Firefighter · Santa Cruz, CA
Firefighter in Santa Cruz: -$373/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Santa Cruz at $64,980 a year. About 380 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.73). The 10th percentile is $40,590 and the 90th is $99,550. Pay ranks 87th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.1× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,638/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$373 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 36 miles away, at $3,128 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
-$373
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$64,980
$40,590 to $99,550
Rent (1 bd)
$2,638
$3,141 (2 bd)
Employment
380
Location quotient 1.73
Pay rank
87th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
2.1×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $64,980.
- Taxes$1,091
- Rent$2,638
- Other living costs$2,059
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $64,980
- Federal income tax
- −$5,910
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$4,971
- State income tax (CA)
- −$2,215
- Take-home pay
- $51,884
- Effective tax rate
- 20.2%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $2,638
- Groceries
- $433
- Getting around
- $489
- Healthcare
- $487
- Utilities and internet
- $271
- Everything else
- $379
- Total spending
- $4,697
Left over each month
$5,415 gross, minus $1,091 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.
-$373
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 Santa Cruz
- 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 Santa Cruz?
$64,980 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 380 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Santa Cruz?
-$373 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 2.1× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
San Jose, about 36 miles away, leaves $3,128 a month, more than Santa Cruz.