Firefighter · Durham, NC
Firefighter in Durham: -$462/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Durham at $38,350 a year. About 1,220 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.59). The 10th percentile is $31,200 and the 90th is $58,000. Pay ranks 298th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.5× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,274/mo). North Carolina charges a 4.25% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$462 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Salisbury, about 238 miles away, at $1,135 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
-$462
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$38,350
$31,200 to $58,000
Rent (1 bd)
$1,274
$1,517 (2 bd)
Employment
1,220
Location quotient 1.59
Pay rank
298th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
2.5×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $38,350.
- Taxes$549
- Rent$1,274
- Other living costs$1,835
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $38,350
- Federal income tax
- −$2,564
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$2,934
- State income tax (NC)
- −$1,088
- Take-home pay
- $31,765
- Effective tax rate
- 17.2%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,274
- Groceries
- $385
- Getting around
- $440
- Healthcare
- $433
- Utilities and internet
- $241
- Everything else
- $337
- Total spending
- $3,109
Left over each month
$3,196 gross, minus $549 in tax and $3,109 in living costs.
-$462
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Salisbury, $1,135/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Durham
- 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 Durham?
$38,350 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,220 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Durham?
-$462 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. North Carolina charges a 4.25% flat income tax Rent is $1,274, and pay covers 2.5× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Salisbury, about 238 miles away, leaves $1,135 a month, more than Durham.