Firefighter · San Francisco, CA
Firefighter in San Francisco: $1,802/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in San Francisco at $113,700 a year. About 3,450 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.65). The 10th percentile is $77,070 and the 90th is $139,590. Pay ranks 2nd-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.6× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,635/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $1,802 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 78 miles away, at $3,170 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$1,802
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$113,700
$77,070 to $139,590
Rent (1 bd)
$2,635
$3,137 (2 bd)
Employment
3,450
Location quotient 0.65
Pay rank
2nd of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
3.6×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $113,700.
- Taxes$2,624
- Rent$2,635
- Other$2,414
- Left$1,802
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $113,700
- Federal income tax
- −$16,184
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$8,698
- State income tax (CA)
- −$6,601
- Take-home pay
- $82,217
- Effective tax rate
- 27.7%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $2,635
- Groceries
- $512
- Getting around
- $558
- Healthcare
- $576
- Utilities and internet
- $320
- Everything else
- $448
- Total spending
- $5,049
After tax and rent
$1,802 left/mo
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: San Jose, $3,170/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Compare San Francisco with another city
Other jobs in San Francisco
- 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 San Francisco?
$113,700 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 3,450 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in San Francisco?
$1,802 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,635, and pay covers 3.6× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
San Jose, about 78 miles away, leaves $3,170 a month, more than San Francisco.