Firefighter · Santa Maria, CA

Firefighter in Santa Maria: $776/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Santa Maria at $82,250 a year. About 410 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.91). The 10th percentile is $58,240 and the 90th is $125,620. Pay ranks 21st-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.0× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,323/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $776 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 180 miles away, at $3,128 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$776

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$82,250

$58,240 to $125,620

Rent (1 bd)

$2,323

$2,765 (2 bd)

Employment

410

Location quotient 0.91

Pay rank

21st of 346

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

3.0×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $82,250.

Taxes$1,640
Rent$2,323
Other living costs$2,115
Left over$776

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $82,250
Federal income tax: −$9,709
Social Security and Medicare: −$6,292
State income tax (CA): −$3,676
Take-home pay: $62,572
Effective tax rate: 23.9%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,323
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $544
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,438

Left over each month

$6,854 gross, minus $1,640 in tax and $4,438 in living costs.

$776

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 Santa Maria?

$82,250 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 410 firefighter jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Santa Maria?

$776 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,323, and pay covers 3.0× a year of it.

Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?

San Jose, about 180 miles away, leaves $3,128 a month, more than Santa Maria.