Fire Alarm Technician Salary by State and Metro: $60,070 U.S. Median (BLS, May 2025)

Fire alarm technician salary in the U.S., May 2025

The national median for SOC 49-2098 was $60,070 in May 2025, 17.8% above the all-occupation median and $15,850 below the fire inspector median.

Employers reported 86,340 wage and salary jobs in SOC 49-2098 in May 2025. The median annual wage was $60,070 and the mean $60,960. The median hourly wage was $28.88; the 10th percentile was $18.65 an hour and the 90th $39.01.

The U.S. pay ladder in May 2025 ran from $38,800 at the 10th percentile to $47,820 at the 25th, $73,690 at the 75th and $81,150 at the 90th. The 90th percentile was 2.09 times the 10th, a narrower spread than for fire inspectors (2.55).

OEWS annual wages are hourly rates times 2,080 hours and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses, so workers who log overtime can earn more than these figures show.

State atlas: pay, pay ratio and jobs per 100,000

All 50 states and DC have published SOC 49-2098 estimates for May 2025. Medians ran from $47,160 (Mississippi) to $79,870 (Alaska).

Alaska tops the state ranking at $79,870, but with 110 jobs and a 46.5% employment relative standard error it is the least certain estimate in the table. Among the 26 states with at least 1,000 jobs, Massachusetts ($78,530) ranks first.

Pay ratio: in 48 of 51 jurisdictions the installer median beat the state all-occupation median in May 2025. Rhode Island had the highest ratio (1.34) and District of Columbia the lowest (0.64), where a high all-occupation median of $91,540 sets a high bar.

Spread: Minnesota had a 90th to 10th percentile ratio of 3.31, the widest of any state, with a 10th percentile of $31,220. A wide spread means the code covers both low-paid and high-paid roles in that state; OEWS does not report which roles they are.

Metro ranking: highest-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA led 122 ranked metro areas at $81,980 in May 2025; West Coast and New England metros fill most of the top 10.

The ranking covers metro areas with a published median and at least 100 published jobs. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($81,980) and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($79,350) pay the most in dollars, yet both sit close to their local all-occupation medians (ratios 0.98 and 1.07). Providence-Warwick, RI-MA pays $75,350, 1.40 times its local median.

The largest metro market, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, had 6,850 jobs at a median of $59,280. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX followed with 3,550 jobs at $57,930. The ranked spread from first to last was $36,770.

How pay changed, 2019 to 2025, before and after inflation

The nominal median rose 22.7% from May 2019 to May 2025 while CPI-U rose 25.5%, leaving the real median 2.3% lower.

In May 2025 dollars, the May 2019 median was worth $61,471, above the May 2025 median of $60,070. On that basis the median peaked at $63,868 in the May 2020 release, fell to $55,133 by May 2022, then recovered after a 12.6% nominal rise between the 2022 and 2023 releases; May 2025 was 9.0% above May 2022 in real terms. The all-occupation median gained 2.0% in real terms over the same six years.

By state, the real median rose in 22 of 51 jurisdictions from May 2019 to May 2025. Rhode Island gained 23.2% and Missouri changed -25.2%. BLS does not encourage using OEWS as a time series, so treat single-state swings as indicative.

Who employs fire alarm and security installers

Security systems services firms employed 64.5% of the occupation in May 2025; building equipment contractors employed most of the rest.

Electrical contractors employed 17.2% and plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors 6.9% of SOC 49-2098 workers in May 2025. Industry medians cluster near the national figure, so employer type explains less of the pay gap than location does.

Installers vs fire inspectors

Fire inspectors and investigators (SOC 33-2021) earned a U.S. median $75,920 in May 2025, 26.4% more than installers, but the gap varies by state.

Under the 2018 SOC, fire inspectors inspect buildings for fire hazards and enforce local ordinances and state laws, or investigate fire causes. For the full inspector atlas see fire inspector salary by state. Installers had the higher median in 6 of 43 states with both estimates: Oklahoma, Maine, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania.

Building owners who need testing and inspection of an existing system can check the fire alarm inspection requirements and the requirement finder.

Certification and the pay ladder

NICET offers fire alarm certifications at four levels, but no primary source publishes wages by NICET level.

NICET runs two fire alarm certifications: Fire Alarm Systems and Inspection and Testing of Fire Alarm Systems. Each has four levels, I to IV, with exams, documented work history and verified role-specific activities; Levels III and IV require a personal recommendation. Certification renews every three years through continuing professional development.

NICET does not publish pay by level, and BLS does not collect certification status, so this report does not assign dollar values to NICET levels. The percentile ladder in the national section is the best public proxy for the range from entry-level installer to senior technician.

Suppressed and unavailable estimates

No state estimate for SOC 49-2098 is suppressed; gaps appear in metro areas and in the fire inspector comparison.

** and * codes: In OEWS files, ** means an employment estimate is not available and * means a wage estimate is not available. # marks a wage at or above the top-code threshold.

Fire inspector wages are not published for Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, so the installer vs inspector comparison covers 43 states. 202 metro areas have a SOC 49-2098 row; the rest of the metro list has no estimate for the occupation.

State-by-state findings

1. Alaska had the highest state median for SOC 49-2098 in May 2025 at $79,870, but the estimate rests on 110 jobs with an employment relative standard error of 46.5%.^[1]
2. Massachusetts had the highest median among states with at least 1,000 jobs in May 2025: $78,530 for 1,690 workers.^[1]
3. Mississippi had the lowest state median in May 2025 at $47,160, $32,710 below Alaska.^[1]
4. In 48 of 51 jurisdictions (50 states and DC) the SOC 49-2098 median exceeded the all-occupation median in May 2025; Rhode Island had the highest ratio at 1.34 and District of Columbia the lowest at 0.64.^[1]
5. Florida had the most SOC 49-2098 jobs per 100,000 jobs in May 2025 (83.8); Minnesota had the fewest (26.1). The U.S. figure was 55.5.^[1][2]
6. Texas (10,260), Florida (8,320), California (8,180) and New York (6,620) held 38.7% of U.S. SOC 49-2098 jobs in May 2025.^[1][2]
7. Minnesota had the widest pay spread in May 2025: the 90th percentile ($103,240) was 3.31 times the 10th ($31,220). North Dakota had the narrowest at 1.27.^[1]
8. From May 2019 to May 2025 the real median rose in 22 of 51 jurisdictions; Rhode Island gained most (23.2% real) and Missouri fell most (-25.2%).^[1][14][15]
9. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA had the highest metro median in May 2025 at $81,980 among 122 metro areas with at least 100 published jobs.^[3]
10. The U.S. real median for SOC 49-2098 was 9.0% higher in May 2025 than in May 2022, after a 12.6% nominal jump between the May 2022 and May 2023 releases.^{[2][9][10][15]}
11. Fire inspectors earned more than installers in most states with both estimates in May 2025; installers had the higher median in 6 of 43 states.^[1]
12. Security systems services (NAICS 561620) employed 64.5% of U.S. SOC 49-2098 workers in May 2025; electrical contractors and HVAC/plumbing contractors together employed 24.0%.^[4][2]
13. U.S. SOC 49-2098 employment was 86,340 in May 2025, 20.6% above May 2019 (71,600).^[2][13]

Rankings and ratios we derived

Download the calculations (CSV)

Executive summary

• U.S. security and fire alarm systems installers earned a median $60,070 in May 2025, 17.8% above the all-occupation median of $50,980.
• The middle 80% of workers earned between $38,800 (10th percentile) and $81,150 (90th percentile) in May 2025, a ratio of 2.09.
• State medians in May 2025 ranged from $47,160 in Mississippi to $79,870 in Alaska; Massachusetts ($78,530) led among states with at least 1,000 jobs.
• Nominal pay rose 22.7% from May 2019 to May 2025, but consumer prices (CPI-U) rose 25.5%, so the real median fell 2.3%.
• Security systems services firms employed 64.5% of these workers in May 2025 and electrical contractors 17.2%.
• Fire inspectors (SOC 33-2021) earned a U.S. median $75,920 in May 2025, $15,850 more than installers.
• BLS projects employment in the occupation to grow 6.8% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 8,500 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

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Methodology

Source selection: wages, employment and percentiles come only from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) files downloaded on 2026-10-26: the May 2025 national, state, metropolitan (MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx, not the balance-of-state file) and national industry files, plus the May 2019 to May 2024 national files and the May 2019 state file. Inflation uses the BLS CPI-U flat file (series CUUR0000SA0, May of each year). Projections come from the BLS Employment Projections occupation matrix. Recruiter and salary-aggregator pages were read for comparison only and are not used for any statistic.

Occupation scope: SOC 49-2098 combines fire alarm installers and technicians with security and burglar alarm installers. BLS publishes no fire-alarm-only estimate, so every figure here describes the combined code. Electricians who install fire alarm wiring under SOC 47-2111 are not included.

Inclusion and exclusion: the national row is the cross-industry, all-ownership row (OWN_CODE 1235). State rows are AREA_TYPE 2 (50 states and DC). Metro rows are metropolitan statistical areas; Puerto Rico is excluded from rankings. The metro ranking keeps areas with a published median and at least 100 published jobs (122 areas). OEWS codes were kept as published: ** (employment not available), * (wage not available) and # (wage at or above $115.00 an hour or $239,200 a year). No SOC 49-2098 state is suppressed.

Derived metrics: pay ratio = occupation median / all-occupation median in the same area; spread = 90th percentile / 10th percentile; jobs per 100,000 = occupation employment / all-occupation employment x 100,000; real change = 2025 median / (2019 median x CPI-U May 2025 / CPI-U May 2019) – 1. Every formula, input row and result is in derived_metrics.csv, and state values are in the table CSVs.

Conflicting numbers: OEWS employment (wage and salary jobs, May 2025) differs from Employment Projections employment (86,300, includes the self-employed). Both are shown and labeled. Aggregator figures that differ from BLS were not reconciled because they do not publish a method.

Limitations: OEWS is built from six survey panels over three years and BLS does not encourage time-series use, so year-to-year changes mix real movement with sampling and method effects. Small states have high relative standard errors (Alaska employment RSE 46.5%). Wages exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses. State real changes use the U.S. city average CPI-U. The report is not career, legal or financial advice.

Last updated 2026-10-26. The May 2025 OEWS estimates were released 2026-05-15; the next annual OEWS release (May 2026 reference period) has not been scheduled on a page opened for this report.

This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, engineering, financial or investment advice. Requirements depend on the code edition your state and local fire marshal have adopted; confirm with your authority having jurisdiction.

Sources, ranked by quality

Tier 1: primary and official sources (20)

• [1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2025 state estimates (oesm25st.zip, state_M2025_dl.xlsx). May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [2] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip, national_M2025_dl.xlsx). May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [3] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2025 metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma.zip, MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [4] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates (oesm25in4.zip). May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [5] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Technical Notes for May 2025 OEWS Estimates. May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [6] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS Frequently Asked Questions. Current. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [7] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725). May 2025, released May 15, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [8] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2024 national cross-industry estimates (oesm24nat.zip). May 2024. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [9] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2023 national cross-industry estimates (oesm23nat.zip). May 2023. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [10] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2022 national cross-industry estimates (oesm22nat.zip). May 2022. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [11] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2021 national cross-industry estimates (oesm21nat.zip). May 2021. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [12] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2020 national cross-industry estimates (oesm20nat.zip). May 2020. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [13] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2019 national cross-industry estimates (oesm19nat.zip). May 2019. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [14] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS May 2019 state estimates (oesm19st.zip). May 2019. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [15] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (series CUUR0000SA0, flat file cu.data.1.AllItems). May 2019 to May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [16] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections, National Employment Matrix occupation data (occupation.xlsx). 2025 to 2035. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [17] U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (O*NET). O*NET OnLine summary report 49-2098.00, Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers. Current. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [18] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2018 Standard Occupational Classification System, major groups and definitions. 2018 SOC. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [19] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS data tables index (May 2025 files). May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [20] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index release schedule. 2026 to 2027. Accessed 2026-10-26.

Tier 2: trade bodies, market research, company data (1)

• [21] National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). Fire Alarm Systems certification program. Current. Accessed 2026-10-26.