Salinas firefighter salary, 2025

Salinas is a city in Monterey County. 46 people worked as firefighters for Salinas in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $120,213, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Salinas?

Official pay range¹

$87,453 to $111,615

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters¹

$120,213

average base pay $96,322

Based on the 41 of 46 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Salinas's firefighters (24 of 46) hold the title Ff-Hired Post 9/2013-56 Hours, with an official range of $87,453 to $111,615. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $124,185, $12,570 above the top of the range.

Median total pay: $120,962; the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime: $16,936; average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary: $87,453; bottom of the Ff-Hired Post 9/2013 range
Average pay rank: 170th; of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Salinas 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

Ff-Hired Post 9/2013$87,453 to $111,615 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Ff-Hired Post 9/2013-56 Hours$87,453 to $111,615 · 24 people
$124,185
Ff-Hired Post 9/2013-56Hours$87,453 to $111,615 · 19 people
$111,498
Ff/Paramedic Hire Post 9/2013-56 Hours$87,453 to $111,615 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5

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 Salinas

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	46	$87,453 to $111,615	$120,213
Engineers	22	$100,851 to $128,714	$174,607
Captains	29	$114,160 to $145,700	$191,797

Full-year captains averaged $191,797, $71,584 more than firefighters.

Does Salinas pay firefighters more than other employers in Monterey County?

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

Salinas$120,213
All employers in Monterey County$135,621
All employers in California$186,123

Full-year firefighters at Salinas earned $15,408 less than the Monterey County average and $65,910 less than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in Monterey County compared to nearby counties

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

Monterey County Shades match the state map.

Where does Salinas rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Salinas ranks 170th of 202, below the middle employer.

Salinas

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

Middle employer: $169,232

The 5 employers in Monterey County

Salinas ranks 5th of 5, below the middle employer.

Salinas

$120k$140k$160k

Middle employer: $127,305

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 Salinas

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

Pension formula: 2.5% at 57; the most common formula among Salinas's firefighters
Employer pension contribution: $16,234; average per year
Health, dental and vision: $21,170; average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Salinas

What is the average firefighter salary at Salinas?

Firefighters at Salinas who worked the full year earned an average of $120,213 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $120,962: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $87,453 to $111,615.

How much overtime do firefighters at Salinas earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $16,936 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $13,779: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Salinas?

$87,453 a year: the bottom of the official range for Salinas's Ff-Hired Post 9/2013 title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $120,213 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Salinas?

Full-year captains at Salinas averaged $191,797 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $114,160 to $145,700.

What pension do firefighters at Salinas get?

The most common pension formula among Salinas's firefighters is 2.5% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $16,234 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Monterey County

Sources for the Salinas figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Salinas 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 Salinas.

How we read the data