Santa Maria firefighter salary, 2025
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County. 24 people worked as firefighters for Santa Maria in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $129,552, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Maria?
Official pay range1
$86,212 to $104,791
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest firefighter title
Based on the 18 of 24 firefighters who worked the full year.
Most of Santa Maria's firefighters (24 of 24) hold the title Fire Fighter, with an official range of $86,212 to $104,791. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $129,552, $24,761 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $130,307
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $29,763
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- $86,212
- bottom of the Fire Fighter range
- Average pay rank
- 157th
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Santa Maria 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$129,552
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 Maria
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 | 24 | $86,212 to $104,791 | $129,552 |
| Engineers | 20 | $98,492 to $119,717 | $180,145 |
| Captains | 20 | $113,184 to $137,575 | $231,061 |
Full-year captains averaged $231,061, $101,509 more than firefighters.
Does Santa Maria pay firefighters more than other employers in Santa Barbara County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Santa Maria next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Santa Maria$129,552
- All employers in Santa Barbara County$179,729
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Santa Maria earned $50,177 less than the Santa Barbara County average and $56,571 less than the California average.
Average firefighter pay in Santa Barbara County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year firefighters across all employers in each county that borders Santa Barbara County, and how much more or less it pays.1
Where does Santa Maria rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Santa Maria ranks 157th of 202, below the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 6 employers in Santa Barbara County
Santa Maria ranks 5th of 6, below the middle employer.
Middle employer: $172,358
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 Maria
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 Maria's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $14,835
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $20,248
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Santa Maria
What is the average firefighter salary at Santa Maria?
Firefighters at Santa Maria who worked the full year earned an average of $129,552 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $130,307: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $86,212 to $104,791.
How much overtime do firefighters at Santa Maria earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $29,763 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $30,198: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a firefighter at Santa Maria?
$86,212 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Maria's Fire Fighter title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year firefighters averaged $129,552 in total pay.
How much does a fire captain make at Santa Maria?
Full-year captains at Santa Maria averaged $231,061 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $113,184 to $137,575.
What pension do firefighters at Santa Maria get?
The most common pension formula among Santa Maria's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $14,835 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in Santa Barbara County
- Montecito Fire Protection District$245,450 average total pay
- Carpinteria - Summerland Fire Protection District$207,715 average total pay
- Santa Barbara County$182,476 average total pay
- Santa Barbara$162,239 average total pay
- Lompoc$127,324 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at Santa Maria$147,457 average total pay
- 911 dispatcher salaries at Santa Maria$158,583 average total pay
- Water operator salaries at Santa Maria$108,147 average total pay
- Librarian salaries at Santa Maria$96,536 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in Santa Barbara CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Santa Maria figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Santa Maria 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 Maria.