Santa Monica firefighter salary, 2025
Santa Monica is a city in Los Angeles County. 45 people worked as firefighters for Santa Monica in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $230,552, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Monica?
Official pay range1
$100,704 to $144,228
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 39 of 45 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of Santa Monica's firefighters (23 of 45) hold the title 0722 Firefighter, with an official range of $100,704 to $124,332. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $207,750, $83,418 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $229,055
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $77,978
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $100,704
- bottom of the 0721 Firefighter - Lateral Transfer range
- Average pay rank
- 11th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Santa Monica 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
- 0721 Firefighter - Lateral Transfer$251,855
- 0722 Firefighter$207,750
- 0724 Firefighter Paramedic$249,548
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 Monica
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 | 45 | $100,704 to $144,228 | $230,552 |
| Engineers | 26 | $119,580 to $147,636 | $298,241 |
| Captains | 30 | $141,672 to $174,900 | $359,254 |
| Battalion Chiefs | 5 | $187,848 to $231,912 | $443,080 |
Full-year captains averaged $359,254, $128,702 more than firefighters.
Does Santa Monica pay firefighters more than other employers in Los Angeles County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Santa Monica next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Santa Monica$230,552
- All employers in Los Angeles County$206,861
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Santa Monica earned $23,691 more than the Los Angeles County average and $44,429 more than the California average.
Average firefighter pay in Los Angeles County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders Los Angeles County, and how much more or less it pays.1
- Orange County$185,827 average, 11 employers$21,034 less than Los Angeles County
- San Bernardino County$185,219 average, 12 employers$21,642 less than Los Angeles County
- Ventura County$183,417 average, 3 employers$23,444 less than Los Angeles County
- Kern County$119,528 average, 3 employers$87,333 less than Los Angeles County
Where does Santa Monica rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Santa Monica ranks 11th of 202, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 27 employers in Los Angeles County
Santa Monica ranks 4th of 27, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $196,678
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 Monica
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 Monica's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $29,141
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $27,659
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Santa Monica
What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Monica?
Firefighters at Santa Monica who worked the full year earned an average of $230,552 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $229,055: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $100,704 to $144,228.
How much overtime do firefighters at Santa Monica earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $77,978 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $74,959: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Santa Monica?
$100,704 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Monica's 0721 Firefighter - Lateral Transfer title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $230,552 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at Santa Monica?
Full-year captains at Santa Monica averaged $359,254 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $141,672 to $174,900.
What pension do firefighters at Santa Monica get?
The most common pension formula among Santa Monica's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $29,141 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in Los Angeles County
- Beverly Hills$242,548 average total pay
- South Pasadena$240,682 average total pay
- Compton$229,479 average total pay
- Los Angeles$217,243 average total pay
- Long Beach$213,911 average total pay
- Burbank$211,387 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at Santa Monica$250,024 average total pay
- 911 dispatcher salaries at Santa Monica$151,360 average total pay
- Water operator salaries at Santa Monica$139,081 average total pay
- Librarian salaries at Santa Monica$115,514 average total pay
- Paramedic and EMT salaries at Santa MonicaPay by title
- Teacher salaries in Los Angeles CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Santa Monica figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Santa Monica 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 Monica.