Tulare County firefighter salary, 2025

18 people worked as firefighters for Tulare County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $82,422, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Tulare County?

Official pay range¹

$42,893 to $52,276

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters¹

$82,422

average base pay $53,504

Based on the 17 of 18 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Tulare County's firefighters (18 of 18) hold the title Firefighter, with an official range of $42,893 to $52,276. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $82,422, $30,146 above the top of the range.

Median total pay: $79,046; the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime: $26,696; average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary: $42,893; bottom of the Firefighter range
Average pay rank: 198th; of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Tulare 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

Firefighter$42,893 to $52,276 · 18 people
$82,422

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

Fire engineer, lieutenant, captain and battalion chief pay at Tulare 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

Rank	People	Official range	Average total pay
Firefighters	18	$42,893 to $52,276	$82,422
Engineers	11	$45,150 to $55,026	$93,888
Lieutenants	42	$51,527 to $62,798	$121,611
Captains	30	$61,979 to $75,536	$159,537
Battalion Chiefs	13	$73,556 to $89,646	$184,365

Full-year captains averaged $159,537, $77,115 more than firefighters.

Does Tulare County pay firefighters more than other employers in Tulare County?

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

Tulare County$82,422
All employers in Tulare County$107,877
All employers in California$186,123

Full-year firefighters at Tulare County earned $25,455 less than the Tulare County average and $103,701 less than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in Tulare County compared to nearby counties

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

Tulare County Shades match the state map.

Fresno County$130,512 average, 5 employers$22,635 more than Tulare County
Kern County$119,528 average, 3 employers$11,651 more than Tulare County
Kings County$112,802 average, 2 employers$4,925 more than Tulare County
Inyo CountyNo employerNo firefighter employer in Inyo County has a page here.

Where does Tulare County rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Tulare County ranks 198th of 202, below the middle employer.

Tulare County

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

Middle employer: $169,232

The 5 employers in Tulare County

Tulare County ranks 5th of 5, below the middle employer.

Tulare County

$80k$100k$120k$140k

Middle employer: $98,115

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 Tulare County

As reported by the county. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year firefighter, on top of wages.¹

Pension formula: 2% at 50; the most common formula among Tulare County's firefighters
Employer pension contribution: $13,916; average per year
Health, dental and vision: $8,941; average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Tulare County

What is the average firefighter salary at Tulare County?

Firefighters at Tulare County who worked the full year earned an average of $82,422 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $79,046: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $42,893 to $52,276.

How much overtime do firefighters at Tulare County earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $26,696 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $22,540: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Tulare County?

$42,893 a year: the bottom of the official range for Tulare County's Firefighter title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $82,422 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Tulare County?

Full-year captains at Tulare County averaged $159,537 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $61,979 to $75,536.

What pension do firefighters at Tulare County get?

The most common pension formula among Tulare County's firefighters is 2% at 50, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $13,916 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Tulare County

Sources for the Tulare County figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Tulare 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.

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

How we read the data