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

The 90th percentile lands at $102,920. 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 $91,460.

How many Firefighters does Oregon employ?

BLS OES counts 3,660 Firefighters employed in Oregon 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 Oregon 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. Oregon's overall index of 104.8 reflects rents 109.2, services 91.0, and goods 104.8.

How wide is the wage spread in Oregon?

P10 to P90 spans $35,010 to $102,920. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

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

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

Most career firefighters in Oregon 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 Oregon?

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 Oregon jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Oregon median therefore reflects only career departments and dramatically overstates 'firefighter pay' if interpreted as the population average.

How Much Do Firefighters Make in Oregon? $73K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports Oregon Firefighter median pay at $73,270. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $69,906.
Wage envelope: $35,010 (P10) to $102,920 (P90), with quartiles at $53,390 and $91,460.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Firefighter ranking: #9 on the BLS table, #11 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Oregon

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,010	$33,403
P25 (lower quartile)	$53,390	$50,939
P50 (median)	$73,270	$69,906
P75 (upper quartile)	$91,460	$87,261
P90 (top tier)	$102,920	$98,195
Mean	$71,930	$68,628
Employment	3,660 Firefighters in Oregon

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Oregon index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.8
Goods	104.8
Services	91.0
Rents	109.2

Oregon's overall RPP (104.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$73,270	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,366	10.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,870	4.75–9.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,605	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$54,429	74.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$51,930	÷ (104.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Oregon carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (8.0% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 25.7%, leaving $54,429 pre-RPP and $51,930 after the 104.8 cost-of-living index — a $21,340 gap from the headline gross.

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. Oregon sits at #9 on nominal pay and #11 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Oregon falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Oregon?: The 90th percentile lands at $102,920. 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 $91,460.
How many Firefighters does Oregon employ?: BLS OES counts 3,660 Firefighters employed in Oregon 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 Oregon 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. Oregon's overall index of 104.8 reflects rents 109.2, services 91.0, and goods 104.8.
How wide is the wage spread in Oregon?: P10 to P90 spans $35,010 to $102,920. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Oregon a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: No — Oregon's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in Oregon?: Most career firefighters in Oregon 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 Oregon?: 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 Oregon jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Oregon 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 Oregon 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.