Firefighter Salary in South East
Official ONS earnings for South East.
Median salary — South East
£39,753
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 3.4% change on the previous year
Mean
£36,539
What a typical firefighter takes home
On the median of £39,753, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,678
Take-home a year
£32,142
Income Tax
£5,437
National Insurance
£2,175
What most firefighters actually earn
Half of firefighters across the UK earn between £30,655 and £49,455. Earning above £49,455 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
This range is UK-wide — ONS publishes no regional breakdown of the spread for this occupation.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of firefighters earn less than this.
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 South East?
The median is £39,753 a year and the mean is £36,539, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
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, so there is no separate rate for South East.
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.
Do firefighters in South East earn more than the UK average?
The median in South East is £39,753 against £40,775 across the UK, 2.5% lower.
Has firefighter pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +3.4% for this occupation in South East. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
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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