Public Safety

Best States for Firefighter

Compare the best states for Firefighter using salary, licensing timeline, fees, and CredentialCompass data quality signals.

Valid States

50 of 50

Index Status

Indexable

Ranking Metric

Overall Score

Top 10 best states for Firefighter

Weighted score

Rank	State	Overall Score	Median Salary	Timeline	Initial Fee	Details
#1	WashingtonWA	87/100	$93,490	5.7 yr	See agency	View guide
#2	HawaiiHI	77/100	$59,530	2-12 years	License renewal every 2 years: $104	View guide
#3	CaliforniaCA	76/100	$83,400	1 month	See agency	View guide
#4	ConnecticutCT	75/100	$77,660	3.5 yr	See agency	View guide
#5	MassachusettsMA	75/100	$73,110	10 mo	See agency	View guide
#6	ColoradoCO	74/100	$76,560	4 years	See agency	View guide
#7	IndianaIN	67/100	$61,470	1.5 yr	See agency	View guide
#8	NevadaNV	66/100	$67,120	1 mo	See agency	View guide
#9	New JerseyNJ	64/100	$87,660	N/A	See agency	View guide
#10	MichiganMI	63/100	$55,570	1 month	See agency	View guide
#11	New YorkNY	63/100	$88,380	N/A	See agency	View guide
#12	IdahoID	62/100	$53,860	2.5 yr	See agency	View guide
#13	Rhode IslandRI	60/100	$69,480	N/A	See agency	View guide
#14	MissouriMO	59/100	$48,470	1.8 yr	See agency	View guide
#15	ArkansasAR	58/100	$42,100	1-18 years	Training Book: $80	View guide
#16	WyomingWY	58/100	$51,850	1-3 years	See agency	View guide
#17	IllinoisIL	57/100	$79,080	N/A	See agency	View guide
#18	MontanaMT	55/100	$64,020	N/A	See agency	View guide
#19	TexasTX	54/100	$60,840	N/A	See agency	View guide
#20	New HampshireNH	53/100	$57,030	18 years	Firefighter I and II Certification: $5,000	View guide
#21	OregonOR	53/100	$73,270	N/A	See agency	View guide
#22	PennsylvaniaPA	52/100	$71,430	N/A	See agency	View guide
#23	MarylandMD	51/100	$70,580	N/A	See agency	View guide
#24	West VirginiaWV	51/100	$41,500	18 years	See agency	View guide
#25	North DakotaND	50/100	$53,660	N/A	See agency	View guide
#26	VirginiaVA	50/100	$58,300	N/A	See agency	View guide
#27	AlabamaAL	48/100	$47,490	1-18 years	See agency	View guide
#28	IowaIA	48/100	$55,190	N/A	See agency	View guide
#29	KentuckyKY	48/100	$37,140	33 yr	See agency	View guide
#30	AlaskaAK	46/100	$63,220	N/A	See agency	View guide
#31	LouisianaLA	46/100	$33,700	6.3 yr	See agency	View guide
#32	NebraskaNE	46/100	$61,760	N/A	See agency	View guide
#33	DelawareDE	45/100	$48,060	N/A	See agency	View guide
#34	VermontVT	45/100	$46,130	N/A	See agency	View guide
#35	MaineME	44/100	$47,490	N/A	See agency	View guide
#36	TennesseeTN	44/100	$47,300	N/A	See agency	View guide
#37	WisconsinWI	44/100	$47,710	N/A	See agency	View guide
#38	ArizonaAZ	43/100	$58,650	N/A	See agency	View guide
#39	FloridaFL	43/100	$58,360	N/A	See agency	View guide
#40	KansasKS	43/100	$44,060	N/A	See agency	View guide
#41	New MexicoNM	42/100	$42,920	N/A	See agency	View guide
#42	GeorgiaGA	40/100	$45,970	N/A	See agency	View guide
#43	MississippiMS	38/100	$36,980	N/A	See agency	View guide
#44	OklahomaOK	37/100	$47,270	N/A	See agency	View guide
#45	UtahUT	37/100	$49,270	N/A	See agency	View guide
#46	South DakotaSD	36/100	$47,520	N/A	See agency	View guide
#47	South CarolinaSC	35/100	$45,960	N/A	See agency	View guide
#48	MinnesotaMN	34/100	$41,990	N/A	See agency	View guide
#49	North CarolinaNC	34/100	$37,250	N/A	See agency	View guide
#50	OhioOH	32/100	$59,470	293.6 yr	See agency	View guide

Methodology

The overall ranking weighs median salary at 40%, licensing timeline at 25%, initial licensing fee at 20%, and source/data quality at 15%.

Ranking pages are eligible for indexing only when at least 30 states have valid data for the selected metric. This page currently has 50 valid state rows.