Firefighter · Helena, MT
Firefighter in Helena: $454/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Helena at $54,260 a year. About 80 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.79). The 10th percentile is $37,060 and the 90th is $64,730. Pay ranks 171st-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.6× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,263/mo). Montana taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $454 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Missoula, about 103 miles away, at $1,810 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$454
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$54,260
$37,060 to $64,730
Rent (1 bd)
$1,263
$1,503 (2 bd)
Employment
80
Location quotient 0.79
Pay rank
171st of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
3.6×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $54,260.
- Taxes$893
- Rent$1,263
- Other living costs$1,912
- Left over$454
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $54,260
- Federal income tax
- −$4,473
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$4,151
- State income tax (MT)
- −$2,087
- Take-home pay
- $43,550
- Effective tax rate
- 19.7%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,263
- Groceries
- $385
- Getting around
- $517
- Healthcare
- $433
- Utilities and internet
- $241
- Everything else
- $337
- Total spending
- $3,175
Left over each month
$4,522 gross, minus $893 in tax and $3,175 in living costs.
$454
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Missoula, $1,810/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Helena
- 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 Helena?
$54,260 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 80 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Helena?
$454 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Montana taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,263, and pay covers 3.6× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Missoula, about 103 miles away, leaves $1,810 a month, more than Helena.