by our College Data Analytics Team
[Fire Protection](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/fire-protection/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a fire protection degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 77 schools to find where fire protection graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
The right fire protection school can pay off in your paycheck for years to come. To help, we created our Highest Paid Fire Protection Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its fire protection graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
Read more about our methodology
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Fire Protection Graduates list, to help you choose. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we have developed a unique tool called College Combat that lets you compare schools on the factors that matter most to you.
Below are the schools whose fire protection graduates go on to earn the most.
Leading the list is Keiser University Ft Lauderdale, our #1 for fire protection graduate salaries in the United States. Keiser University Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Lauderdale. Fire Protection graduates of Keiser University Ft Lauderdale earn a median of about $99,745 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in fire protection will find them at Miami Dade College, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Miami, Miami Dade College is a public institution. Early-career fire protection graduates from Miami Dade College make a median of around $99,859 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Southern Illinois University Carbondale earned it the #3 place for fire protection. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public school located in the town of Carbondale. Early-career fire protection graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale make a median of around $104,017 per year.
A rank of #4 makes Cincinnati State Technical And Community College one of the highest-paying schools for fire protection. Cincinnati State Technical And Community College is a public school located in the city of Cincinnati. After graduating, fire protection degree recipients from Cincinnati State Technical And Community College typically earn about $91,944 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in fire protection will find them at Tarrant County College District, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County College District is a public institution. Early-career fire protection graduates from Tarrant County College District make a median of around $85,874 per year.
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Southwestern Illinois College earned the #6 position for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Belleville, Southwestern Illinois College is a public institution. Early-career fire protection graduates from Southwestern Illinois College make a median of around $71,691 per year.
Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying fire protection schools. Santa Rosa Junior College is a public school located in the city of Santa Rosa. Early-career fire protection graduates from Santa Rosa Junior College make a median of around $91,630 per year.
Lone Star College System earned the #8 position for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Lone Star College System is a public school located in the city of The Woodlands. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $66,236.
North Shore Community College came in at #9 for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Danvers, North Shore Community College is a public institution. Fire Protection graduates of North Shore Community College earn a median of about $90,948 a year early in their careers.
Colorado State University Fort Collins placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for fire protection. Colorado State University Fort Collins is a public school located in the city of Fort Collins. Early-career fire protection graduates from Colorado State University Fort Collins make a median of around $98,338 per year.
Waldorf College came in at #11 for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Located in the rural area of Forest City, Waldorf College is a private for-profit institution. Fire Protection graduates of Waldorf College earn a median of about $96,021 a year early in their careers.
Anna Maria College came in at #12 for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, fire protection degree recipients from Anna Maria College typically earn about $115,875 annually.
Mt San Antonio College came in at #13 for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Walnut, Mt San Antonio College is a public institution. Early-career fire protection graduates from Mt San Antonio College make a median of around $86,031 per year.
San Jacinto Community College placed #14 among the highest-paying schools for fire protection. Located in the city of Pasadena, San Jacinto Community College is a public institution. Fire Protection graduates of San Jacinto Community College earn a median of about $61,451 a year early in their careers.
Navarro College earned the #15 position for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Corsicana, Navarro College is a public institution. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $61,379.
Purdue University Global placed #16 among the highest-paying schools for fire protection. Purdue University Global is a public school located in the city of West Lafayette. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $85,892.
Mesa Community College came in at #17 for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Mesa, Mesa Community College is a public institution. After graduating, fire protection degree recipients from Mesa Community College typically earn about $58,635 annually.
Red Rocks Community College earned the #18 position for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Red Rocks Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Lakewood. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $59,426.
San Antonio College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying fire protection schools. San Antonio College is a public school located in the city of San Antonio. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $60,731.
University Of Florida Online landed the #20 spot for fire protection salaries this year. University Of Florida Online is a public school located in the city of Gainesville. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $86,740.
Mahoning County Career And Technical Center earned the #21 position for fire protection graduate earnings this year. Mahoning County Career And Technical Center is a public school located in the suburb of Canfield. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $58,623.
Columbia Southern University ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying fire protection schools. Set in the town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit institution. Fire Protection graduates of Columbia Southern University earn a median of about $85,101 a year early in their careers.
Sinclair Community College landed the #23 spot for fire protection salaries this year. Set in the city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public institution. Students who complete the fire protection program here go on to a median salary of roughly $57,887.
Hillsborough Community College placed #24 among the highest-paying schools for fire protection. Hillsborough Community College is a public school located in the city of Tampa. Early-career fire protection graduates from Hillsborough Community College make a median of around $68,028 per year.
Fox Valley Technical College placed #25 among the highest-paying schools for fire protection. Fox Valley Technical College is a public school located in the suburb of Appleton. After graduating, fire protection degree recipients from Fox Valley Technical College typically earn about $76,568 annually.
These schools also send fire protection graduates into strong-paying careers this year:
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The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries fire protection graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 77 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.