Firefighters

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

324k

Average Age

38.6

Estimated Job Growth

6.05%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$76,498

Average Male Salary

$77,165

Average Female Salary

$61,941

About

Firefighters are most often employed by the Justice, public order, & safety activities industry. The average yearly wage for Firefighters was $76,498 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Firefighters are Tottenville, Great Kills & Annadale PUMA, NY, Ashburn, Washington Heights, Morgan Park & Beverly PUMA, IL, and Greer City (East) PUMA, SC. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Firefighters are Tottenville, Great Kills & Annadale PUMA, NY, Ashburn, Washington Heights, Morgan Park & Beverly PUMA, IL, and Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas & Siskiyou Counties PUMA, CA.

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Service Occupations Protective service occupations

Employment and salary information for the Firefighters workforce. Firefighters workforce in 2021 was 324,149 people, of which 4.38% were women and 95.6% were men. Firefighters are paid most in Ridgewood, Glendale & Middle Village PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Tottenville, Great Kills & Annadale PUMA, NY.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

309,950

Male Workforce

± 13.7k

14,199

Female Workforce

± 2.93k

The Firefighters workforce in 2021 was 324,149 people (4.38% women and 95.6% men). This implies an average annual growth of 11.8% between 2014 (289,812) and 2021 (324,149).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Firefighters.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Connecticut ($101,339), California ($101,302), and New Jersey ($99,095).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$76,498

AVERAGE WAGE

#126 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Firefighters earned an average of $76,498, $16,903 more than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Firefighters in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.286

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Firefighters had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.286, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Firefighters (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Firefighters compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Firefighters and on wages for those in the field. Justice, public order, & safety activities is the industry that employs the most Firefighters, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Firefighters, by average wage, is Petroleum refining ($108,905).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

324k

2021 Workforce

± 13,963

4.3%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.9%

This graphic shows the share of Firefighters employed by various industries. Justice, public order, & safety activities employs the largest share of Firefighters at 97.3%, followed by National security & international affairs with 1.36% and Executive offices & legislative bodies with 1.35%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Firefighters in the US. The workforce of Firefighters in 2021 was 324,149 people, with 4.38% woman, and 95.6% men. The average age of male Firefighters in the workforce is 38.7 and of female Firefighters is 36.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Firefighters is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Firefighters in 2021 was 324,149 people, with 4.38% woman, and 95.6% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (56,873 people), 35 to 39 years (54,226 people), and 25 to 29 years (44,966 people). Among them they concentrated 48.2% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 11.2% of Firefighters workers were Hispanic and 88.8% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (72.6%), Puerto Rican (17)%, and Cuban (10.4)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 82.2% of the Firefighters workforce were White, of which 4.18% were women and 95.8% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (7.41%) and Two or More Races (5.85%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Firefighters from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Firefighters is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Protective Services.

Among the necessary skills for Firefighters, Coordination stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Firefighters need more than the average amount of Repairing.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Firefighters in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (15,033 people), Protective Services (14,118 people), and Social Sciences (6,033 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Firefighters workers were Some college (123,594 people), Associates Degree (69,952 people), and Bachelors Degree (66,370 people).

The graphic shows the Firefighters workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Firefighters from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Firefighters need many skills, but most especially Coordination, Monitoring, Critical Thinking.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Firefighters from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Firefighters are expected to see a growth of 6.05% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

6.05%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Firefighters. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.