National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Software Engineers earn a national median of $132,270/year vs Firefighters at $58,290/year. Software Engineers earn 56% more nationally. The gap is $73,980 per year — or $6,165 per month.
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Software Engineer
$132,270
national median/year
$11,023/mo • $64/hr
VS
Firefighter
$58,290
national median/year
$4,858/mo • $28/hr
Annual salary gap
$73,980
Software Engineers earn 56% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $838,585.
Best states for Firefighters
vs Software Engineers
North Dakota+$-34,000
Wyoming+$-36,000
West Virginia+$-38,000
Alaska+$-40,000
Hawaii+$-40,000
Best states for Software Engineers
vs Firefighters
Washington+$84,000
California+$80,000
Colorado+$76,000
New York+$76,000
Massachusetts+$74,000
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Software Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Software Engineers is $132,270 versus $58,290 for Firefighters — a difference of $73,980 per year or $6,165 per month.
The national median salary gap between Software Engineers and Firefighters is $73,980 per year. Software Engineers earn 56% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $838,585.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Software Engineers the highest median salary at $168,320 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Firefighters the highest median salary at $88,320 per year.
Salary is one factor — Software Engineers earn more nationally. But career choice involves job satisfaction, work-life balance, education requirements, and job growth. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Firefighters both have different educational paths, licensing requirements, and long-term growth projections. Use salary as a starting point, not the only factor.
Based on a standard 2,080-hour work year, Software Engineers earn approximately $64 per hour nationally and Firefighters earn approximately $28 per hour. Actual hourly rates vary based on overtime, part-time work, and whether the role is salaried or hourly.
Methodology: Salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024-2025. Figures represent median annual wages for wage and salary workers. Self-employed excluded. Hourly rates calculated at 2,080 hours per year. State salary figures from same BLS OES dataset. Updated annually.
