Escondido firefighter salary, 2025
Escondido is a city in San Diego County. 47 people worked as firefighters for Escondido in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $154,642, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Escondido?
Official pay range1
$91,741 to $122,942
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 37 of 47 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of Escondido's firefighters (47 of 47) hold the title Firefighter/Paramedic, with an official range of $91,741 to $122,942. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $154,642, $31,700 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $153,731
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $43,287
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $91,741
- bottom of the Firefighter/Paramedic range
- Average pay rank
- 129th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Escondido 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/Paramedic$154,642
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 Escondido
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 | 47 | $91,741 to $122,942 | $154,642 |
| Engineers | 28 | $96,328 to $129,089 | $187,141 |
| Captains | 28 | $113,062 to $151,514 | $231,028 |
| Battalion Chiefs | 6 | $134,360 to $197,859 | Fewer than 5 |
Full-year captains averaged $231,028, $76,386 more than firefighters.
Does Escondido pay firefighters more than other employers in San Diego County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Escondido next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Escondido$154,642
- All employers in San Diego County$145,053
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Escondido earned $9,589 more than the San Diego County average and $31,481 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 Escondido rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Escondido ranks 129th of 202, below the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 23 employers in San Diego County
Escondido ranks 18th of 23, below 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 Escondido
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 Escondido's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $25,294
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $12,693
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Escondido
What is the average firefighter salary at Escondido?
Firefighters at Escondido who worked the full year earned an average of $154,642 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $153,731: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $91,741 to $122,942.
How much overtime do firefighters at Escondido earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $43,287 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $42,335: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Escondido?
$91,741 a year: the bottom of the official range for Escondido's Firefighter/Paramedic title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $154,642 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at Escondido?
Full-year captains at Escondido averaged $231,028 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $113,062 to $151,514.
What pension do firefighters at Escondido get?
The most common pension formula among Escondido's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $25,294 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in San Diego County
- Solana Beach$160,810 average total pay
- Alpine Fire Protection District$158,161 average total pay
- San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District$156,883 average total pay
- National City$156,871 average total pay
- Chula Vista$153,151 average total pay
- North County Fire Protection District (San Diego)$152,353 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at Escondido$153,182 average total pay
- 911 dispatcher salaries at Escondido$101,374 average total pay
- Water operator salaries at Escondido$130,607 average total pay
- Paramedic and EMT salaries at Escondido$81,060 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in San Diego CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Escondido figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Escondido 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 Escondido.