Oceanside firefighter salary, 2025

Oceanside is a city in San Diego County. 47 people worked as firefighters for Oceanside in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $161,458, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Oceanside?

Official pay range1

$90,039 to $114,982

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters1

$161,458

average base pay $98,981

Based on the 39 of 47 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Oceanside's firefighters (46 of 47) hold the title Firefighter Paramedic (56 Hour), with an official range of $90,039 to $114,937. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $160,832, $45,895 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$157,261
the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$48,647
average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary
$90,039
bottom of the Firefighter Paramedic (56 Hour) range
Average pay rank
116th
of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Oceanside 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. Firefighter Paramedic (56 Hour)$90,039 to $114,937 · 46 people
    $160,832
  2. Firefighter Paramedic (40 Hour)$90,064 to $114,982 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5

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 Oceanside

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
Firefighters47$90,039 to $114,982$161,458
Engineers23$108,588 to $119,712$175,109
Captains38$125,857 to $138,786$206,460
Battalion Chiefs9$157,685 to $182,582$288,578

Full-year captains averaged $206,460, $45,002 more than firefighters.

Does Oceanside pay firefighters more than other employers in San Diego County?

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

Full-year firefighters at Oceanside earned $16,405 more than the San Diego County average and $24,665 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

San Diego County Shades match the state map.

Where does Oceanside rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Oceanside ranks 116th of 202, below the middle employer.

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

Middle employer: $169,232

The 23 employers in San Diego County

Oceanside ranks 13th of 23, below the middle employer.

Oceanside
$120k$140k$160k$180k

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 Oceanside

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 Oceanside's firefighters
Employer pension contribution
$24,382
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$13,548
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Oceanside

What is the average firefighter salary at Oceanside?

Firefighters at Oceanside who worked the full year earned an average of $161,458 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $157,261: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $90,039 to $114,982.

How much overtime do firefighters at Oceanside earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $48,647 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $47,734: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Oceanside?

$90,039 a year: the bottom of the official range for Oceanside's Firefighter Paramedic (56 Hour) title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $161,458 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Oceanside?

Full-year captains at Oceanside averaged $206,460 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $125,857 to $138,786.

What pension do firefighters at Oceanside get?

The most common pension formula among Oceanside's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $24,382 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in San Diego County

Sources for the Oceanside figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Oceanside 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 Oceanside.

How we read the data