Firefighter · Madison, WI
Firefighter in Madison: $546/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Madison at $56,430 a year. About 1,230 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.35). The 10th percentile is $26,570 and the 90th is $77,050. Pay ranks 161st-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.5× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,330/mo). Wisconsin taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $546 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Ames, about 221 miles away, at $3,039 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$546
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$56,430
$26,570 to $77,050
Rent (1 bd)
$1,330
$1,583 (2 bd)
Employment
1,230
Location quotient 1.35
Pay rank
161st of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
3.5×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $56,430.
- Taxes$912
- Rent$1,330
- Other living costs$1,915
- Left over$546
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $56,430
- Federal income tax
- −$4,733
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$4,317
- State income tax (WI)
- −$1,893
- Take-home pay
- $45,487
- Effective tax rate
- 19.4%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,330
- Groceries
- $388
- Getting around
- $509
- Healthcare
- $437
- Utilities and internet
- $243
- Everything else
- $340
- Total spending
- $3,245
Left over each month
$4,703 gross, minus $912 in tax and $3,245 in living costs.
$546
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 Madison
- 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 Madison?
$56,430 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,230 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Madison?
$546 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Wisconsin taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,330, and pay covers 3.5× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Ames, about 221 miles away, leaves $3,039 a month, more than Madison.