Firefighter Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of firefighters to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035 (about 13,100 more jobs), with about 26,800 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $59,280 a year ranks 439th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +3.7%
- Openings a year
- 26,800
- Median pay
- $59,280
- Pay rank
- 439th of 825
Is employment of firefighters growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of firefighters to rise 3.7% (about 13,100 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the +1.1% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 24 protective service occupations with a projection. That change ranks 334th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 355,300 |
| Employment, 2035 | 368,400 |
| Projected change | +3.7% |
| Openings a year | 26,800 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 355,300 jobs here differ from the 345,990 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 26,800 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 128th most of 830 occupations. About 95% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 1,310 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for firefighters rank?
The median of $59,280 a year ranks 439th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: postsecondary nondegree award.
- Typical on-the-job training: long-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | +3.7% | 6,600 | $93,530 |
| Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists | +13.1% | 400 | $56,870 |
| Fire Inspectors and Investigators | +4.2% | 1,600 | $75,920 |
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | +5.5% | 45,400 | $33,580 |
| Security Guards | +0.9% | 156,000 | $38,020 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | +5.4% | 1,200 | $115,160 |
| Emergency Medical Technicians | +5.8% | 13,800 | $44,470 |
| Paramedics | +5.7% | 4,300 | $60,600 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.