Colton firefighter salary, 2025

Colton is a city in San Bernardino County. 18 people worked as firefighters for Colton in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $203,855, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Colton?

Official pay range¹

$100,156 to $121,740

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters¹

$203,855

average base pay $103,067

Based on the 13 of 18 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Colton's firefighters (18 of 18) hold the title Firefighter Medic, with an official range of $100,156 to $121,740. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $203,855, $82,115 above the top of the range.

Median total pay: $214,702; the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime: $81,921; average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary: $100,156; bottom of the Firefighter Medic range
Average pay rank: 42nd; of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Colton 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

Firefighter Medic$100,156 to $121,740 · 18 people
$203,855

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 Colton

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	18	$100,156 to $121,740	$203,855
Engineers	11	$104,257 to $126,725	$236,859
Captains	12	$121,505 to $147,689	$278,968

Full-year captains averaged $278,968, $75,113 more than firefighters.

Does Colton pay firefighters more than other employers in San Bernardino County?

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

Colton$203,855
All employers in San Bernardino County$185,219
All employers in California$186,123

Full-year firefighters at Colton earned $18,636 more than the San Bernardino County average and $17,732 more than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in San Bernardino County compared to nearby counties

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

San Bernardino County Shades match the state map.

Los Angeles County$206,861 average, 27 employers$21,642 more than San Bernardino County
Orange County$185,827 average, 11 employers$608 more than San Bernardino County
Riverside County$171,295 average, 7 employers$13,924 less than San Bernardino County
Kern County$119,528 average, 3 employers$65,691 less than San Bernardino County
Inyo CountyNo employerNo firefighter employer in Inyo County has a page here.

Where does Colton rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Colton ranks 42nd of 202, above the middle employer.

Colton

$100k$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $169,232

The 11 employers in San Bernardino County

Colton ranks 2nd of 11, above the middle employer.

Colton

$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $175,084

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 Colton

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 Colton's firefighters
Employer pension contribution: $13,420; average per year
Health, dental and vision: $14,761; average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Colton

What is the average firefighter salary at Colton?

Firefighters at Colton who worked the full year earned an average of $203,855 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $214,702: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $100,156 to $121,740.

How much overtime do firefighters at Colton earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $81,921 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $91,142: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Colton?

$100,156 a year: the bottom of the official range for Colton's Firefighter Medic title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $203,855 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Colton?

Full-year captains at Colton averaged $278,968 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $121,505 to $147,689.

What pension do firefighters at Colton get?

The most common pension formula among Colton's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $13,420 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in San Bernardino County

Sources for the Colton figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Colton 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 Colton.

How we read the data