Best states for a fire chief

Q: What is the best state for fire chiefs?

The best state to be a fire chief is California based on fire chief salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for fire chiefs?

The highest paying state for fire chiefs is Alaska based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for fire chiefs?

The worst state for fire chiefs is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Are you thinking of becoming a fire chief and really want to work at United States Army Corps of Engineers? Turns out, your chances to become a fire chief are better in some states than others.Our research found that California is the best state for fire chiefs, while California and Virginia are ranked highest in terms of median salary. California has a median salary of $105,280 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for fire chiefs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for fire chiefs. California is the best state for fire chiefs, where the median salary is $105,280.If you are currently seeking employment as a fire chief, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for fire chiefs in 2025

1. California
Total fire chief jobs: 1,098
Average annual salary: $105,280
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Fire chief jobs in California
2. Idaho
Total fire chief jobs: 168
Average annual salary: $77,624
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000
Location Quotient:
3.31
Fire chief jobs in Idaho
3. Virginia
Total fire chief jobs: 360
Average annual salary: $86,879
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Fire chief jobs in Virginia
4. New York
Total fire chief jobs: 543
Average annual salary: $86,169
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
1.37
Fire chief jobs in New York
5. Arizona
Total fire chief jobs: 253
Average annual salary: $75,063
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Fire chief jobs in Arizona
6. Pennsylvania
Total fire chief jobs: 308
Average annual salary: $83,337
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
0.86
Fire chief jobs in Pennsylvania
7. Maine
Total fire chief jobs: 35
Average annual salary: $86,003
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Fire chief jobs in Maine
8. Oregon
Total fire chief jobs: 211
Average annual salary: $69,927
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000
Location Quotient:
1.65
Fire chief jobs in Oregon
9. Indiana
Total fire chief jobs: 150
Average annual salary: $83,779
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000
Location Quotient:
0.74
Fire chief jobs in Indiana
10. Washington
Total fire chief jobs: 290
Average annual salary: $70,583
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Fire chief jobs in Washington

Fire chief jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a fire chief

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a fire chief

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$105,280	$60,000	39,536,653	1,098
2	Idaho	$77,624	$43,000	1,716,943	168
3	Virginia	$86,879	$48,000	8,470,020	360
4	New York	$86,169	$50,000	19,849,399	543
5	Arizona	$75,063	$42,000	7,016,270	253
6	Pennsylvania	$83,337	$48,000	12,805,537	308
7	Maine	$86,003	$53,000	1,335,907	35
8	Oregon	$69,927	$38,000	4,142,776	211
9	Indiana	$83,779	$47,000	6,666,818	150
10	Washington	$70,583	$39,000	7,405,743	290
11	New Jersey	$86,835	$50,000	9,005,644	163
12	North Carolina	$75,706	$41,000	10,273,419	222
13	North Dakota	$68,504	$44,000	755,393	26
14	Alabama	$66,369	$37,000	4,874,747	121
15	Florida	$69,390	$38,000	20,984,400	406
16	Michigan	$62,507	$35,000	9,962,311	200
17	Iowa	$60,778	$35,000	3,145,711	113
18	Georgia	$64,210	$35,000	10,429,379	261
19	West Virginia	$60,997	$34,000	1,815,857	38
20	Delaware	$61,292	$35,000	961,939	39
21	Wyoming	$56,109	$33,000	579,315	62
22	Tennessee	$61,898	$34,000	6,715,984	132
23	New Mexico	$58,237	$32,000	2,088,070	141
24	Illinois	$66,547	$38,000	12,802,023	223
25	District of Columbia	$60,056	$33,000	693,972	160
26	Maryland	$60,408	$34,000	6,052,177	211
27	Texas	$59,907	$33,000	28,304,596	551
28	Oklahoma	$59,080	$33,000	3,930,864	82
29	Connecticut	$60,540	$36,000	3,588,184	93
30	Kansas	$60,630	$34,000	2,913,123	60
31	Minnesota	$58,938	$36,000	5,576,606	173
32	Massachusetts	$57,565	$34,000	6,859,819	300
33	Rhode Island	$59,323	$35,000	1,059,639	26
34	South Carolina	$56,479	$31,000	5,024,369	129
35	Ohio	$59,179	$33,000	11,658,609	186
36	Nevada	$52,584	$28,000	2,998,039	107
37	Louisiana	$55,569	$30,000	4,684,333	94
38	Hawaii	$45,233	$34,000	1,427,538	48
39	Utah	$49,514	$27,000	3,101,833	178
40	Wisconsin	$55,525	$32,000	5,795,483	143
41	Arkansas	$54,648	$30,000	3,004,279	61
42	Vermont	$50,047	$30,000	623,657	24
43	Montana	$44,384	$26,000	1,050,493	105
44	Alaska	$43,822	$31,000	739,795	38
45	Kentucky	$54,112	$30,000	4,454,189	61
46	Mississippi	$53,441	$29,000	2,984,100	43
47	Colorado	$45,985	$26,000	5,607,154	188
48	New Hampshire	$55,015	$33,000	1,342,795	27
49	Nebraska	$45,335	$26,000	1,920,076	54
50	Missouri	$48,443	$27,000	6,113,532	113
51	South Dakota	$44,193	$26,000	869,666	23

Highest paying states for fire chiefs

Rank	State	Avg. Fire Chief Salary
1	California	$105,280
2	Idaho	$77,624
3	Virginia	$86,879
4	New York	$86,169
5	Arizona	$75,063
6	Pennsylvania	$83,337
7	Maine	$86,003
8	Oregon	$69,927
9	Indiana	$83,779
10	Washington	$70,583
11	New Jersey	$86,835
12	North Carolina	$75,706
13	North Dakota	$68,504
14	Alabama	$66,369
15	Florida	$69,390
16	Michigan	$62,507
17	Iowa	$60,778
18	Georgia	$64,210
19	West Virginia	$60,997
20	Delaware	$61,292
21	Wyoming	$56,109
22	Tennessee	$61,898
23	New Mexico	$58,237
24	Illinois	$66,547
25	District of Columbia	$60,056
26	Maryland	$60,408
27	Texas	$59,907
28	Oklahoma	$59,080
29	Connecticut	$60,540
30	Kansas	$60,630
31	Minnesota	$58,938
32	Massachusetts	$57,565
33	Rhode Island	$59,323
34	South Carolina	$56,479
35	Ohio	$59,179
36	Nevada	$52,584
37	Louisiana	$55,569
38	Hawaii	$45,233
39	Utah	$49,514
40	Wisconsin	$55,525
41	Arkansas	$54,648
42	Vermont	$50,047
43	Montana	$44,384
44	Alaska	$43,822
45	Kentucky	$54,112
46	Mississippi	$53,441
47	Colorado	$45,985
48	New Hampshire	$55,015
49	Nebraska	$45,335
50	Missouri	$48,443
51	South Dakota	$44,193

Best states for a fire chief

10 best states for fire chiefs in 2025

1. California

2. Idaho

3. Virginia

4. New York

5. Arizona

6. Pennsylvania

7. Maine

8. Oregon

9. Indiana

10. Washington

Fire chief jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a fire chief

Detailed list of the best states for a fire chief

Highest paying states for fire chiefs

Fire chief best states FAQs

What is the best state for fire chiefs?

What is the highest paying state for fire chiefs?

What is the worst state for fire chiefs?

Search for fire chief jobs

Total fire chief jobs:	1,098
Average annual salary:	$105,280
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$60,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$182,000
Location Quotient:	1.21