Costa Mesa firefighter salary, 2025
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County. 44 people worked as firefighters for Costa Mesa in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $205,433, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Costa Mesa?
Official pay range1
$83,808 to $112,308
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 33 of 44 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of Costa Mesa's firefighters (44 of 44) hold the title Fire Fighter, with an official range of $83,808 to $112,308. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $205,433, $93,125 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $207,094
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $60,989
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $83,808
- bottom of the Fire Fighter range
- Average pay rank
- 36th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Costa Mesa 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
- Fire Fighter$205,433
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 Costa Mesa
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 | 44 | $83,808 to $112,308 | $205,433 |
| Engineers | 18 | $96,780 to $129,696 | $221,851 |
| Captains | 21 | $111,792 to $149,820 | $264,096 |
| Battalion Chiefs | 5 | $147,012 to $197,016 | Fewer than 5 |
Full-year captains averaged $264,096, $58,663 more than firefighters.
Does Costa Mesa pay firefighters more than other employers in Orange County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Costa Mesa next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Costa Mesa$205,433
- All employers in Orange County$185,827
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Costa Mesa earned $19,606 more than the Orange County average and $19,310 more than the California average.
Average firefighter pay in Orange County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders Orange County, and how much more or less it pays.1
- Los Angeles County$206,861 average, 27 employers$21,034 more than Orange County
- San Bernardino County$185,219 average, 12 employers$608 less than Orange County
- Riverside County$171,295 average, 7 employers$14,532 less than Orange County
- San Diego County$145,053 average, 24 employers$40,774 less than Orange County
Where does Costa Mesa rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Costa Mesa ranks 36th of 202, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 11 employers in Orange County
Costa Mesa ranks 2nd of 11, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $184,728
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 Costa Mesa
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 Costa Mesa's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $23,318
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $17,821
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Costa Mesa
What is the average firefighter salary at Costa Mesa?
Firefighters at Costa Mesa who worked the full year earned an average of $205,433 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $207,094: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $83,808 to $112,308.
How much overtime do firefighters at Costa Mesa earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $60,989 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $62,065: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Costa Mesa?
$83,808 a year: the bottom of the official range for Costa Mesa's Fire Fighter title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $205,433 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at Costa Mesa?
Full-year captains at Costa Mesa averaged $264,096 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $111,792 to $149,820.
What pension do firefighters at Costa Mesa get?
The most common pension formula among Costa Mesa's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $23,318 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in Orange County
- Huntington Beach$205,850 average total pay
- Fountain Valley$205,375 average total pay
- Newport Beach$204,856 average total pay
- Anaheim$201,770 average total pay
- Orange$184,728 average total pay
- Orange County Fire Authority$182,856 average total pay
- Brea$166,433 average total pay
- Laguna Beach$151,216 average total pay
- Fullerton$126,955 average total pay
- Placentia$111,551 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at Costa Mesa$178,948 average total pay
- 911 dispatcher salaries at Costa Mesa$182,580 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in Orange CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Costa Mesa figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Costa Mesa 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 Costa Mesa.