Modesto firefighter salary, 2025

Modesto is a city in Stanislaus County. 72 people worked as firefighters for Modesto in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $141,462, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Modesto?

Official pay range1

$86,661 to $110,598

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title

Average total pay, full-year firefighters1

$141,462

average base pay $97,295

Based on the 56 of 72 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Modesto's firefighters (72 of 72) hold the title Fire Fighter-112 Hour, with an official range of $86,661 to $110,598. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $141,462, $30,864 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$140,005
the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$25,223
average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary
$86,661
bottom of the Fire Fighter-112 Hour range
Average pay rank
143rd
of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Modesto 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

  1. Fire Fighter-112 Hour$86,661 to $110,598 · 72 people
    $141,462

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 Modesto

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

RankPeopleOfficial rangeAverage total pay
Firefighters72$86,661 to $110,598$141,462
Engineers63$95,659 to $122,071$182,771
Captains65$110,947 to $141,581$227,575
Battalion Chiefs9$145,338 to $185,931$252,646

Full-year captains averaged $227,575, $86,113 more than firefighters.

Does Modesto pay firefighters more than other employers in Stanislaus County?

Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Modesto next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1

Full-year firefighters at Modesto earned $8,865 more than the Stanislaus County average and $44,661 less than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in Stanislaus County compared to nearby counties

Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders Stanislaus County, and how much more or less it pays.1

Stanislaus County Shades match the state map.

Where does Modesto rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1

All 202 California employers

Modesto ranks 143rd of 202, below the middle employer.

Modesto
$100k$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $169,232

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 Modesto

As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year firefighter, on top of wages.1

Pension formula
2.7% at 57
the most common formula among Modesto's firefighters
Employer pension contribution
$24,865
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$11,879
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Modesto

What is the average firefighter salary at Modesto?

Firefighters at Modesto who worked the full year earned an average of $141,462 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $140,005: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $86,661 to $110,598.

How much overtime do firefighters at Modesto earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $25,223 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $23,754: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Modesto?

$86,661 a year: the bottom of the official range for Modesto's Fire Fighter-112 Hour title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $141,462 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Modesto?

Full-year captains at Modesto averaged $227,575 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $110,947 to $141,581.

What pension do firefighters at Modesto get?

The most common pension formula among Modesto's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $24,865 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Stanislaus County

Sources for the Modesto figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Modesto 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.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Modesto.

How we read the data