Carlsbad firefighter salary, 2025
Carlsbad is a city in San Diego County. 46 people worked as firefighters for Carlsbad in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $175,781, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Carlsbad?
Official pay range1
$81,908 to $115,436
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 35 of 46 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of Carlsbad's firefighters (42 of 46) hold the title Paramedic Firefighter, with an official range of $94,970 to $115,436. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $175,781, $60,345 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $171,993
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $58,100
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $81,908
- bottom of the Firefighter range
- Average pay rank
- 88th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Carlsbad pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1
- FirefighterFewer than 5
- Paramedic Firefighter$175,781
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Fire engineer and captain pay at Carlsbad
Ranks above firefighter, kept out of the firefighter figures on this page. Each rank's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each rank's official range. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.1
| Rank | People | Official range | Average total pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighters | 46 | $81,908 to $115,436 | $175,781 |
| Engineers | 21 | $98,282 to $119,463 | $181,602 |
| Captains | 22 | $115,108 to $139,914 | $227,262 |
Full-year captains averaged $227,262, $51,481 more than firefighters.
Does Carlsbad pay firefighters more than other employers in San Diego County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Carlsbad next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Carlsbad$175,781
- All employers in San Diego County$145,053
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Carlsbad earned $30,728 more than the San Diego County average and $10,342 less than the California average.
Average firefighter pay in San Diego County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders San Diego County, and how much more or less it pays.1
Where does Carlsbad rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Carlsbad ranks 88th of 202, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 23 employers in San Diego County
Carlsbad ranks 6th of 23, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $161,998
Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at Carlsbad
As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year firefighter, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- 2.7% at 57
- the most common formula among Carlsbad's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $25,318
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $18,527
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Carlsbad
What is the average firefighter salary at Carlsbad?
Firefighters at Carlsbad who worked the full year earned an average of $175,781 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $171,993: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $81,908 to $115,436.
How much overtime do firefighters at Carlsbad earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $58,100 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $56,282: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Carlsbad?
$81,908 a year: the bottom of the official range for Carlsbad's Firefighter title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $175,781 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at Carlsbad?
Full-year captains at Carlsbad averaged $227,262 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $115,108 to $139,914.
What pension do firefighters at Carlsbad get?
The most common pension formula among Carlsbad's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $25,318 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in San Diego County
- La Mesa$184,024 average total pay
- Lakeside Fire Protection District$181,528 average total pay
- Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District$179,489 average total pay
- Poway$176,781 average total pay
- Santee$169,557 average total pay
- Vista$168,629 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at Carlsbad$163,685 average total pay
- 911 dispatcher salaries at Carlsbad$121,254 average total pay
- Water operator salaries at Carlsbad$132,222 average total pay
- Librarian salaries at Carlsbad$88,423 average total pay
- Paramedic and EMT salaries at Carlsbad$80,004 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in San Diego CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Carlsbad figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Carlsbad at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Carlsbad.