Firefighter · Hickory, NC
Firefighter in Hickory: -$621/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Hickory at $36,340 a year. About 810 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 2.37). The 10th percentile is $29,120 and the 90th is $44,900. Pay ranks 317th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.7× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,142/mo). North Carolina charges a 4.25% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$621 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Richmond, about 248 miles away, at $704 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
-$621
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$36,340
$29,120 to $44,900
Rent (1 bd)
$1,142
$1,360 (2 bd)
Employment
810
Location quotient 2.37
Pay rank
317th 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 $36,340.
- Taxes$509
- Rent$1,142
- Other living costs$1,999
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $36,340
- Federal income tax
- −$2,322
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$2,780
- State income tax (NC)
- −$1,003
- Take-home pay
- $30,235
- Effective tax rate
- 16.8%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,142
- Groceries
- $385
- Getting around
- $605
- Healthcare
- $433
- Utilities and internet
- $241
- Everything else
- $337
- Total spending
- $3,141
Left over each month
$3,028 gross, minus $509 in tax and $3,141 in living costs.
-$621
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Richmond, $704/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Hickory
- 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 Hickory?
$36,340 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 810 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Hickory?
-$621 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. North Carolina charges a 4.25% flat income tax Rent is $1,142, and pay covers 2.7× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Richmond, about 248 miles away, leaves $704 a month, more than Hickory.