Firefighter · Columbia, MO
Firefighter in Columbia: $550/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 did not publish a Columbia median for this job. The paycheck used here is the Missouri median, $49,080 a year. BLS still counts about 180 firefighter jobs in the metro, without a published wage. Missouri has about 6,580 firefighter jobs. The 10th percentile is $31,140 and the 90th is $79,360. On the pay used here, Columbia ranks 234th-highest of 387 metros. Pay is 4.0× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,020/mo). Missouri taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $550 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Ames, about 219 miles away, at $3,039 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$550
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$49,080
State median
Rent (1 bd)
$1,020
$1,214 (2 bd)
Employment
180
Location quotient 0.77
Pay rank
234th of 387
Includes estimated pay
Pay vs rent
4.0×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $49,080.
- Taxes$749
- Rent$1,020
- Other living costs$1,771
- Left over$550
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $49,080
- Federal income tax
- −$3,851
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$3,755
- State income tax (MO)
- −$1,380
- Take-home pay
- $40,094
- Effective tax rate
- 18.3%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,020
- Groceries
- $350
- Getting around
- $502
- Healthcare
- $394
- Utilities and internet
- $219
- Everything else
- $306
- Total spending
- $2,791
Left over each month
$4,090 gross, minus $749 in tax and $2,791 in living costs.
$550
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Ames, $3,039/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Columbia
- 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 Columbia?
$49,080 a year. That figure is the Missouri median from BLS OEWS May 2025, because the metro wage was not published. About 180 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Columbia?
$550 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Missouri taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,020, and pay covers 4.0× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Ames, about 219 miles away, leaves $3,039 a month, more than Columbia.