Firefighter · San Luis Obispo, CA

Firefighter in San Luis Obispo: $753/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in San Luis Obispo at $75,910 a year. About 390 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.45). The 10th percentile is $51,540 and the 90th is $101,150. Pay ranks 52nd-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.1× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,013/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $753 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 117 miles away, at $3,128 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$753

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$75,910

$51,540 to $101,150

Rent (1 bd)

$2,013

$2,396 (2 bd)

Employment

390

Location quotient 1.45

Pay rank

52nd of 346

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

3.1×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $75,910.

Taxes$1,434
Rent$2,013
Other living costs$2,126
Left over$753

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $75,910
Federal income tax: −$8,314
Social Security and Medicare: −$5,807
State income tax (CA): −$3,090
Take-home pay: $58,699
Effective tax rate: 22.7%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,013
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $556
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,139

Left over each month

$6,326 gross, minus $1,434 in tax and $4,139 in living costs.

$753

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

Questions

What does a firefighter make in San Luis Obispo?

$75,910 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 390 firefighter jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in San Luis Obispo?

$753 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,013, and pay covers 3.1× a year of it.

Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?

San Jose, about 117 miles away, leaves $3,128 a month, more than San Luis Obispo.