Firefighters vs Licensed Practical
Licensed Practical earns $5,120 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Firefighters | Licensed Practical | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $59,280 | $64,400 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $34,910 to $101,040 | $49,740 to $83,440 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 0.5 | 1 |
| Typical entry education | Postsecondary nondegree award | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Jobs opening up each year | 26,800 | 51,800 |
| Growth by 2035 | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| People doing it now | 355,300 | 666,900 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $100,960 in New York down to $33,120 in Louisiana | $83,150 in Washington down to $50,220 in Mississippi |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Firefighters
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
- Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators
- Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers
- Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
- Emergency Medical Technicians
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
Licensed Practical
- Registered Nurses
- Paramedics
- Nurse Practitioners
- Acute Care Nurses
- Nursing Assistants
- Critical Care Nurses
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
Firefighters
- Fire-Prevention and Protection EngineersUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
- Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
Licensed Practical
- Registered NursesUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience. +$31,260 a year more at the middle.
- Nurse PractitionersGraduate school — a master's, or a doctorate. +$66,870 a year more at the middle.
- Acute Care NursesUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
- Critical Care NursesUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
- Clinical Nurse SpecialistsGraduate school — a master's, or a doctorate.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2025, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.