SOC 33-2011 · Protective Service Occupations · May 2025

How much do Firefighters make in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Firefighters in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $113,700. The 10th percentile is $77,070 and the 90th percentile is $139,590. Employment is 3,450.

Median annual wage

$113,700

10th percentile
$77,070
25th percentile
$96,420
Median
$113,700
75th percentile
$125,390
90th percentile
$139,590
Mean
$110,590

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder working in a workshop
A welder at a workshop bench. Photograph by ABDULIUMAR. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Firefighters, the published 10th percentile is $77,070 and the 90th percentile is $139,590. The difference is $62,520, which is 55.0% 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 $96,420 to the 75th at $125,390, covers $28,970.

The mean annual wage is $110,590, which sits below the median of $113,700. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is 91.8% higher than the national median of $59,280 for Firefighters. In 2024 national prices the local median is $98,345, which is 65.9% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 33.6% higher than the California median of $85,120.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 115.613, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $113,700 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Firefighters at $98,345 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

16 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Firefighters. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks 2nd of 17 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).).

  • Vallejo, CA is 39 miles away, with a median of $95,950 and employment of 330. That median is 15.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $88,450, against $98,345 here.
  • Napa, CA is 51 miles away, with a median of $80,260. That median is 29.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $71,308, against $98,345 here.
  • Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 55 miles away, with a median of $64,980 and employment of 380. That median is 42.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $59,129, against $98,345 here.

Employment share

Firefighters accounts for 0.15% of wage-and-salary employment in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (3,450 of 2,373,920). Nationally the occupation is 0.22% of employment (345,990 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.65 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Firefighters in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $113,700. The 10th percentile is $77,070 and the 90th percentile is $139,590. Employment is 3,450.

How does that compare with the national median for Firefighters?

The local median is 91.8% higher than the national median of $59,280.

What is Firefighters pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 115.613, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $113,700 is $98,345. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA compare with nearby metros for Firefighters?

Vallejo, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $95,950. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks 2nd of 17 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.