Firefighter · Modesto, CA
Firefighter in Modesto: $1,262/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Modesto at $77,370 a year. About 230 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.53). The 10th percentile is $62,320 and the 90th is $126,420. Pay ranks 45th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 4.4× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,463/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $1,262 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 50 miles away, at $3,128 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$1,262
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$77,370
$62,320 to $126,420
Rent (1 bd)
$1,463
$1,742 (2 bd)
Employment
230
Location quotient 0.53
Pay rank
45th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
4.4×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $77,370.
- Taxes$1,481
- Rent$1,463
- Other living costs$2,241
- Left over$1,262
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $77,370
- Federal income tax
- −$8,635
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$5,919
- State income tax (CA)
- −$3,223
- Take-home pay
- $59,593
- Effective tax rate
- 23.0%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,463
- Groceries
- $433
- Getting around
- $670
- Healthcare
- $487
- Utilities and internet
- $271
- Everything else
- $379
- Total spending
- $3,704
Left over each month
$6,448 gross, minus $1,481 in tax and $3,704 in living costs.
$1,262
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: San Jose, $3,128/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Modesto
- 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 Modesto?
$77,370 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 230 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Modesto?
$1,262 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,463, and pay covers 4.4× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
San Jose, about 50 miles away, leaves $3,128 a month, more than Modesto.