Firefighters Salary
Firefighters in Madison, WI make a median of $56,430 a year, or about $27.13 an hour. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $77K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.29), that's roughly $58,002 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,168/month, about 31.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $56K get you in Madison?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Madison’s Regional Price Parity (97.29). 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 Madison
Firefighters pay in Madison tracks closely to the national median, $56K locally vs. $59K nationwide, a 5% difference. Rent runs $1,168/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 30.9% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.29) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for firefighters in metros near Madison, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | $50K | $51K |
| Green Bay | $48K | $52K |
| Appleton | $47K | $51K |
| Eau Claire | $36K | $39K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Madison, WI
Entry-level firefighters (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $56K. Top earners bring in $77K or more, a $50K 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 Madison numbers change.
Related careers in Public Safety
Frequently asked questions
Can a firefighter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Madison?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $56K, rent takes 30.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,168/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 Madison?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new firefighters typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,594/month. At HUD’s $1,168/month FMR, rent would take 73% 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 Madison?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $56K locally vs. $59K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Madison compare to the national average for firefighters?
Madison pays $56K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.29), the purchasing-power equivalent is $58K — below the national median.
How much do firefighters make in Madison, WI?
The median is $56,430 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $26,570, and experienced firefighters can clear $77,050. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $56K enough to live in Madison?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,786/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,168/month, which eats 30.9% 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 Madison?
Madison has a Regional Price Parity of 97.29 (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 $58,002 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.