SOC 33-1021 · Protective Service Occupations · May 2025

How much do First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $111,560. The 10th percentile is $53,700 and the 90th percentile is $201,490. Employment is 50.

Median annual wage

$111,560

10th percentile
$53,700
25th percentile
$91,340
Median
$111,560
75th percentile
$162,710
90th percentile
$201,490
Mean
$122,140

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A public high school teacher standing in a classroom in the United States
A public high school classroom in the United States. Photograph by Harrison Keely. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Percentile spread

For First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers, the published 10th percentile is $53,700 and the 90th percentile is $201,490. The difference is $147,790, which is 132.5% 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 $91,340 to the 75th at $162,710, covers $71,370.

The mean annual wage is $122,140, which sits above the median of $111,560. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median is 19.3% higher than the national median of $93,530 for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $101,514, which is 8.5% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 12.6% lower than the California median of $127,630.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 109.896, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $111,560 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers at $101,514 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

14 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ranks 8th of 15 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).).

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 36 miles away, with a median of $171,740 and employment of 210. That median is 53.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $155,529, against $101,514 here.
  • San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 55 miles away, with a median of $159,570 and employment of 810. That median is 43% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $138,021, against $101,514 here.
  • Salinas, CA is 66 miles away, with a median of $107,830 and employment of 220. That median is 3.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $98,889, against $101,514 here.

Employment share

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers accounts for 0.05% of wage-and-salary employment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (50 of 98,500). Nationally the occupation is 0.06% of employment (99,140 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.80 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers 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 First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $111,560. The 10th percentile is $53,700 and the 90th percentile is $201,490. Employment is 50.

How does that compare with the national median for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers?

The local median is 19.3% higher than the national median of $93,530.

What is First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 109.896, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $111,560 is $101,514. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA compare with nearby metros for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers?

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 36 miles away, at $171,740. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ranks 8th of 15 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.