Santa Barbara firefighter salary, 2025

Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County. 26 people worked as firefighters for Santa Barbara in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $162,239, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Barbara?

Official pay range¹

$93,641 to $113,821

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters¹

$162,239

average base pay $104,199

Based on the 24 of 26 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Santa Barbara's firefighters (25 of 26) hold the title 3403 Firefighter 56Hr, with an official range of $93,641 to $113,821. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $162,239, $48,418 above the top of the range.

Median total pay: $155,891; the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime: $42,575; average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary: $93,641; bottom of the 3403 Firefighter 56Hr range
Average pay rank: 114th; of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Santa Barbara 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

3403 Firefighter 56Hr$93,641 to $113,821 · 25 people
$162,239
3404 Firefighter 40Hr$93,641 to $113,821 · 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, captain and battalion chief pay at Santa Barbara

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	26	$93,641 to $113,821	$162,239
Engineers	30	$106,076 to $128,936	$205,296
Captains	30	$122,583 to $149,001	$251,534
Battalion Chiefs	5	$171,330 to $208,254	$269,293

Full-year captains averaged $251,534, $89,295 more than firefighters.

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

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

Santa Barbara$162,239
All employers in Santa Barbara County$179,729
All employers in California$186,123

Full-year firefighters at Santa Barbara earned $17,490 less than the Santa Barbara County average and $23,884 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 rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Santa Barbara ranks 114th of 202, below the middle employer.

Santa Barbara

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

Middle employer: $169,232

The 6 employers in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara ranks 4th of 6, below the middle employer.

Santa Barbara

$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

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 Santa Barbara's firefighters
Employer pension contribution: $20,425; average per year
Health, dental and vision: $15,870; average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Santa Barbara

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Barbara?

Firefighters at Santa Barbara who worked the full year earned an average of $162,239 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $155,891: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $93,641 to $113,821.

How much overtime do firefighters at Santa Barbara earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $42,575 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $38,490: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

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

$93,641 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Barbara's 3403 Firefighter 56Hr title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $162,239 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Santa Barbara?

Full-year captains at Santa Barbara averaged $251,534 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $122,583 to $149,001.

What pension do firefighters at Santa Barbara get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Barbara's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $20,425 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Barbara County

Sources for the Santa Barbara figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara.

How we read the data