Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
Median $56,870
Occupation · SOC 33-2021
Fire Inspectors and Investigators: pay and where the jobs are
What fire inspectors and investigators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$75,920 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $78,670
- Median hourly wage
- $36.50
- Mean hourly wage
- $37.82
- Employment
- 13,800
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-2021.
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How much do fire inspectors and investigators make?
The median annual wage for fire inspectors and investigators was $75,920 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,530 and the highest-paid 10% more than $118,750. As an hourly rate, the median is $36.50. About 13,800 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($122,900), Oregon ($115,080) and California ($99,230). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for fire inspectors and investigators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,530 | $22.37 | $3,878 | $3,297 |
| 25th percentile | $58,690 | $28.22 | $4,891 | $4,111 |
| Median | $75,920 | $36.50 | $6,327 | $5,187 |
| 75th percentile | $95,120 | $45.73 | $7,927 | $6,312 |
| 90th percentile | $118,750 | $57.09 | $9,896 | $7,698 |
Fire Inspectors and Investigators: pay by state
43 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$87,432 take-home in national prices
2
$77,755 take-home in national prices
3
$74,588 take-home in national prices
Where a median fire inspectors and investigator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 380 | $122,900 | $77,810 | $145,760 | $93,563 | $87,432 |
| Oregon | Not published | $115,080 | $67,210 | $150,500 | $80,368 | $77,755 |
| California | 1,350 | $99,230 | $60,080 | $150,590 | $72,365 | $65,359 |
| Maryland | 270 | $98,730 | $55,980 | $116,780 | $73,963 | $70,468 |
| Nevada | 190 | $93,450 | $65,370 | $111,980 | $74,572 | $74,588 |
| Colorado | Not published | $85,750 | $72,810 | $111,390 | $65,713 | $63,767 |
| Minnesota | 230 | $84,410 | $51,180 | $101,210 | $63,625 | $64,514 |
| Texas | 1,030 | $82,390 | $55,620 | $102,150 | $66,791 | $68,817 |
| Iowa | 30 | $81,860 | $41,640 | $116,040 | $63,960 | $72,879 |
| Massachusetts | 200 | $81,140 | $56,320 | $125,460 | $61,702 | $58,343 |
| Connecticut | 420 | $80,490 | $50,830 | $112,340 | $61,375 | $59,237 |
| North Dakota | 40 | $80,320 | $61,810 | $97,400 | $65,028 | $73,099 |
| Alabama | 40 | $78,110 | $50,830 | $95,220 | $60,533 | $68,150 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $78,100 | $55,320 | $94,540 | $60,602 | $59,251 |
| Michigan | 250 | $77,460 | $45,010 | $100,050 | $60,282 | $62,652 |
| Missouri | 110 | $77,240 | $44,020 | $91,830 | $60,475 | $66,590 |
| Nebraska | 60 | $76,770 | $48,840 | $113,190 | $60,224 | $66,839 |
| Florida | 1,060 | $75,660 | $51,990 | $105,540 | $62,057 | $60,008 |
| New Hampshire | 50 | $75,230 | $64,010 | $90,890 | $61,754 | $59,285 |
| Arizona | 240 | $74,780 | $52,860 | $94,940 | $59,962 | $59,559 |
| New York | 1,200 | $73,920 | $52,190 | $122,230 | $57,088 | $52,897 |
| Indiana | 200 | $73,340 | $50,040 | $92,520 | $58,291 | $62,457 |
| Idaho | 30 | $72,810 | $58,880 | $125,400 | $57,301 | $60,005 |
| Utah | 60 | $72,760 | $52,000 | $89,440 | $57,036 | $57,691 |
| Virginia | 100 | $70,460 | $52,510 | $90,070 | $55,161 | $54,559 |
| North Carolina | 870 | $66,820 | $39,260 | $90,890 | $53,680 | $56,910 |
| Wisconsin | 160 | $66,600 | $36,980 | $132,370 | $53,238 | $56,579 |
| Louisiana | 80 | $64,820 | $40,660 | $131,980 | $52,705 | $59,751 |
| New Mexico | 160 | $64,680 | $54,870 | $78,530 | $52,276 | $56,691 |
| Georgia | 300 | $64,550 | $42,350 | $93,010 | $51,573 | $53,559 |
| Kansas | 90 | $64,290 | $44,440 | $98,140 | $51,049 | $56,679 |
| Tennessee | 390 | $63,400 | $47,150 | $87,560 | $53,122 | $57,823 |
| Illinois | 440 | $62,400 | $35,070 | $125,530 | $49,374 | $49,395 |
| South Carolina | 110 | $61,890 | $43,610 | $78,270 | $50,121 | $53,463 |
| New Jersey | 1,290 | $60,100 | $43,880 | $104,670 | $48,255 | $44,350 |
| Ohio | 520 | $59,280 | $42,580 | $130,530 | $48,625 | $52,412 |
| Pennsylvania | 280 | $59,080 | $35,780 | $95,890 | $47,796 | $48,985 |
| Maine | Not published | $58,240 | $36,050 | $104,440 | $46,431 | $47,843 |
| Arkansas | 40 | $57,990 | $42,790 | $83,320 | $47,117 | $54,197 |
| Kentucky | 100 | $55,970 | $44,050 | $71,290 | $45,311 | $50,256 |
| Mississippi | 140 | $55,260 | $42,170 | $69,410 | $45,103 | $51,871 |
| West Virginia | 70 | $52,490 | $42,310 | $66,490 | $42,807 | $47,830 |
| Oklahoma | 160 | $37,320 | $31,450 | $98,180 | $31,033 | $35,327 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-2021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.