Best states for a fire officer

Q: What is the best state for fire officers?

The best state to be a fire officer is North Dakota based on fire officer salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for fire officers is Colorado based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for fire officers?

The worst state for fire officers is Montana, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Job opportunities vary from state to state, and protective service careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to fire officer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for fire officers.In fact, our research shows that North Dakota is the best state for fire officers in America. The best city in America for fire officers with the highest pay is Dearborn, MI.

In order to get you the best states for fire officers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that North Dakota is the best state for fire officer jobs, whereas Montana is the worst.

10 best states for fire officers in 2025

1. North Dakota
Total fire officer jobs: 120
Average annual salary: $61,241
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Fire officer jobs in North Dakota
2. Virginia
Total fire officer jobs: 1,306
Average annual salary: $62,719
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.5
Fire officer jobs in Virginia
3. Idaho
Total fire officer jobs: 333
Average annual salary: $59,588
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Location Quotient:
2.19
Fire officer jobs in Idaho
4. Maine
Total fire officer jobs: 148
Average annual salary: $62,619
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Fire officer jobs in Maine
5. Arizona
Total fire officer jobs: 849
Average annual salary: $54,530
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.57
Fire officer jobs in Arizona
6. New York
Total fire officer jobs: 1,348
Average annual salary: $60,545
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Fire officer jobs in New York
7. New Jersey
Total fire officer jobs: 814
Average annual salary: $61,097
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Fire officer jobs in New Jersey
8. Pennsylvania
Total fire officer jobs: 1,081
Average annual salary: $59,017
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Fire officer jobs in Pennsylvania
9. California
Total fire officer jobs: 405
Average annual salary: $76,634
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000
Location Quotient:
0.15
Fire officer jobs in California
10. Washington
Total fire officer jobs: 761
Average annual salary: $54,677
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Fire officer jobs in Washington

Fire officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a fire officer

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

Detailed list of the best states for a fire officer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	North Dakota	$61,241	$41,000	755,393	120
2	Virginia	$62,719	$38,000	8,470,020	1,306
3	Idaho	$59,588	$37,000	1,716,943	333
4	Maine	$62,619	$41,000	1,335,907	148
5	Arizona	$54,530	$33,000	7,016,270	849
6	New York	$60,545	$38,000	19,849,399	1,348
7	New Jersey	$61,097	$38,000	9,005,644	814
8	Pennsylvania	$59,017	$36,000	12,805,537	1,081
9	California	$76,634	$46,000	39,536,653	405
10	Washington	$54,677	$34,000	7,405,743	761
11	Alabama	$48,513	$30,000	4,874,747	500
12	Iowa	$49,972	$32,000	3,145,711	385
13	North Carolina	$54,774	$33,000	10,273,419	864
14	Minnesota	$50,335	$33,000	5,576,606	736
15	Florida	$49,219	$28,000	20,984,400	2,178
16	Michigan	$51,173	$32,000	9,962,311	626
17	Illinois	$52,118	$33,000	12,802,023	1,012
18	Oregon	$51,116	$31,000	4,142,776	387
19	Oklahoma	$45,166	$28,000	3,930,864	336
20	Georgia	$46,838	$28,000	10,429,379	1,066
21	West Virginia	$44,760	$27,000	1,815,857	157
22	Tennessee	$46,571	$29,000	6,715,984	525
23	Kansas	$48,048	$30,000	2,913,123	251
24	Wyoming	$46,911	$30,000	579,315	54
25	Wisconsin	$44,333	$28,000	5,795,483	607
26	New Mexico	$42,692	$26,000	2,088,070	252
27	Indiana	$44,884	$28,000	6,666,818	588
28	Rhode Island	$40,872	$26,000	1,059,639	150
29	Arkansas	$41,670	$26,000	3,004,279	272
30	Maryland	$43,074	$26,000	6,052,177	705
31	Ohio	$43,746	$27,000	11,658,609	850
32	Texas	$43,392	$26,000	28,304,596	1,760
33	Mississippi	$38,963	$24,000	2,984,100	253
34	Nevada	$38,098	$23,000	2,998,039	327
35	South Carolina	$40,654	$24,000	5,024,369	440
36	Connecticut	$41,876	$26,000	3,588,184	321
37	Delaware	$43,390	$27,000	961,939	1
38	South Dakota	$38,216	$25,000	869,666	103
39	Kentucky	$40,953	$25,000	4,454,189	296
40	Alaska	$42,189	$30,000	739,795	20
41	Colorado	$36,709	$24,000	5,607,154	750
42	Vermont	$37,078	$24,000	623,657	90
43	Nebraska	$37,568	$24,000	1,920,076	224
44	Massachusetts	$39,991	$25,000	6,859,819	917
45	New Hampshire	$38,922	$25,000	1,342,795	162
46	Louisiana	$39,786	$23,000	4,684,333	289
47	District of Columbia	$42,982	$26,000	693,972	8
48	Missouri	$38,261	$24,000	6,113,532	529
49	Hawaii	$39,812	$31,000	1,427,538	17
50	Utah	$37,645	$24,000	3,101,833	149
51	Montana	$37,600	$25,000	1,050,493	74

Highest paying states for fire officers

Rank	State	Avg. Fire Officer Salary
1	North Dakota	$61,241
2	Virginia	$62,719
3	Idaho	$59,588
4	Maine	$62,619
5	Arizona	$54,530
6	New York	$60,545
7	New Jersey	$61,097
8	Pennsylvania	$59,017
9	California	$76,634
10	Washington	$54,677
11	Alabama	$48,513
12	Iowa	$49,972
13	North Carolina	$54,774
14	Minnesota	$50,335
15	Florida	$49,219
16	Michigan	$51,173
17	Illinois	$52,118
18	Oregon	$51,116
19	Oklahoma	$45,166
20	Georgia	$46,838
21	West Virginia	$44,760
22	Tennessee	$46,571
23	Kansas	$48,048
24	Wyoming	$46,911
25	Wisconsin	$44,333
26	New Mexico	$42,692
27	Indiana	$44,884
28	Rhode Island	$40,872
29	Arkansas	$41,670
30	Maryland	$43,074
31	Ohio	$43,746
32	Texas	$43,392
33	Mississippi	$38,963
34	Nevada	$38,098
35	South Carolina	$40,654
36	Connecticut	$41,876
37	Delaware	$43,390
38	South Dakota	$38,216
39	Kentucky	$40,953
40	Alaska	$42,189
41	Colorado	$36,709
42	Vermont	$37,078
43	Nebraska	$37,568
44	Massachusetts	$39,991
45	New Hampshire	$38,922
46	Louisiana	$39,786
47	District of Columbia	$42,982
48	Missouri	$38,261
49	Hawaii	$39,812
50	Utah	$37,645
51	Montana	$37,600

Best states for a fire officer

10 best states for fire officers in 2025

1. North Dakota

2. Virginia

3. Idaho

4. Maine

5. Arizona

6. New York

7. New Jersey

8. Pennsylvania

9. California

10. Washington

Fire officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a fire officer

Detailed list of the best states for a fire officer

Highest paying states for fire officers

Fire officer best states FAQs

What is the best state for fire officers?

What is the highest paying state for fire officers?

What is the worst state for fire officers?

Search for fire officer jobs

Total fire officer jobs:	120
Average annual salary:	$61,241
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$41,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$89,000
Location Quotient:	1.4