City of Chicago / Firefighter
Role across City of Chicago
Firefighter
Respond to fires and emergencies, perform rescue and medical aid, and carry out prevention and inspection.
68 people hold the Firefighter role across 1 department in City of Chicago, with a median total compensation of $123,978. Among 20 jurisdictions where this role is reported, City of Chicago ranks #5 by median pay.
- Employees
- 68
- Median pay
- $123,978
- Departments
- 1
- Cross-jurisdiction
- #5 of 20
Compared with the local labor market
Firefighter pay vs. the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area
Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for Firefighters — about 14,560 people — is $82,820. City of Chicago pays a median base salary of $123,978 for this role, 50% above that figure — above the 90th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where City of Chicago sits in the local pay range
The bar is the range of annual wages for Firefighters across every employer in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows City of Chicago’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Firefighters — about 345,990 people — is $59,280. City of Chicago’s median base salary is 109% above that national figure, above the 90th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at City of Chicago is $123,978, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Firefighter pay in other jurisdictions
Where Firefighters are paid most
Median total compensation for comparable Firefighter roles in other jurisdictions (highest first). Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not by identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for this role.
Within City of Chicago
Department with this role
The City of Chicago department holding this role
The one department in City of Chicago that reports this role. The bar links to that department’s page for it.