Firefighter · Bakersfield, CA
Firefighter in Bakersfield: $1,241/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Bakersfield at $72,410 a year. About 780 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.04). The 10th percentile is $49,120 and the 90th is $470,940. Pay ranks 64th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.0× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,218/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $1,241 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 183 miles away, at $3,128 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$1,241
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$72,410
$49,120 to $470,940
Rent (1 bd)
$1,218
$1,450 (2 bd)
Employment
780
Location quotient 1.04
Pay rank
64th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
5.0×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $72,410.
- Taxes$1,324
- Rent$1,218
- Other living costs$2,251
- Left over$1,241
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $72,410
- Federal income tax
- −$7,544
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$5,539
- State income tax (CA)
- −$2,810
- Take-home pay
- $56,517
- Effective tax rate
- 21.9%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,218
- Groceries
- $433
- Getting around
- $681
- Healthcare
- $487
- Utilities and internet
- $271
- Everything else
- $379
- Total spending
- $3,469
Left over each month
$6,034 gross, minus $1,324 in tax and $3,469 in living costs.
$1,241
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: San Jose, $3,128/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Bakersfield
- 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 Bakersfield?
$72,410 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 780 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Bakersfield?
$1,241 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,218, and pay covers 5.0× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
San Jose, about 183 miles away, leaves $3,128 a month, more than Bakersfield.