Firefighter · Ames, IA
Firefighter in Ames: $3,039/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Ames at $86,010 a year. About 60 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.48). The 10th percentile is $38,440 and the 90th is $86,010. Pay ranks 16th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 9.4× a year of one-bedroom rent ($760/mo). Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $3,039 a month after tax and rent. Within 250 miles, Rockford is the strongest other metro for this job ($2,032 left over a month), and Ames still leaves more.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$3,039
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$86,010
$38,440 to $86,010
Rent (1 bd)
$760
$905 (2 bd)
Employment
60
Location quotient 0.48
Pay rank
16th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
9.4×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $86,010.
- Taxes$1,652
- Rent$760
- Other living costs$1,716
- Left over$3,039
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $86,010
- Federal income tax
- −$10,536
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$6,580
- State income tax (IA)
- −$2,714
- Take-home pay
- $66,180
- Effective tax rate
- 23.1%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $760
- Groceries
- $347
- Getting around
- $457
- Healthcare
- $391
- Utilities and internet
- $217
- Everything else
- $304
- Total spending
- $2,476
Left over each month
$7,168 gross, minus $1,652 in tax and $2,476 in living costs.
$3,039
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Rockford, $2,032/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Ames
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a firefighter make in Ames?
$86,010 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 60 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Ames?
$3,039 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax Rent is $760, and pay covers 9.4× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Ames leaves more than the other metros within 250 miles. The next one is Rockford at $2,032 a month.