Firefighters Salary
Firefighters in Lewiston-Auburn, ME make a median of $52,930 a year, or about $25.45 an hour. The range runs from $44K at the entry level to $74K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.74), which stretches that salary to about $55,869 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,586/month, about 45.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $53K get you in Lewiston-Auburn?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lewiston-Auburn’s Regional Price Parity (94.74). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About firefighters
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What this looks like in Lewiston-Auburn
Pay for firefighters in Lewiston-Auburn runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $59K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,586/month, which is 45.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.74 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for firefighterss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for firefighters in metros near Lewiston-Auburn, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Portland-South Portland | $49K | $48K |
| Bangor | $48K | $50K |
| Manchester-Nashua | $59K | $55K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lewiston-Auburn, ME
Entry-level firefighters (10th percentile) start around $44K. Mid-career wages sit at $53K. Top earners bring in $74K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Firefighters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Firefighters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $101K | +70% | 12,950 |
| Washington | $95K | +59% | 7,560 |
| California | $85K | +44% | 31,470 |
| New Jersey | $84K | +42% | 7,500 |
| Illinois | $78K | +32% | 18,400 |
| Connecticut | $78K | +31% | 2,970 |
| District of Columbia | $76K | +28% | 1,480 |
| Colorado | $74K | +25% | 6,510 |
| Maryland | $74K | +25% | 5,340 |
| Pennsylvania | $73K | +24% | 5,020 |
| Massachusetts | $73K | +23% | 11,940 |
| Oregon | $71K | +20% | 3,790 |
| Rhode Island | $67K | +14% | 1,620 |
| Nevada | $67K | +12% | 2,640 |
| Indiana | $63K | +6% | 8,530 |
| Nebraska | $61K | +3% | 1,070 |
| Texas | $60K | +2% | 28,170 |
| Ohio | $59K | +0% | 18,100 |
| Montana | $59K | +0% | 1,010 |
| Arizona | $59K | +0% | 7,500 |
| Alaska | $59K | -1% | 1,040 |
| Virginia | $59K | -1% | 11,160 |
| Florida | $59K | -1% | 24,570 |
| Wyoming | $58K | -2% | 680 |
| New Hampshire | $57K | -4% | 2,700 |
| Iowa | $56K | -6% | 2,170 |
| North Dakota | $55K | -7% | 820 |
| Michigan | $55K | -8% | 6,610 |
| Oklahoma | $50K | -16% | 4,150 |
| Tennessee | $49K | -17% | 7,020 |
| Missouri | $49K | -17% | 6,580 |
| Utah | $48K | -19% | 2,870 |
| Maine | $48K | -19% | 2,480 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -19% | 610 |
| Alabama | $48K | -20% | 7,260 |
| Idaho | $47K | -20% | 2,240 |
| Wisconsin | $47K | -21% | 8,120 |
| Delaware | $47K | -21% | 560 |
| Georgia | $47K | -21% | 12,700 |
| Vermont | $46K | -22% | N/A |
| Kansas | $46K | -23% | 3,360 |
| South Carolina | $43K | -28% | 7,780 |
| New Mexico | $42K | -30% | 2,420 |
| Arkansas | $40K | -33% | 2,480 |
| Minnesota | $38K | -36% | 5,810 |
| North Carolina | $38K | -36% | 19,410 |
| West Virginia | $37K | -37% | 900 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -37% | 5,150 |
| Mississippi | $36K | -39% | 2,920 |
| Louisiana | $33K | -44% | 5,230 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track firefighters salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Lewiston-Auburn numbers change.
Related careers in Public Safety
Frequently asked questions
Can a firefighter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lewiston-Auburn?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $53K, rent takes 45.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,586/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for firefighters in Lewiston-Auburn?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new firefighters typically earn — is $44K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,633/month. At HUD’s $1,586/month FMR, rent would take 60% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is firefighter a high-paying job in Lewiston-Auburn?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $53K here vs. $59K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Lewiston-Auburn compare to the national average for firefighters?
Lewiston-Auburn pays $53K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.74), the purchasing-power equivalent is $56K — below the national median.
How much do firefighters make in Lewiston-Auburn, ME?
The median is $52,930 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,880, and experienced firefighters can clear $74,420. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $53K enough to live in Lewiston-Auburn?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,518/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,586/month, which eats 45.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a firefighters salary go in Lewiston-Auburn?
Lewiston-Auburn has a Regional Price Parity of 94.74 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median firefighters salary is worth about $55,869 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do firefighters get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.