Firefighter · Texas · SOC 33-2011
Firefighter Salary in Texas (2026)
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Texas pays Firefighters a BLS median of $60,840 — the more useful number is $62,631, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
- P25-P75 spread runs $49,110 to $71,960; P10 floor $42,430, P90 ceiling $76,840.
- Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
- On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #19 of 51; nominal rank is #19.
Wage breakdown — Texas
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $42,430 | $43,679 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $49,110 | $50,556 |
| P50 (median) | $60,840 | $62,631 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $71,960 | $74,079 |
| P90 (top tier) | $76,840 | $79,102 |
| Mean | $60,880 | $62,672 |
| Employment | 30,400 Firefighters in Texas | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Texas index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 97.1 |
| Goods | 98.1 |
| Services | 92.4 |
| Rents | 97.5 |
Texas's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Texas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter) | $60,840 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$5,163 | 8.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | $0 | no state income tax |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$4,654 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $51,023 | 83.9% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $52,525 | ÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Texas state-tax burden means for Firefighter take-home
Texas levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $3,042 a year for a Firefighter at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $52,525 — higher than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP is below 100.
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. Texas sits at #19 on nominal pay and #19 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
- What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Texas?
- The 90th percentile lands at $76,840. 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 $71,960.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Texas 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. Texas's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 97.5, services 92.4, and goods 98.1.
- How wide is the wage spread in Texas?
- P10 to P90 spans $42,430 to $76,840. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Texas?
- 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 Texas.
- 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.
- Paramedic dual-certification premium for Texas firefighters?
- Most Texas 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 Texas median for paramedic-certified firefighters runs above the BLS figure shown on this page, while EMT-only firefighters cluster at or below it.
- Volunteer / paid-on-call vs career firefighter pay in Texas?
- 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 Texas jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Texas 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.
Cross-comparison: see how Texas 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.