.