Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District firefighter salary, 2025
Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District is a fire protection district in San Diego County. 18 people worked as firefighters for Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $179,489, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District?
Official pay range1
$106,786 to $129,799
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 13 of 18 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District's firefighters (18 of 18) hold the title Firefighter/Paramedic, with an official range of $106,786 to $129,799. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $179,489, $49,690 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $181,103
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $53,070
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $106,786
- bottom of the Firefighter/Paramedic range
- Average pay rank
- 81st
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District 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
- Firefighter/Paramedic$179,489
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Fire engineer and captain pay at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District
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 | 18 | $106,786 to $129,799 | $179,489 |
| Engineers | 18 | $115,090 to $139,893 | $191,991 |
| Captains | 18 | $132,771 to $161,384 | $223,229 |
Full-year captains averaged $223,229, $43,740 more than firefighters.
Does Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District pay firefighters more than other employers in San Diego County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District$179,489
- All employers in San Diego County$145,053
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District earned $34,436 more than the San Diego County average and $6,634 less than the California average.
Average firefighter pay in San Diego County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders San Diego County, and how much more or less it pays.1
Where does Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District ranks 81st of 202, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 23 employers in San Diego County
Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District ranks 4th of 23, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $161,998
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 Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District
As reported by the agency. 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 Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $17,850
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $14,623
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District
What is the average firefighter salary at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District?
Firefighters at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District who worked the full year earned an average of $179,489 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $181,103: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $106,786 to $129,799.
How much overtime do firefighters at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $53,070 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $50,974: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District?
$106,786 a year: the bottom of the official range for Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District's Firefighter/Paramedic title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $179,489 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District?
Full-year captains at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District averaged $223,229 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $132,771 to $161,384.
What pension do firefighters at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District get?
The most common pension formula among Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the agency. The employer paid an average of $17,850 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in San Diego County
- La Mesa$184,024 average total pay
- Lakeside Fire Protection District$181,528 average total pay
- Poway$176,781 average total pay
- Carlsbad$175,781 average total pay
- Santee$169,557 average total pay
- Vista$168,629 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Teacher salaries in San Diego CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District 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 Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District.