Firefighter · Charleston, WV
Firefighter in Charleston: -$327/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Charleston at $38,780 a year. About 230 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.00). The 10th percentile is $29,650 and the 90th is $44,610. Pay ranks 294th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.2× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,011/mo). West Virginia taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$327 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Altoona, about 229 miles away, at $1,837 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
-$327
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$38,780
$29,650 to $44,610
Rent (1 bd)
$1,011
$1,204 (2 bd)
Employment
230
Location quotient 1.00
Pay rank
294th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
3.2×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $38,780.
- Taxes$559
- Rent$1,011
- Other living costs$1,989
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $38,780
- Federal income tax
- −$2,615
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$2,967
- State income tax (WV)
- −$1,125
- Take-home pay
- $32,073
- Effective tax rate
- 17.3%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,011
- Groceries
- $390
- Getting around
- $574
- Healthcare
- $439
- Utilities and internet
- $244
- Everything else
- $342
- Total spending
- $3,000
Left over each month
$3,232 gross, minus $559 in tax and $3,000 in living costs.
-$327
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Altoona, $1,837/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Charleston
- 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 Charleston?
$38,780 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 230 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Charleston?
-$327 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. West Virginia taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,011, and pay covers 3.2× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Altoona, about 229 miles away, leaves $1,837 a month, more than Charleston.