Firefighter Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 55,000 jobs.
Median salary
£40,775
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 0.8% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£44,033
Part-time only
£11,009
Mean
£39,188
Jobs measured
55,000
What a typical firefighter takes home
On the median of £40,775, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,740
Take-home a year
£32,878
Income Tax
£5,641
National Insurance
£2,256
What most firefighters actually earn
Half of firefighters earn between £30,655 and £49,455. Earning above £49,455 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of firefighters earn less than this.
Firefighter salary by region
7 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £49,992 | £53,204 |
| North East | £44,351 | £42,921 |
| West Midlands | £39,871 | £38,717 |
| South East | £39,753 | £36,539 |
| East | £38,697 | £37,503 |
| East Midlands | £38,258 | £33,651 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £37,007 | £39,772 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Fire service officers (watch manager and below)
- SOC 2020 code
- 3313
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “firefighter” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Fire service officers (watch manager and below)”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures fire service officers at watch manager and below.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Firefighter salary FAQs
What is the average Firefighter salary in the UK?
The median is £40,775 a year and the mean is £39,188, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £44,033 and part-time employees £11,009.
How much does a firefighter earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £19.66 excluding overtime, or £19.42 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Firefighter salary?
Half of firefighters earn between £30,655 and £49,455. Anything above £49,455 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of firefighters earn under £10,124 and the lowest quarter under £30,655 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has firefighter pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +0.8% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many firefighters are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 55,000 employee jobs in “Fire service officers (watch manager and below)” (SOC 3313) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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