How much does a Firefighter make in Montana?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $64,020 for Firefighters in Montana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $52,070 and the 75th-percentile is $70,080.

How many Firefighters does Montana employ?

BLS OES counts 960 Firefighters employed in Montana 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 Montana 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. Montana's overall index of 91.0 reflects rents 76.8, services 72.8, and goods 96.5.

Is Montana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $64,020 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $70,341. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Firefighters comparing offers across regions.

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.

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

Most career firefighters in Montana 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.

Volunteer / paid-on-call vs career firefighter pay in Montana?

BLS captures career (full-time) firefighters under 33-2011; volunteer departments and paid-on-call firefighters are not represented in the OEWS wage figures. Roughly two-thirds of US fire departments are still volunteer or combination, concentrated in rural and suburban Montana jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Montana median therefore reflects only career departments and dramatically overstates 'firefighter pay' if interpreted as the population average.

Firefighter Pay in Montana: $64K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

$64,020 is the BLS median wage for Firefighters in Montana; $70,341 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $6,321.
P25-P75 spread runs $52,070 to $70,080; P10 floor $46,640, P90 ceiling $78,880.
Nominal: #15/51 · Real: #10/51 — ranking shifts by 5 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Montana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$46,640	$51,245
P25 (lower quartile)	$52,070	$57,211
P50 (median)	$64,020	$70,341
P75 (upper quartile)	$70,080	$76,999
P90 (top tier)	$78,880	$86,668
Mean	$62,840	$69,044
Employment	960 Firefighters in Montana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Montana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.0
Goods	96.5
Services	72.8
Rents	76.8

Montana sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.0), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 76.8.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$64,020	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,544	8.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,670	4.7–5.9% (2 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,898	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$50,908	79.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$55,935	÷ (91.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $50,908 (79.5% of gross). After the 91.0 RPP, real take-home is $55,935.

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. Montana sits at #15 on nominal pay and #10 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Montana climbs 5 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Firefighter make in Montana?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $64,020 for Firefighters in Montana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $52,070 and the 75th-percentile is $70,080.
How many Firefighters does Montana employ?: BLS OES counts 960 Firefighters employed in Montana 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 Montana 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. Montana's overall index of 91.0 reflects rents 76.8, services 72.8, and goods 96.5.
Is Montana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $64,020 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $70,341. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Firefighters comparing offers across regions.
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.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Montana?: Most career firefighters in Montana 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.
Volunteer / paid-on-call vs career firefighter pay in Montana?: BLS captures career (full-time) firefighters under 33-2011; volunteer departments and paid-on-call firefighters are not represented in the OEWS wage figures. Roughly two-thirds of US fire departments are still volunteer or combination, concentrated in rural and suburban Montana jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Montana median therefore reflects only career departments and dramatically overstates 'firefighter pay' if interpreted as the population average.

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 Montana 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.