Los Angeles County firefighter salary, 2025
1,400 people worked as firefighters for Los Angeles County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $191,667, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Los Angeles County?
Official pay range1
$72,928 to $109,538
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 1,217 of 1,400 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of Los Angeles County's firefighters (1,400 of 1,400) hold the title Fire Fighter (56 Hour), with an official range of $72,928 to $109,538. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $191,667, $82,129 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $183,068
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $69,948
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $72,928
- bottom of the Fire Fighter (56 Hour) range
- Average pay rank
- 60th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Los Angeles County pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1
- Fire Fighter (56 Hour)$191,667
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Fire engineer, captain and battalion chief pay at Los Angeles County
Ranks above firefighter, kept out of the firefighter figures on this page. Each rank's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each rank's official range. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.1
| Rank | People | Official range | Average total pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighters | 1,400 | $72,928 to $109,538 | $191,667 |
| Engineers | 813 | $107,922 to $130,489 | $251,300 |
| Captains | 748 | $127,633 to $154,305 | $321,714 |
| Battalion Chiefs | 97 | $171,151 to $206,928 | $430,626 |
Full-year captains averaged $321,714, $130,047 more than firefighters.
Does Los Angeles County pay firefighters more than other employers in Los Angeles County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Los Angeles County next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Los Angeles County$191,667
- All employers in Los Angeles County$206,861
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Los Angeles County earned $15,194 less than the Los Angeles County average and $5,544 more than the California average.
Average firefighter pay in Los Angeles County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders Los Angeles County, and how much more or less it pays.1
- Orange County$185,827 average, 11 employers$21,034 less than Los Angeles County
- San Bernardino County$185,219 average, 12 employers$21,642 less than Los Angeles County
- Ventura County$183,417 average, 3 employers$23,444 less than Los Angeles County
- Kern County$119,528 average, 3 employers$87,333 less than Los Angeles County
Where does Los Angeles County rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Los Angeles County ranks 60th of 202, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 27 employers in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County ranks 18th of 27, below the middle employer.
Middle employer: $196,678
Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at Los Angeles County
As reported by the county. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year firefighter, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- 2% at 50
- the most common formula among Los Angeles County's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $19,334
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $24,039
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Los Angeles County
What is the average firefighter salary at Los Angeles County?
Firefighters at Los Angeles County who worked the full year earned an average of $191,667 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $183,068: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $72,928 to $109,538.
How much overtime do firefighters at Los Angeles County earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $69,948 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $61,965: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Los Angeles County?
$72,928 a year: the bottom of the official range for Los Angeles County's Fire Fighter (56 Hour) title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $191,667 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at Los Angeles County?
Full-year captains at Los Angeles County averaged $321,714 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $127,633 to $154,305.
What pension do firefighters at Los Angeles County get?
The most common pension formula among Los Angeles County's firefighters is 2% at 50, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $19,334 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in Los Angeles County
- Monterey Park$196,678 average total pay
- Monrovia$196,290 average total pay
- El Segundo$195,625 average total pay
- Manhattan Beach$193,064 average total pay
- San Marino$190,133 average total pay
- Arcadia$189,274 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- 911 dispatcher salaries at Los Angeles County$114,289 average total pay
- Social worker salaries at Los Angeles County$112,967 average total pay
- Water operator salaries at Los Angeles County$125,097 average total pay
- Nurse salaries at Los Angeles County$145,756 average total pay
- Librarian salaries at Los Angeles County$104,638 average total pay
- Paramedic and EMT salaries at Los Angeles County$75,762 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in Los Angeles CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Los Angeles County figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Los Angeles County at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Los Angeles County.