Firefighter · Reading, PA
Firefighter in Reading: $1,644/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Reading at $74,760 a year. About 160 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.41). The 10th percentile is $46,870 and the 90th is $76,340. Pay ranks 57th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.3× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,167/mo). Pennsylvania charges a 3.07% flat income tax, plus a 1.00% city wage tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $1,644 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Elmira, about 127 miles away, at $3,273 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$1,644
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$74,760
$46,870 to $76,340
Rent (1 bd)
$1,167
$1,389 (2 bd)
Employment
160
Location quotient 0.41
Pay rank
57th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
5.3×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $74,760.
- Taxes$1,402
- Rent$1,167
- Other living costs$2,017
- Left over$1,644
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $74,760
- Federal income tax
- −$8,061
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$5,719
- State income tax (PA)
- −$2,295
- City / county wage tax
- −$748
- Take-home pay
- $57,937
- Effective tax rate
- 22.5%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,167
- Groceries
- $401
- Getting around
- $563
- Healthcare
- $451
- Utilities and internet
- $251
- Everything else
- $351
- Total spending
- $3,184
Left over each month
$6,230 gross, minus $1,402 in tax and $3,184 in living costs.
$1,644
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Elmira, $3,273/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Reading
- 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 Reading?
$74,760 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 160 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Reading?
$1,644 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Pennsylvania charges a 3.07% flat income tax, plus a 1.00% city wage tax Rent is $1,167, and pay covers 5.3× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Elmira, about 127 miles away, leaves $3,273 a month, more than Reading.