Firefighter · Columbia, SC
Firefighter in Columbia: -$509/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Columbia at $36,960 a year. About 1,060 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.21). The 10th percentile is $29,460 and the 90th is $49,240. Pay ranks 308th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.7× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,157/mo). South Carolina taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$509 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Cleveland, about 218 miles away, at $494 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
-$509
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$36,960
$29,460 to $49,240
Rent (1 bd)
$1,157
$1,377 (2 bd)
Employment
1,060
Location quotient 1.21
Pay rank
308th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
2.7×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $36,960.
- Taxes$494
- Rent$1,157
- Other living costs$1,938
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $36,960
- Federal income tax
- −$2,397
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$2,827
- State income tax (SC)
- −$709
- Take-home pay
- $31,027
- Effective tax rate
- 16.1%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,157
- Groceries
- $384
- Getting around
- $546
- Healthcare
- $432
- Utilities and internet
- $240
- Everything else
- $336
- Total spending
- $3,095
Left over each month
$3,080 gross, minus $494 in tax and $3,095 in living costs.
-$509
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Cleveland, $494/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?
$36,960 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,060 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Columbia?
-$509 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. South Carolina taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,157, and pay covers 2.7× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Cleveland, about 218 miles away, leaves $494 a month, more than Columbia.