How are Utah 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 Utah?

The 90th percentile lands at $81,240. 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 $60,920.

How many Firefighters does Utah employ?

BLS OES counts 2,650 Firefighters employed in Utah 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 Utah 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. Utah's overall index of 95.7 reflects rents 106.2, services 73.0, and goods 94.7.

Where does Utah rank for Firefighter pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah 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.

Paramedic dual-certification premium for Utah firefighters?

Most Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah?

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

2026 Firefighter Salary — Utah ($49K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

Headline Firefighter pay in Utah is $49,270. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $51,475.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
P25-P75 spread runs $40,560 to $60,920; P10 floor $35,890, P90 ceiling $81,240.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #34 of 51; nominal rank is #30.

Wage breakdown — Utah

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,890	$37,496
P25 (lower quartile)	$40,560	$42,375
P50 (median)	$49,270	$51,475
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,920	$63,647
P90 (top tier)	$81,240	$84,876
Mean	$53,580	$55,978
Employment	2,650 Firefighters in Utah

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Utah index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	95.7
Goods	94.7
Services	73.0
Rents	106.2

Utah's overall RPP (95.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$49,270	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,774	7.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,508	4.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,769	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$40,218	81.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$42,018	÷ (95.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Utah 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 $40,218 (81.6% of gross). After the 95.7 RPP, real take-home is $42,018.

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. Utah sits at #30 on nominal pay and #34 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Utah falls 4 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Utah 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 Utah?: The 90th percentile lands at $81,240. 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 $60,920.
How many Firefighters does Utah employ?: BLS OES counts 2,650 Firefighters employed in Utah 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 Utah 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. Utah's overall index of 95.7 reflects rents 106.2, services 73.0, and goods 94.7.
Where does Utah rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah 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.
Paramedic dual-certification premium for Utah firefighters?: Most Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah?: 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 Utah jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Utah 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 Utah 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.