Compared with the local labor market
Fire Fighter pay vs. California
Across all employers in California, the median wage for Firefighters — about 31,470 people — is $85,120. Military Department pays a median base salary of $67,728 for this role, 20% below that figure — about the 28th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Military Department sits in the local pay range
$52,390
$65,170
$85,120
$109,620
$136,150
Military Department median · $67,728
The bar is the range of annual wages for Firefighters across every employer in California, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Military Department’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. Military Department’s median base salary is 14% above that national figure, about the 62nd percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$34,910
$44,490
$59,280
$77,250
$101,040
Military Department median · $67,728
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 California range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Military Department is $85,940, 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 California
Fire Fighter is held in 3 California departments. In Military Department, the median of $85,940 ranks #2 of 3.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the Fire Fighter role in other Californiadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
Fire Fighter beyond California
This role is reported in 8 jurisdictions. In California, the median of $77,895 ranks #5 of 8. See Fire Fighter across all of California →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Fire Fighterroles 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.