Post job

Fire protection engineer salary

Average fire protection engineer salary

$82,467

$39.65 hourly rate

Entry-level fire protection engineer salary
$61,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Fire Protection Engineer Salary

As of October 2025, the average fire protection engineer salary is $82,467 annually, or $40 per hour. This role is critical in ensuring safety in various environments, from commercial buildings to industrial facilities. Salaries can fluctuate based on factors such as location, experience, and industry.

Where Can Fire Protection Engineers Earn More?

Some states offer significantly higher salaries for fire protection engineers. States like California and Texas rank among the highest, driven by demand in urban development and infrastructure projects. Additionally, industries such as construction and government typically provide better compensation due to the complexity of projects and regulations involved.

Salary Estimates Across Industries

Salary insights reveal that fire protection engineers in specialized sectors often command higher pay. For instance, those working in consulting or research roles may see salaries exceeding the average. Understanding these dynamics can help professionals navigate their career paths more effectively, enabling them to target opportunities that align with their financial goals.

On this page
Fire protection engineer salary by: 

Let Zippi find your next fire protection engineer job

Floating question marks illustration

Let Zippi find your next fire protection engineer job

Floating question marks illustration

Where can a Fire Protection Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
145k
125k
105k
85k
65k
45k
Columbus, OH$120,905
Baltimore, MD$74,920
Compare salary by company
Vs
133k
113k
93k
73k
53k
Sandia National Labs$110,175
Jacobs Engineering Group$83,276

Fire protection engineer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a fire protection engineer typically falls between $73,777 and $126,240.
zippia
$82,467yearly
glassdoor[1]
$126,240yearly
comparably[2]
$91,814yearly
Salary.com[3]
$73,777yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$109,000yearly
payscale[5]
$81,185yearly
SalaryExpert[6]
$114,834yearly

Average fire protection engineer salary by state

The average fire protection engineer salary in California, New Mexico, and Nevada are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average fire protection engineer salary states are Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Kansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for fire protection engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Mexico$107,981$51.91
2California$114,394$55.00
3Nevada$106,501$51.20
4Idaho$96,303$46.30
5Oregon$98,788$47.49
6Michigan$97,004$46.64
7Ohio$102,648$49.35
8Arizona$94,170$45.27
9Utah$89,480$43.02
10West Virginia$103,111$49.57
11District of Columbia$97,963$47.10
12Arkansas$96,283$46.29
13Tennessee$95,783$46.05
14Kentucky$101,120$48.62
15Colorado$90,868$43.69
16Washington$90,250$43.39
17Delaware$87,713$42.17
18Alaska$89,351$42.96
19Texas$85,780$41.24
20Indiana$86,575$41.62
21Montana$82,724$39.77
22New Hampshire$85,345$41.03
23Wisconsin$86,997$41.83
24New Jersey$90,238$43.38
25Wyoming$78,156$37.58
26Maine$85,002$40.87
27Massachusetts$86,086$41.39
28Connecticut$86,701$41.68
29Louisiana$81,346$39.11
30Mississippi$80,919$38.90
31Alabama$79,630$38.28
32Vermont$84,177$40.47
33New York$83,599$40.19
34Virginia$79,552$38.25
35North Dakota$81,733$39.29
36Rhode Island$83,042$39.92
37Nebraska$79,988$38.46
38South Carolina$77,895$37.45
39South Dakota$79,069$38.01
40Illinois$78,349$37.67
41Missouri$79,576$38.26
42Minnesota$80,326$38.62
43Maryland$74,870$36.00
44Hawaii$63,742$30.65
45Georgia$74,099$35.62
46North Carolina$75,718$36.40
47Florida$66,611$32.02
48Iowa$75,626$36.36
49Pennsylvania$73,684$35.42
50Oklahoma$62,823$30.20
51Kansas$67,924$32.66

Highest paying cities for fire protection engineers

The highest-paying cities for fire protection engineers are Walnut Creek, CA, Albuquerque, NM, and Las Vegas, NV.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Walnut Creek, CA$120,905$58.13
2Albuquerque, NM$108,473$52.15
3Las Vegas, NV$106,610$51.25
4Toledo, OH$102,636$49.34
5Richmond, KY$101,364$48.73
6Washington, DC$97,977$47.10
7Oak Ridge, TN$95,871$46.09
8Phoenix, AZ$94,593$45.48
9Lakewood, CO$90,948$43.73
10Seattle, WA$90,879$43.69
11Anchorage, AK$90,221$43.38
12Jersey City, NJ$90,208$43.37
13San Antonio, TX$86,489$41.58
14Framingham, MA$86,068$41.38
15New York, NY$83,783$40.28
16Kansas City, MO$79,723$38.33
17Alexandria, VA$79,435$38.19
18Chicago, IL$78,508$37.74
19Aiken, SC$78,033$37.52
20Baltimore, MD$74,920$36.02

