Fire Inspectors and Investigators
Median $75,920
Occupation · SOC 33-2022
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists: pay and where the jobs are
What forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$56,870 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,640
- Median hourly wage
- $27.34
- Mean hourly wage
- $32.04
- Employment
- 2,780
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-2022.
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How much do forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists make?
The median annual wage for forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists was $56,870 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35,420 and the highest-paid 10% more than $105,460. As an hourly rate, the median is $27.34. About 2,780 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($97,370), Utah ($90,020) and Louisiana ($75,480). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Utah.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists 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 | $35,420 | $17.03 | $2,952 | $2,553 |
| 25th percentile | $43,760 | $21.04 | $3,647 | $3,112 |
| Median | $56,870 | $27.34 | $4,739 | $3,990 |
| 75th percentile | $81,500 | $39.18 | $6,792 | $5,514 |
| 90th percentile | $105,460 | $50.70 | $8,788 | $6,918 |
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists: pay by state
15 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
$68,969 take-home in national prices
2
$68,081 take-home in national prices
3
$64,355 take-home in national prices
Where a median forest fire inspectors and prevention specialist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 480 | $97,370 | $56,790 | $169,670 | $71,254 | $64,355 |
| Utah | 50 | $90,020 | $73,800 | $106,560 | $68,186 | $68,969 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $75,480 | $34,370 | $102,480 | $60,052 | $68,081 |
| Oregon | 140 | $73,530 | $58,100 | $88,690 | $55,163 | $53,369 |
| Maine | 60 | $68,310 | $54,020 | $79,330 | $53,611 | $55,241 |
| Oklahoma | 310 | $61,700 | $40,370 | $116,430 | $49,525 | $56,379 |
| Arizona | 40 | $58,570 | $44,620 | $90,490 | $48,170 | $47,847 |
| New Jersey | 140 | $57,380 | $43,910 | $87,560 | $46,231 | $42,490 |
| Florida | 100 | $51,690 | $45,610 | $73,240 | $43,713 | $42,270 |
| Colorado | 210 | $50,170 | $42,160 | $81,430 | $40,772 | $39,564 |
| Georgia | 350 | $48,010 | $42,640 | $61,080 | $39,109 | $40,614 |
| Idaho | 50 | $47,050 | $43,680 | $57,620 | $38,599 | $40,421 |
| Arkansas | 140 | $43,310 | $35,010 | $49,180 | $35,865 | $41,254 |
| Alabama | 40 | $37,430 | $34,720 | $51,490 | $30,739 | $34,607 |
| Mississippi | 100 | $31,720 | $29,890 | $39,750 | $27,130 | $31,201 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-2022. *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.