How much does a Firefighter make in New Mexico?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $42,920 for Firefighters in New Mexico as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $36,620 and the 75th-percentile is $47,520.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $59,580. 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 $47,520.

Where does New Mexico rank for Firefighter pay?

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $42,920 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $47,175. 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.

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

Most career firefighters in New Mexico 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 New Mexico firefighters?

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

New Mexico Firefighter Salary: BLS $43K Median, Real $47K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports New Mexico Firefighter median pay at $42,920. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $47,175.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #44 of 51; nominal rank is #43.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $4,255 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Bottom quartile $36,620, top quartile $47,520. The P90 ($59,580) is roughly 1.9× the P10 ($31,200).

Wage breakdown — New Mexico

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$31,200	$34,293
P25 (lower quartile)	$36,620	$40,250
P50 (median)	$42,920	$47,175
P75 (upper quartile)	$47,520	$52,231
P90 (top tier)	$59,580	$65,486
Mean	$44,110	$48,483
Employment	2,200 Firefighters in New Mexico

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Mexico index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.0
Goods	97.4
Services	77.9
Rents	75.3

New Mexico 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 75.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$42,920	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,012	7.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,001	1.7–5.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,283	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$35,623	83.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$39,155	÷ (91.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New Mexico state-tax burden means for Firefighter take-home

New Mexico's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.3% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 91.0), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $39,155.

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. New Mexico sits at #43 on nominal pay and #44 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Mexico falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Firefighter make in New Mexico?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $42,920 for Firefighters in New Mexico as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $36,620 and the 75th-percentile is $47,520.
What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in New Mexico?: The 90th percentile lands at $59,580. 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 $47,520.
Where does New Mexico rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New Mexico 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 New Mexico a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $42,920 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $47,175. 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.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in New Mexico?: Most career firefighters in New Mexico 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 New Mexico firefighters?: Most New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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.