Santa Barbara County firefighter salary, 2025

87 people worked as firefighters for Santa Barbara County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $182,476, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Barbara County?

Official pay range1

$71,917 to $120,880

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters1

$182,476

average base pay $104,054

Based on the 80 of 87 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Santa Barbara County's firefighters (81 of 87) hold the title Firefighter Shift, with an official range of $71,917 to $86,348. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $179,026, $92,678 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$186,378
the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$57,351
average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary
$71,917
bottom of the Firefighter Shift range
Average pay rank
77th
of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Santa Barbara 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

  1. Firefighter Shift$71,917 to $86,348 · 81 people
    $179,026
  2. Firefighter Staff$100,691 to $120,880 · 6 people
    $234,229

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Fire captain and battalion chief pay at Santa Barbara 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

RankPeopleOfficial rangeAverage total pay
Firefighters87$71,917 to $120,880$182,476
Captains74$90,415 to $108,927$269,915
Battalion Chiefs12$114,988 to $146,757$303,679

Full-year captains averaged $269,915, $87,439 more than firefighters.

Does Santa Barbara County pay firefighters more than other employers in Santa Barbara County?

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

Full-year firefighters at Santa Barbara County earned $2,747 more than the Santa Barbara County average and $3,647 less than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in Santa Barbara County compared to nearby counties

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

Santa Barbara County Shades match the state map.

Where does Santa Barbara County rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Santa Barbara County ranks 77th of 202, above the middle employer.

Santa Barbara County
$100k$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $169,232

The 6 employers in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County ranks 3rd of 6, above the middle employer.

Santa Barbara County
$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $172,358

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 Santa Barbara County

As reported by the county. 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 Santa Barbara County's firefighters
Employer pension contribution
$23,328
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$19,607
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Santa Barbara County

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Barbara County?

Firefighters at Santa Barbara County who worked the full year earned an average of $182,476 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $186,378: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $71,917 to $120,880.

How much overtime do firefighters at Santa Barbara County earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $57,351 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $54,382: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Santa Barbara County?

$71,917 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Barbara County's Firefighter Shift title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $182,476 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Santa Barbara County?

Full-year captains at Santa Barbara County averaged $269,915 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $90,415 to $108,927.

What pension do firefighters at Santa Barbara County get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Barbara County's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $23,328 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Barbara County

Sources for the Santa Barbara County figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Santa Barbara 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.

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

How we read the data