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Firefighters

US occupation · SOC 33-2011

Job titles people report: Fire Engineer, Fire Equipment Operator, Fire Rescue Technician (Fire Rescue Tech), Fire Technician (Fire Tech), Fireman, Forest Fire Suppression Specialist, Forestry Fire Technician (Forestry Fire Tech), Hot Shot, Rescue Firefighter, Wildland Firefighter

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025
$59,280
Half earn more, half earn less
Middle half earn
$44,490 – $77,250
25th to 75th percentile
People employed, May 2025
345,990
Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
Projected change, 2025–35
+3.7%
At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
Openings a year (projected)
26,800
New jobs plus replacing people who leave
Typical education to enter
Postsecondary nondegree award
BLS
  • All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
  • Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
  • Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster assistance.

Main tasks

  • Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
  • Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support.
  • Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
  • Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.
  • Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment.
  • Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents.
  • Search to locate fire survivors.
  • Operate pumps connected to high-pressure hoses.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)
Postsecondary nondegree award
Training once hired: long-term on-the-job training
O*NET Job Zone 1–2
Little to some preparation
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Interests it suits

The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.

  • Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
  • Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
  • Social: helping, teaching and caring for people

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 5 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Environmental Studies

  • Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Environmental Studies at the Major step.

Where many students take environmental studies

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Criminal Justice

  • Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician
  • Fire Science/Fire-fighting
  • Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation
  • Fire Protection, Other

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Criminal Justice at the Major step.

Where many students take criminal justice

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

← All careers

Sources

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0

Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk