First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$89,981
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$36,579
28.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$81,207
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$126,560
Kept after tax
$89,981
Worth in national money
$81,207
State rank
5
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. District of Columbia pays this job a middle wage of $126,560, ranking 5 of 50 states and sitting about 35.31% above the national middle.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in District of Columbia. It ranks 51 out of 390 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $126,560 the take-home is $89,981. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $81,207 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $126,450, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- District of Columbia's median for first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers is $126,560, about 35.31% above the national figure and 5 of 50 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Within District of Columbia, first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers ranks 51 of 390 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $89,981 for first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers, from $126,560. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $81,207. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $126,450 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $112,460 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $126,560 |
| Top tenth earn over | $147,960 |
| This salary | $126,560 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in District of Columbia | $89,981 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $97,770 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$19,405 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $115,353 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$26,940 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $126,560 as a midpoint for District of Columbia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $112,460 and the ninetieth is $147,960 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $89,981 take-home in District of Columbia comes from $126,560. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 51 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $81,207 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 51.
- The District of Columbia median of $126,560 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $112,460 to $147,960. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $89,981, from $126,560, assumes a single District of Columbia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 51 of 390 locally, and the state ranks 5 of 50 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $81,207, worked from $126,560, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 51 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $112,460 at the bottom tenth to $147,960 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in District of Columbia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $81,207 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and District of Columbia adds its own income tax on top — which is why $89,981 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($112,460 to $147,960) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $81,207 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $89,981 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.