Firefighters Salary
Firefighters in Santa Fe, NM make a median of $31,200 a year, or about $15 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $62K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.77), that's roughly $31,589 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,685/month, about 79.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $31K get you in Santa Fe?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Fe’s Regional Price Parity (98.77). 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 Santa Fe
Pay for firefighters in Santa Fe runs about 47% below the U.S. median of $59K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,685/month, which is 76.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.77) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. 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 Santa Fe, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | $42K | $44K |
| Las Cruces | $43K | $47K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $65K | $63K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $59K | $60K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Fe, NM
Entry-level firefighters (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $31K. Top earners bring in $62K 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 Santa Fe numbers change.
Related careers in Public Safety
Frequently asked questions
Can a firefighter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Fe?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $31K, rent takes 76.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,685/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for firefighters in Santa Fe?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new firefighters typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,685/month FMR, rent would take 90% 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 Santa Fe?
Local pay runs 47% below the national median — $31K here vs. $59K nationally.
How does Santa Fe compare to the national average for firefighters?
Santa Fe pays $31K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -47%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.77), the purchasing-power equivalent is $32K — below the national median.
How much do firefighters make in Santa Fe, NM?
The median is $31,200 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced firefighters can clear $62,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $31K enough to live in Santa Fe?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,215/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,685/month, which eats 76.1% 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 Santa Fe?
Santa Fe has a Regional Price Parity of 98.77 (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 $31,589 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.