San Marcos firefighter salary, 2025
San Marcos is a city in San Diego County. 29 people worked as firefighters for San Marcos in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $166,494, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at San Marcos?
Official pay range1
$89,847 to $124,332
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 20 of 29 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of San Marcos's firefighters (29 of 29) hold the title Firefighter/Paramedic, with an official range of $89,847 to $124,332. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $166,494, $42,162 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $162,474
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $60,586
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $89,847
- bottom of the Firefighter/Paramedic range
- Average pay rank
- 107th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at San Marcos 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$166,494
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 San Marcos
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 | 29 | $89,847 to $124,332 | $166,494 |
| Engineers | 17 | $94,237 to $130,407 | $188,001 |
| Captains | 16 | $108,883 to $150,673 | $212,199 |
Full-year captains averaged $212,199, $45,705 more than firefighters.
Does San Marcos pay firefighters more than other employers in San Diego County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: San Marcos next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- San Marcos$166,494
- All employers in San Diego County$145,053
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at San Marcos earned $21,441 more than the San Diego County average and $19,629 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 San Marcos rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
San Marcos ranks 107th of 202, below the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 23 employers in San Diego County
San Marcos ranks 10th of 23, above 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 San Marcos
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 San Marcos's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $18,279
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $17,331
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at San Marcos
What is the average firefighter salary at San Marcos?
Firefighters at San Marcos who worked the full year earned an average of $166,494 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $162,474: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $89,847 to $124,332.
How much overtime do firefighters at San Marcos earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $60,586 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $56,346: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at San Marcos?
$89,847 a year: the bottom of the official range for San Marcos's Firefighter/Paramedic title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $166,494 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at San Marcos?
Full-year captains at San Marcos averaged $212,199 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $108,883 to $150,673.
What pension do firefighters at San Marcos get?
The most common pension formula among San Marcos's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $18,279 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in San Diego County
- Santee$169,557 average total pay
- Vista$168,629 average total pay
- Lemon Grove$167,422 average total pay
- Encinitas$163,584 average total pay
- Coronado$161,998 average total pay
- Oceanside$161,458 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Paramedic and EMT salaries at San MarcosPay by title
- Teacher salaries in San Diego CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the San Marcos figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at San Marcos 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 San Marcos.