How much does a Firefighter make in New York?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $88,380 for Firefighters in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $71,600 and the 75th-percentile is $105,260.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Firefighter salary in New York?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 107.8 for New York), the real-wage equivalent is $81,953 — what the $88,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $66,393 to $97,606.

How many Firefighters does New York employ?

BLS OES counts 14,730 Firefighters employed in New York in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

How wide is the wage spread in New York?

P10 to P90 spans $56,220 to $105,270. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is New York a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?

No — New York's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New York?

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 New York.

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.

New York Firefighter Salary: BLS $88K Median, Real $82K (2026)

TL;DR

Median Firefighter salary in New York: $88,380 nominal, $81,953 real (BEA RPP basis).
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #2 of 51; nominal rank is #2.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $56,220 · P25 $71,600 · P75 $105,260 · P90 $105,270.

Wage breakdown — New York

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$56,220	$52,132
P25 (lower quartile)	$71,600	$66,393
P50 (median)	$88,380	$81,953
P75 (upper quartile)	$105,260	$97,606
P90 (top tier)	$105,270	$97,615
Mean	$86,680	$80,377
Employment	14,730 Firefighters in New York

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New York index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.8
Goods	105.1
Services	135.4
Rents	122.0

New York is a high-cost state — RPP 107.8 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (122.0) and services (135.4).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$88,380	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$10,691	12.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,256	4–10.9% (graduated; +NYC residents 3.078–3.876%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,761	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$66,672	75.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$61,824	÷ (107.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $66,672 (75.4% of gross). After the 107.8 RPP, real take-home is $61,824. Local-tax overlay: New York City residents add 3.078–3.876% city tax (Yonkers ~16.75% surtax on state liability). NYC numbers are not in the table — subtract roughly $3,093/year for a 5-borough resident at this income.

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 York sits at #2 on nominal pay and #2 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Firefighter make in New York?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $88,380 for Firefighters in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $71,600 and the 75th-percentile is $105,260.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Firefighter salary in New York?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 107.8 for New York), the real-wage equivalent is $81,953 — what the $88,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $66,393 to $97,606.
How many Firefighters does New York employ?: BLS OES counts 14,730 Firefighters employed in New York in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
How wide is the wage spread in New York?: P10 to P90 spans $56,220 to $105,270. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is New York a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: No — New York's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New York?: 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 New York.
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.

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 York 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.