Firefighters Salary
Firefighters in Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT make a median of $62,850 a year, or about $30.22 an hour. The range runs from $49K at the entry level to $76K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.44), that's roughly $62,575 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,866/month, about 45.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $63K get you in Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Norwich-New London-Willimantic’s Regional Price Parity (100.44). 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic
Firefighters pay in Norwich-New London-Willimantic tracks closely to the national median, $63K locally vs. $59K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,866/month, which is 45.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.44) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for firefighters in metros near Norwich-New London-Willimantic, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford | $76K | $74K |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | $82K | $76K |
| New Haven | $79K | $76K |
| Waterbury-Shelton | $78K | $78K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT
Entry-level firefighters (10th percentile) start around $49K. Mid-career wages sit at $63K. Top earners bring in $76K or more, a $27K 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic numbers change.
Related careers in Public Safety
Frequently asked questions
Can a firefighter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 45.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,866/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for firefighters in Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new firefighters typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,968/month. At HUD’s $1,866/month FMR, rent would take 63% 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $63K locally vs. $59K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Norwich-New London-Willimantic compare to the national average for firefighters?
Norwich-New London-Willimantic pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s +6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $63K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do firefighters make in Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT?
The median is $62,850 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,470, and experienced firefighters can clear $76,290. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $63K enough to live in Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,128/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,866/month, which eats 45.2% 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
Norwich-New London-Willimantic has a Regional Price Parity of 100.44 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median firefighters salary is worth about $62,575 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.