Santa Cruz firefighter salary, 2025

Santa Cruz is a city in Santa Cruz County. 20 people worked as firefighters for Santa Cruz in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $170,855, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Cruz?

Official pay range1

$91,608 to $137,760

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters1

$170,855

average base pay $114,654

Based on the 16 of 20 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Santa Cruz's firefighters (20 of 20) hold the title Firefighter, with an official range of $91,608 to $137,760. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $170,855, $33,095 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$166,214
the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$23,457
average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary
$91,608
bottom of the Firefighter range
Average pay rank
96th
of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Santa Cruz 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$91,608 to $137,760 · 20 people
    $170,855

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 Cruz

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
Firefighters20$91,608 to $137,760$170,855
Engineers15$98,304 to $147,816$226,912
Captains17$112,500 to $169,152$262,248
Battalion Chiefs5$165,348 to $221,280Fewer than 5

Full-year captains averaged $262,248, $91,393 more than firefighters.

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

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

Full-year firefighters at Santa Cruz earned $13,647 less than the Santa Cruz County average and $15,268 less than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in Santa Cruz County compared to nearby counties

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

Santa Cruz County Shades match the state map.

Where does Santa Cruz rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Santa Cruz ranks 96th of 202, above the middle employer.

Santa Cruz
$100k$150k$200k$250k

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 Santa Cruz

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 Cruz's firefighters
Employer pension contribution
$19,723
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$22,005
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Santa Cruz

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Cruz?

Firefighters at Santa Cruz who worked the full year earned an average of $170,855 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $166,214: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $91,608 to $137,760.

How much overtime do firefighters at Santa Cruz earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $23,457 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $21,373: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

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

$91,608 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Cruz's Firefighter title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $170,855 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Santa Cruz?

Full-year captains at Santa Cruz averaged $262,248 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $112,500 to $169,152.

What pension do firefighters at Santa Cruz get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Cruz's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $19,723 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Cruz County

Sources for the Santa Cruz figures

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

How we read the data