Firefighter · Pennsylvania · SOC 33-2011
Pennsylvania Firefighter Salary — 2026 BLS + BEA RPP
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Pennsylvania Firefighter median pay at $71,430. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $73,337.
- Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
- Quartile range $49,970 (bottom 25%) to $90,240 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $34,820 to $90,240.
- Nominal: #11/51 · Real: #8/51 — ranking shifts by 3 positions after RPP.
Wage breakdown — Pennsylvania
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $34,820 | $35,749 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $49,970 | $51,304 |
| P50 (median) | $71,430 | $73,337 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $90,240 | $92,649 |
| P90 (top tier) | $90,240 | $92,649 |
| Mean | $67,930 | $69,743 |
| Employment | Firefighters in Pennsylvania | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Pennsylvania index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 97.4 |
| Goods | 98.4 |
| Services | 118.3 |
| Rents | 85.8 |
Pennsylvania's overall RPP (97.4) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Pennsylvania (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter) | $71,430 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$6,962 | 9.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$2,193 | 3.07% flat (+ local 0.5-3.9% Philly/Pgh) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$5,464 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $56,811 | 79.5% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $58,328 | ÷ (97.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Pennsylvania 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 $56,811 (79.5% of gross). After the 97.4 RPP, real take-home is $58,328. Local-tax overlay: Philadelphia residents pay 3.75% city wage tax; Pittsburgh ~3% combined city + school. Subtract roughly $2,500/year if PHL-based.
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. Pennsylvania sits at #11 on nominal pay and #8 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Pennsylvania climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Firefighter make in Pennsylvania?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $71,430 for Firefighters in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $49,970 and the 75th-percentile is $90,240.
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Firefighter salary in Pennsylvania?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.4 for Pennsylvania), the real-wage equivalent is $73,337 — what the $71,430 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $51,304 to $92,649.
- How are Pennsylvania Firefighter salaries calculated on this page?
- Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
- What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Pennsylvania?
- The 90th percentile lands at $90,240. 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 $90,240.
- How wide is the wage spread in Pennsylvania?
- P10 to P90 spans $34,820 to $90,240. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- 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.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Pennsylvania?
- 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 Pennsylvania.
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.
Cross-comparison: see how Pennsylvania 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.