Firefighters salary · Illinois
Firefighters Salary in Illinois
Firefighters in Illinois earn a median of $78,380 a year, which is $37.68 an hour. That is $19,100 above the national median of $59,280, a difference of 32 percent. The state employs 18,400.
Illinois against the US May 2025
| Figure | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $78,380 | $59,280 |
| Median hourly | $37.68 | $28.50 |
| Mean annual | $76,530 | $63,630 |
| 10th percentile | $38,900 | $34,910 |
| 90th percentile | $106,060 | $101,040 |
| Employment | 18,400 | 345,990 |
How Illinois compares
By median pay, Illinois ranks 3 of the 12 states this site reports for firefighters. Ranking is on the published median only. It says nothing about how far that salary goes once housing, state income tax and commuting are paid, and those differences between states are frequently larger than the pay gap itself.
Other states for firefighters May 2025
| State | Median | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $100,960 | $48.54 | 12,950 |
| California | $85,120 | $40.92 | 31,470 |
| Massachusetts | $72,800 | $35.00 | 11,940 |
| Indiana | $62,780 | $30.18 | 8,530 |
| Texas | $60,180 | $28.94 | 28,170 |
| Ohio | $59,370 | $28.54 | 18,100 |
| Virginia | $58,670 | $28.21 | 11,160 |
| Florida | $58,550 | $28.15 | 24,570 |
| Wisconsin | $46,850 | $22.53 | 8,120 |
| Georgia | $46,550 | $22.38 | 12,700 |
| North Carolina | $37,940 | $18.24 | 19,410 |
Common questions
How much do firefighters make in Illinois?
The median salary for firefighters in Illinois is $78,380 a year, or $37.68 an hour. That is $19,100 above the national median of $59,280, a difference of 32 percent. Illinois employs 18,400 of them.
Is Illinois a good state to work as a firefighter?
On pay alone, Illinois ranks 3 of the 12 states this site reports for the occupation, by median salary. Pay is only half the question though: a state with a higher median can still leave you with less once housing and taxes are counted, and this site does not adjust for cost of living.
What is the pay range for firefighters in Illinois?
The lowest-paid 10 percent earn $38,900 or less and the highest-paid 10 percent earn $106,060 or more. The middle half falls between $47,910 and $103,530.
Where these numbers come from
Published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release, for SOC code 33-2011 in Illinois. Nothing on this page is interpolated or averaged by this site. See the national firefighters salary page for the full picture, or how to read these figures for what the survey covers.