Firefighter vs Software Engineer Salary
Software Engineers earn approximately 138.5% more than Firefighters nationally — $124,000 vs $52,000.
Firefighter vs Software Engineer: salary breakdown
On a national-median basis, Software Engineers out-earn Firefighters by $72,000 per year — a 138.5% gap. That works out to roughly $6,000/month or $35/hour of difference.
Important context: these are MEDIANS — the middle salary in the country. Real-world variation is wide: entry-level roles in either career may pay 25-35% below median, while senior roles or specialized niches can pay 50-100%+ above. Your specific numbers depend on experience, location, employer, and credentials.
When does the salary gap matter most?
For someone choosing between these careers, the $72,000 annual difference compounds:
- Over 10 years: ~$720,000 in raw salary difference
- Over 40 years: ~$2,880,000 (without raises or compounding)
- With 3% annual raises: the gap typically grows because the higher-paid role's raises are also larger in dollar terms
- With investment compounding: the $72,000/year extra invested at 7% over 40 years grows to roughly $14,328,000 — significantly more than the raw difference
But salary isn't everything. Job satisfaction, work-life balance, growth potential, and career switching costs all matter. A career you can sustain for decades beats a higher-paying one you'll burn out on.
By state and city — significant variation
National medians are starting points. Real salaries vary 30%+ by location:
- Firefighter in California ≈ $61,360 (1.18× national)
- Firefighter in Mississippi ≈ $43,680 (0.84× national)
- Software Engineer in California ≈ $146,320
- Software Engineer in Mississippi ≈ $104,160
Use our Firefighter salary by state pages to drill into specific locations.
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Related tools
Firefighter salary by state — Software Engineer salary by state — Best cities for Firefighter — Best cities for Software Engineer — Paycheck Calculator — Investment Calculator.