Some firefighters in the US make $144,000 annually. See how much firefighters make in every state.

Colorado and Utah are the latest US states to be afflicted with deadly wildfires.

Three firefighters recently lost their lives while fighting the fires on the Colorado-Utah border, which have been induced by hot and dry weather paired with windy conditions, PBS News reported. Other states in the region, like Arizona, are also affected.

The most recent wave of fires highlights the importance of firefighters and the risk associated with the profession, especially as conditions continue to worsen due to the climate crisis.

So how does pay correlate to such a key job? As we'll see below, firefighter wages fluctuate dramatically across the 50 states, with some states recording six-figure earnings for the highest earners, while others in the 10th percentile of earners barely scratch the $25,000 mark.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics provides data on firefighter wages. Using the most recent data from May 2024, Business Insider identified the median annual salaries of firefighters in every US state.

We also identified the overall salary range of firefighters in each state, ranging from the low-end 10th percentile to the high-end 90th percentile of salaries.

Chris Lake, the director of collective bargaining for the International Association of Firefighters, told Business Insider that many factors contribute to pay differences from state to state. For starters, every state has differences in cost of living, housing prices, taxes, and other factors, so salaries will often reflect these characteristics.

Budgets and pay can vary widely at the local level.

"There's an old saying: If you've seen one fire department, well, you've only seen one fire department," Lake said. Differences in the type of department — local, county/regional, state, or federal — paired with balancing a budget for other agencies and services adds to the complexity, he said. The pay a career firefighter receives usually comes from tax dollars at the department's respective level of government.

"There's no uniform method anywhere that says, 'This is how you're going to fund emergency services,'" Lake said.

He also noted that a department's location and the makeup of the response area play a role. While some fire departments train for responding to fires in dense cities with skyscrapers, others are preparing for wildfires and water rescue. These differences in response, training, and equipment could affect budgeting and pay.

Another crucial detail: Nearly 70% of firefighters in the US are volunteers, according to FEMA, and many states heavily rely on their services. Though these firefighters may receive benefits, such as tax credits and certifications, they respond to emergencies for no regular paycheck.

All in all, a host of variables determine the final amount on a firefighter's pay stub. Here's what that pay might look like for firefighters across the US.

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