Firefighter · Rapid City, SD
Firefighter in Rapid City: $471/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Rapid City at $48,160 a year. About 220 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.36). The 10th percentile is $36,050 and the 90th is $68,220. Pay ranks 210th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.5× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,138/mo). South Dakota has no state income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $471 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Cheyenne, about 219 miles away, at $1,028 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$471
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$48,160
$36,050 to $68,220
Rent (1 bd)
$1,138
$1,355 (2 bd)
Employment
220
Location quotient 1.36
Pay rank
210th 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 $48,160.
- Taxes$619
- Rent$1,138
- Other living costs$1,786
- Left over$471
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $48,160
- Federal income tax
- −$3,741
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$3,684
- State income tax (SD)
- None
- Take-home pay
- $40,735
- Effective tax rate
- 15.4%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,138
- Groceries
- $351
- Getting around
- $515
- Healthcare
- $395
- Utilities and internet
- $219
- Everything else
- $307
- Total spending
- $2,924
Left over each month
$4,013 gross, minus $619 in tax and $2,924 in living costs.
$471
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Cheyenne, $1,028/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Rapid City
- 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 Rapid City?
$48,160 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 220 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Rapid City?
$471 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. South Dakota has no state income tax Rent is $1,138, and pay covers 3.5× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Cheyenne, about 219 miles away, leaves $1,028 a month, more than Rapid City.