Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| New Jersey | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $84,130 | $62,011 | +36% |
| Median hourly wage | $40.45 | $29.81 | +36% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $77,325.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Firefighter in New Jersey is $84,130, or about $40.45 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Firefighters is $62,011. New Jersey is +36% above the national median.
Entry-level firefighters in New Jersey typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 7,500 firefighter jobs on record and a median salary of $84,130, New Jersey offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, firefighters rank 233 of the 736 occupations reported in New Jersey — higher than 68% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives at $142,990, First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers at $133,210, First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers at $117,450 — all figures are median annual wages for New Jersey.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. New Jersey levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 116.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, firefighters rank 233 of the 736 occupations reported in New Jersey — higher than 68% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in New Jersey | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $142,990 | $7,650 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $133,210 | $2,210 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | $117,450 | $1,340 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $116,300 | $3,080 |
| Transit and Railroad Police | $106,290 | $340 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $94,770 | $7,570 |
New Jersey levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 116.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 736 occupations in New Jersey.