Fire protection engineer salary details

A fire protection engineer's salary ranges from $61,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $110,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average fire protection engineer salary graph
Average fire protection engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a fire protection engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$110,000$9,167$53
75th Percentile$96,000$8,000$46
Average$82,467$6,872$40
25th Percentile$70,000$5,833$34
10th Percentile$61,000$5,083$29

Highest paying fire protection engineer jobs

The highest paying types of fire protection engineers are risk prevention engineer, protection engineer, and senior fire protection engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Fire Sprinkler Designer$58,386$4,866$28.0747,442
Engineer$92,077$7,673$44.27618,207
Protection Engineer$100,632$8,386$48.3855,325

Top companies hiring fire protection engineers now:

  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory jobs (11)
  2. Southern California Edison jobs (6)
  3. Burns & McDonnell jobs (4)
  4. Swanson Rink Inc jobs (5)
  5. Kiewit jobs (6)

Which companies pay fire protection engineers the most?

Fire protection engineer salaries at Sandia National Labs and Tesla are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average fire protection engineer salary at companies like Los Alamos National Laboratory and S.A. Comunale Co. are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Sandia National Labs$110,175$52.97
2Tesla$96,417$46.35
3Los Alamos National Laboratory$95,302$45.82
4S.A. Comunale Co.$93,728$45.06
5Country-Wide Insurance$92,388$44.42
6Westinghouse Appliances Australia$92,098$44.28
7Parsons$90,796$43.65
8Energy Northwest$90,136$43.33
9Hilti$90,064$43.30
10Constellation Energy Partners$89,490$43.02
11Insurance Incorporated$88,943$42.76
12Burns & McDonnell$86,725$41.69
13BWX Technologies$85,364$41.04
14Exponent$84,642$40.69
15Fluor Corporation$84,286$40.52
16Ross & Baruzzini$84,214$40.49
17RG Vanderweil$83,885$40.33
18Swanson Rink Inc$83,421$40.11
19Michael Baker$83,306$40.05
20Jacobs Engineering Group$83,276$40.04

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$85,000$84,400$83,800$83,200$82,600$82,000
MaleFemale

Fire Protection Engineer salary by industry

The average fire protection engineer salary varies across industries:

  • The average fire protection engineer salary in the technology industry is $90,705, the highest of any industry.
  • The average fire protection engineer salary in the finance industry is $86,649.
  • Fire protection engineers in the health care industry earn an average salary of $75,320, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for fire protection engineers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Technology$90,705$43.61
2Manufacturing$86,649$41.66
3Professional$80,630$38.76
4Construction$79,876$38.40
5Energy$79,028$37.99
6Government$78,179$37.59
7Health Care$75,320$36.21

High paying fire protection engineer jobs

Fire protection engineer salary trends

The average fire protection engineer salary has risen by $16,426 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average fire protection engineer earned $66,041 annually, but today, they earn $82,467 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for fire protection engineers over the last decade.

Compare fire protection engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average fire protection engineer salary over time

Compare fire protection engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Fire protection engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$82,500$39.65+3.0%
2024$80,000$38.46+2.5%
2023$78,000$37.50+0.7%
2022$77,500$37.24+2.0%
2021$75,900$36.48+2.4%

Recently added fire protection engineer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Michael BakerFire Protection Engineer (Hybrid or Remote)Idaho Falls, ID06/29/2025$81,000
Morrison-Maierle Inc.Fire Protection EngineerBozeman, MT06/29/2025$75,000
Kfi Engineers PcFire Protection EngineerFargo, ND06/29/2025$110,000
Syska Hennessy GroupPlumbing/Fire Protection Engineer III/Designer-IVJacksonville, FL06/29/2025$60,067
GuidehouseFire Protection Engineer (TS)Washington, DC06/29/2025$98,000
UscFire Protection EngineerParksdale, CA06/28/2025$99,443
Wiss, Janney, Elstner AssociatesFire Protection EngineerChicago, IL06/26/2025$89,040
Coffman EngineersFire Protection Engineer Years)Hawaii06/26/2025$90,000
KiewitFire Protection Engineer-Industrial & Water EngineeringLenexa, KS06/25/2025$150,000
KiewitFire Protection Engineer-Industrial & Water EngineeringDenver, CO06/25/2025$150,000

Fire protection engineer salary FAQs

Search for fire protection engineer jobs

Browse architecture and engineering jobs