Compared with the local labor market
Chaplain pay vs. the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area
Across all employers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area, the median wage for Clergy — about 6,110 people — is $61,860. Fire Department pays a median base salary of $33,145 for this role, 46% below that figure — below the 10th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Fire Department sits in the local pay range
$39,370
$47,390
$61,860
$89,740
$131,510
Fire Department median · $33,145
The bar is the range of annual wages for Clergy across every employer in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Fire Department’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Clergy — about 57,200 people — is $60,810. Fire Department’s median base salary is 45% below that national figure, below the 10th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$37,860
$48,260
$60,810
$76,640
$98,890
Fire Department median · $33,145
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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Fire Department is $39,325, 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 departments
This role across New York City
Chaplain is held in 4 New York City departments. In Fire Department, the median of $39,325 ranks #3 of 4.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the Chaplain role in other New York Citydepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
Chaplain beyond New York City
This role is reported in 15 jurisdictions. In New York City, the median of $39,801 ranks #10 of 15. See Chaplain across all of New York City →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Chaplain roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.