Santa Clara firefighter salary, 2025

Santa Clara is a city in Santa Clara County. 65 people worked as firefighters for Santa Clara in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $235,480, overtime included.

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Clara?

Official pay range¹

$104,408 to $201,710

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

Average total pay, full-year firefighters¹

$235,480

average base pay $151,189

Based on the 54 of 65 firefighters who worked the full year.

Most of Santa Clara's firefighters (37 of 65) hold the title Firefighter II 24 Hours, with an official range of $142,170 to $181,350. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $259,473, $78,123 above the top of the range.

Median total pay: $228,929; the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
Overtime: $28,794; average per full-year firefighter
Starting salary: $104,408; bottom of the Firefighter I 80 Hours range
Average pay rank: 10th; of 202 California employers

What does each firefighter title at Santa Clara 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 I 80 Hours$104,408 to $129,909 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Firefighter I 24 Hours$106,235 to $132,183 · 24 people
$194,692
Firefighter II 24 Hours$142,170 to $181,350 · 37 people
$259,473
Firefighter II Training Division$157,953 to $201,710 · 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 and captain pay at Santa Clara

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	65	$104,408 to $201,710	$235,480
Engineers	38	$153,015 to $195,481	$288,232
Captains	32	$172,862 to $220,971	$344,479

Full-year captains averaged $344,479, $108,999 more than firefighters.

Does Santa Clara pay firefighters more than other employers in Santa Clara County?

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

Santa Clara$235,480
All employers in Santa Clara County$214,586
All employers in California$186,123

Full-year firefighters at Santa Clara earned $20,894 more than the Santa Clara County average and $49,357 more than the California average.

Average firefighter pay in Santa Clara County compared to nearby counties

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

Santa Clara County Shades match the state map.

Where does Santa Clara rank among California employers?

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

All 202 California employers

Santa Clara ranks 10th of 202, above the middle employer.

Santa Clara

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

Middle employer: $169,232

The 7 employers in Santa Clara County

Santa Clara ranks 2nd of 7, above the middle employer.

Santa Clara

$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $213,043

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 Santa Clara

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 Santa Clara's firefighters
Employer pension contribution: $115,149; average per year
Health, dental and vision: $23,486; average paid by the employer per year

Questions about firefighter pay at Santa Clara

What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Clara?

Firefighters at Santa Clara who worked the full year earned an average of $235,480 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $228,929: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $104,408 to $201,710.

How much overtime do firefighters at Santa Clara earn?

Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $28,794 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $24,726: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Santa Clara?

$104,408 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Clara's Firefighter I 80 Hours title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $235,480 in total pay.

How much does a fire captain make at Santa Clara?

Full-year captains at Santa Clara averaged $344,479 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $172,862 to $220,971.

What pension do firefighters at Santa Clara get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Clara's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $115,149 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Clara County

Sources for the Santa Clara figures

Every person who held a firefighter position at Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara.

How we read the data