San Francisco firefighter salary, 2025
San Francisco is a city in San Francisco County. 1,417 people worked as firefighters for San Francisco in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $188,729, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at San Francisco?
Official pay range1
$80,894 to $175,630
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 1,291 of 1,417 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of San Francisco's firefighters (867 of 1,417) hold the title Firefighter, with an official range of $80,894 to $124,779. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $187,575, $62,796 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $186,546
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $31,273
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $80,894
- bottom of the Firefighter range
- Average pay rank
- 68th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at San Francisco 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$187,575
- Emt/Paramedic/Firefighter$190,678
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Fire lieutenant, captain and battalion chief pay at San Francisco
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 | 1,417 | $80,894 to $175,630 | $188,729 |
| Lieutenants | 199 | $145,045 | $265,202 |
| Captains | 83 | $165,567 | $304,319 |
| Battalion Chiefs | 42 | $198,775 | $377,398 |
Full-year captains averaged $304,319, $115,590 more than firefighters.
Does San Francisco pay firefighters more than other California employers?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: San Francisco next to every California employer together.1
- San Francisco$188,729
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at San Francisco earned $2,606 more than the California average.
Average firefighter pay in San Francisco County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders San Francisco County, and how much more or less it pays.1
- San Mateo County$219,236 average, 9 employers$30,507 more than San Francisco County
- Alameda County$211,608 average, 10 employers$22,879 more than San Francisco County
- Contra Costa County$206,299 average, 6 employers$17,570 more than San Francisco County
- Marin County$198,701 average, 6 employers$9,972 more than San Francisco County
Where does San Francisco rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
San Francisco ranks 68th of 202, above the middle employer.
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 San Francisco
As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year firefighter, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- 3% at 58
- the most common formula among San Francisco's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $22,298
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $21,120
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at San Francisco
What is the average firefighter salary at San Francisco?
Firefighters at San Francisco who worked the full year earned an average of $188,729 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $186,546: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $80,894 to $175,630.
How much overtime do firefighters at San Francisco earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $31,273 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $20,111: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at San Francisco?
$80,894 a year: the bottom of the official range for San Francisco's Firefighter title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $188,729 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at San Francisco?
Full-year captains at San Francisco averaged $304,319 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $165,567 to $165,567.
What pension do firefighters at San Francisco get?
The most common pension formula among San Francisco's firefighters is 3% at 58, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $22,298 a year into the pension plan.
More public salaries at San Francisco
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at San Francisco$255,036 average total pay
- 911 dispatcher salaries at San Francisco$192,456 average total pay
- Social worker salaries at San Francisco$129,691 average total pay
- Water operator salaries at San Francisco$164,802 average total pay
- Nurse salaries at San Francisco$240,719 average total pay
- Librarian salaries at San Francisco$126,067 average total pay
- Paramedic and EMT salaries at San FranciscoPay by title
- Teacher salaries in San Francisco CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the San Francisco figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at San Francisco 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 San Francisco.