Firefighter Salaries and Job Growth in New York

According to the BLS, New York employed 11,880 firefighters as of May 2018, landing the state in the top category in the nation for the most numerous firefighters. For the fourth most populous state in the country, however, that number gives New York a low location quotient in comparison to the national average, with 1.27 firefighting jobs for every 1,000 occupations.

New York’s metropolitan region employed the second-highest number of urban firefighters in the same time period, though the numbers are larger because the area combines with New Jersey’s Newark and Jersey City areas.

The BLS reports that pay rates in New York’s metropolitan region also ranked among the highest in the country, with an annual mean wage of $78,840. Overall, New York firefighters earned an annual mean wage of $73,710 as of May 2018, making it the fourth-highest-paying state in the country for firefighters. Salaries can vary widely depending on the area, however, with Albany-Schenectady firefighters earning an annual mean wage of $57,410, and those in Utica-Rome bringing in $61,920.