SOC 33-2011 · Protective Service Occupations · May 2025

How much do Firefighters make in Boulder, CO?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Firefighters in Boulder, CO is $79,390. The 10th percentile is $47,730 and the 90th percentile is $107,200. Employment is 360.

Median annual wage

$79,390

10th percentile
$47,730
25th percentile
$67,130
Median
$79,390
75th percentile
$102,580
90th percentile
$107,200
Mean
$81,950

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Firefighters, the published 10th percentile is $47,730 and the 90th percentile is $107,200. The difference is $59,470, which is 74.9% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $67,130 to the 75th at $102,580, covers $35,450.

The mean annual wage is $81,950, which sits above the median of $79,390. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Boulder, CO median is 33.9% higher than the national median of $59,280 for Firefighters. In 2024 national prices the local median is $75,464, which is 27.3% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 7% higher than the Colorado median of $74,170.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Boulder, CO is 105.202, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $79,390 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Firefighters at $75,464 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

6 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Firefighters. Boulder, CO ranks 3rd of 7 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is 39 miles away, with a median of $99,930 and employment of 300. That median is 25.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $98,815, against $75,464 here.
  • Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is 53 miles away, with a median of $87,980 and employment of 3,010. That median is 10.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $83,171, against $75,464 here.
  • Greeley, CO is 62 miles away, with a median of $62,640 and employment of 480. That median is 21.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $62,530, against $75,464 here.

Employment share

Firefighters accounts for 0.19% of wage-and-salary employment in Boulder, CO (360 of 192,390). Nationally the occupation is 0.22% of employment (345,990 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.84 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Boulder, CO · Firefighters by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Firefighters make in Boulder, CO?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Firefighters in Boulder, CO is $79,390. The 10th percentile is $47,730 and the 90th percentile is $107,200. Employment is 360.

How does that compare with the national median for Firefighters?

The local median is 33.9% higher than the national median of $59,280.

What is Firefighters pay in Boulder, CO after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Boulder, CO is 105.202, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $79,390 is $75,464. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Boulder, CO compare with nearby metros for Firefighters?

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $99,930. Boulder, CO ranks 3rd of 7 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.