How much does a Firefighter make in Vermont?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $46,130 for Firefighters in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,440 and the 75th-percentile is $53,450.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.1 for Vermont), the real-wage equivalent is $47,487 — what the $46,130 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,542 to $55,023.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $58,240. 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 $53,450.

Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont 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. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.

Where does Vermont rank for Firefighter pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Vermont 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.

How wide is the wage spread in Vermont?

P10 to P90 spans $31,480 to $58,240. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

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

Vermont Firefighter Salary 2026 — BLS Median $46K, Real Take-Home $47K

TL;DR

$46,130 is the BLS median wage for Firefighters in Vermont; $47,487 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
State ranks #39 nationally on nominal wage, #43 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Quartile range $37,440 (bottom 25%) to $53,450 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $31,480 to $58,240.

Wage breakdown — Vermont

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$31,480	$32,406
P25 (lower quartile)	$37,440	$38,542
P50 (median)	$46,130	$47,487
P75 (upper quartile)	$53,450	$55,023
P90 (top tier)	$58,240	$59,953
Mean	$47,140	$48,527
Employment	470 Firefighters in Vermont

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Vermont index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.1
Goods	97.9
Services	122.1
Rents	82.3

Vermont's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$46,130	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,398	7.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,297	3.35–8.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,529	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$37,906	82.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$39,021	÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $37,906 (82.2% of gross). After the 97.1 RPP, real take-home is $39,021.

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. Vermont sits at #39 on nominal pay and #43 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Vermont falls 4 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Firefighter make in Vermont?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $46,130 for Firefighters in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,440 and the 75th-percentile is $53,450.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Firefighter salary in Vermont?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.1 for Vermont), the real-wage equivalent is $47,487 — what the $46,130 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,542 to $55,023.
What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Vermont?: The 90th percentile lands at $58,240. 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 $53,450.
Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont 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. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.
Where does Vermont rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Vermont 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.
How wide is the wage spread in Vermont?: P10 to P90 spans $31,480 to $58,240. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Vermont a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: No — Vermont's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

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 Vermont 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.