Santee firefighter salary, 2025
Santee is a city in San Diego County. 24 people worked as firefighters for Santee in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $169,557, overtime included.
What is the average firefighter salary at Santee?
Official pay range1
$119,819 to $119,819
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 Santee's firefighters (24 of 24) hold the title Firefighter Paramedic, with an official salary of $119,819. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $169,557, $49,738 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $175,332
- the middle firefighter: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $53,819
- average per full-year firefighter
- Starting salary
- Not reported
- no official range reported
- Average pay rank
- 101st
- of 202 California employers
What does each firefighter title at Santee 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$169,557
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 Santee
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 | $119,819 to $119,819 | $169,557 |
| Engineers | 12 | $109,896 to $133,143 | $189,303 |
| Captains | 14 | $128,339 to $155,998 | $200,928 |
| Battalion Chiefs | 5 | $131,002 to $177,592 | $220,583 |
Full-year captains averaged $200,928, $31,371 more than firefighters.
Does Santee pay firefighters more than other employers in San Diego County?
Average total pay of full-year firefighters: Santee next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Santee$169,557
- All employers in San Diego County$145,053
- All employers in California$186,123
Full-year firefighters at Santee earned $24,504 more than the San Diego County average and $16,566 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 Santee rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year firefighters, by average total pay.1
All 202 California employers
Santee ranks 101st of 202, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $169,232
The 23 employers in San Diego County
Santee ranks 7th 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 Santee
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 Santee's firefighters
- Employer pension contribution
- $18,961
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $15,657
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about firefighter pay at Santee
What is the average firefighter salary at Santee?
Firefighters at Santee who worked the full year earned an average of $169,557 in 2025, overtime included. The middle firefighter earned $175,332: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its firefighter titles runs from $119,819 to $119,819.
How much overtime do firefighters at Santee earn?
Full-year firefighters were paid an average of $53,819 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $56,065: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
How much does a fire captain make at Santee?
Full-year captains at Santee averaged $200,928 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $128,339 to $155,998.
What pension do firefighters at Santee get?
The most common pension formula among Santee's firefighters is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $18,961 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in San Diego County
- Poway$176,781 average total pay
- Carlsbad$175,781 average total pay
- Vista$168,629 average total pay
- Lemon Grove$167,422 average total pay
- San Marcos$166,494 average total pay
- Encinitas$163,584 average total pay
- Highest firefighter salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Paramedic and EMT salaries at SanteePay by title
- Teacher salaries in San Diego CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Santee figures
Every person who held a firefighter position at Santee 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 Santee.