Cathedral City firefighter salary, 2025

Cathedral City is a city in Riverside County. 24 people worked as firefighters for Cathedral City in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $175,273, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Cathedral City?

Official pay range1

$77,457 to $117,370

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title

Average total pay, full-year firefighters1

$175,273

average base pay $94,399

Based on the 12 of 24 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Cathedral City's firefighters (18 of 24) hold the title 3801 Firefighter Paramedic, with an official range of $89,667 to $117,370. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $187,109, $69,739 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$179,857
the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$65,127
average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary
$77,457
bottom of the 3651 Firefighter Emt range
Average pay rank
89th
of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Cathedral City 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

  1. 3651 Firefighter Emt$77,457 to $104,027 · 6 people
    Fewer than 5
  2. 3801 Firefighter Paramedic$89,667 to $117,370 · 18 people
    $187,109

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Fire engineer, captain and battalion chief pay at Cathedral City

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

RankPeopleOfficial rangeAverage total pay
Firefighters24$77,457 to $117,370$175,273
Engineers9$94,702 to $123,961$231,181
Captains9$112,807 to $147,661$267,410
Battalion Chiefs5$133,850 to $175,205Fewer than 5

Full-year captains averaged $267,410, $92,137 more than firefighters.

Does Cathedral City pay firefighters more than other employers in Riverside County?

Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Cathedral City next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1

Full-year firefighters at Cathedral City earned $3,978 more than the Riverside County average and $10,850 less than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in Riverside County compared to nearby counties

Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders Riverside County, and how much more or less it pays.1

Riverside County Shades match the state map.

Where does Cathedral City rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1

All 202 California employers

Cathedral City ranks 89th of 202, above the middle employer.

Cathedral City
$100k$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $169,232

The 6 employers in Riverside County

Cathedral City ranks 3rd of 6, above the middle employer.

Cathedral City
$160k$180k$200k

Middle employer: $174,574

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 Cathedral City

As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year firefighter, on top of wages.1

Pension formula
2% at 57
the most common formula among Cathedral City's firefighters
Employer pension contribution
$14,105
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$22,119
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Cathedral City

What is the average firefighter salary at Cathedral City?

Firefighters at Cathedral City who worked the full year earned an average of $175,273 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $179,857: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $77,457 to $117,370.

How much overtime do firefighters at Cathedral City earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $65,127 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $67,090: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Cathedral City?

$77,457 a year: the bottom of the official range for Cathedral City's 3651 Firefighter Emt title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $175,273 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Cathedral City?

Full-year captains at Cathedral City averaged $267,410 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $112,807 to $147,661.

What pension do firefighters at Cathedral City get?

The most common pension formula among Cathedral City's firefighters is 2% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $14,105 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Riverside County

Sources for the Cathedral City figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Cathedral City 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.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Cathedral City.

How we read the data