Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Rhode Island | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $67,380 | $62,011 | +9% |
| Median hourly wage | $32.39 | $29.81 | +9% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $65,865.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Firefighter in Rhode Island is $67,380, or about $32.39 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Firefighters is $62,011. Rhode Island is +9% above the national median.
Entry-level firefighters in Rhode Island typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 1,620 firefighter jobs on record and a median salary of $67,380, Rhode Island offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, firefighters rank 257 of the 545 occupations reported in Rhode Island — higher than 53% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives at $97,690, First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other at $89,320, Detectives and Criminal Investigators at $88,450 — all figures are median annual wages for Rhode Island.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Rhode Island 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 110.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, firefighters rank 257 of the 545 occupations reported in Rhode Island — higher than 53% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Rhode Island | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $97,690 | $820 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other | $89,320 | $30 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $88,450 | $360 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $85,170 | $770 |
| Fire Inspectors and Investigators | $78,100 | $50 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $77,230 | $1,940 |
Rhode Island 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 110.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 545 occupations in Rhode Island.