Best Fire Protection Schools (2026): 37 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Fire Protection, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Fire Protection graduate earns $51,104/yr across 37 schools.
BLS projects 5.1% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 151 annual job openings per related program area.
All Fire Protection Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Southwestern Illinois College
Belleville, IL · Fire Protection |
83
79–85 |
$77,935/yr | 184.2x |
| 2 |
North Shore Community College
Danvers, MA · Fire Protection |
78
75–80 |
$90,948/yr | 84.0x |
| 3 |
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Cincinnati, OH · Fire Protection |
78
75–80 |
$91,944/yr | 84.1x |
| 4 |
Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, AL · Fire Protection |
75
72–77 |
$75,326/yr | 68.4x |
| 5 |
St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Fire Protection |
80
76–81 |
$55,829/yr | 207.2x |
| 6 |
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL · Fire Protection |
73
70–74 |
$58,160/yr | 66.3x |
| 7 |
Lamar Institute of Technology
Beaumont, TX · Fire Protection |
80
76–81 |
$55,778/yr | 195.1x |
| 8 |
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA · Fire Protection |
80
76–82 |
$53,847/yr | 483.9x |
| 9 |
Northwest Florida State College
Niceville, FL · Fire Protection |
79
75–80 |
$52,856/yr | 161.8x |
| 10 |
Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson, KS · Fire Protection |
73
69–75 |
$51,007/yr | 82.0x |
| 11 |
Purdue University Global
West Lafayette, IN · Fire Protection |
68
65–70 |
$70,749/yr | 39.0x |
| 12 |
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA · Fire Protection |
79
75–81 |
$50,364/yr | 395.6x |
| 13 |
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL · Fire Protection |
78
74–80 |
$49,810/yr | 172.1x |
| 14 |
Hillsborough Community College
Tampa, FL · Fire Protection |
79
75–81 |
$50,331/yr | 270.5x |
| 15 |
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL · Fire Protection |
78
74–79 |
$47,206/yr | 195.0x |
| 16 |
Augusta Technical College
Augusta, GA · Fire Protection |
76
72–77 |
$48,265/yr | 119.0x |
| 17 |
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City
Kansas City, MO · Fire Protection |
77
73–79 |
$48,321/yr | 153.6x |
| 18 |
McLennan Community College
Waco, TX · Fire Protection |
77
73–79 |
$47,467/yr | 167.3x |
| 19 |
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA · Fire Protection |
78
74–80 |
$46,660/yr | 394.4x |
| 20 |
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL · Fire Protection |
78
73–79 |
$46,698/yr | 225.1x |
| 21 |
Valencia College
Orlando, FL · Fire Protection |
73
70–74 |
$45,657/yr | 91.3x |
| 22 |
Austin Community College District
Austin, TX · Fire Protection |
78
74–79 |
$47,024/yr | 224.7x |
| 23 |
Aims Community College
Greeley, CO · Fire Protection |
77
73–78 |
$44,470/yr | 211.8x |
| 24 |
Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL · Fire Protection |
75
71–77 |
$42,696/yr | 167.8x |
| 25 |
Oakland Community College
Auburn Hills, MI · Fire Protection |
76
72–77 |
$44,178/yr | 145.3x |
| 26 |
Houston Community College
Houston, TX · Fire Protection |
75
70–76 |
$39,283/yr | 252.0x |
| 27 |
Honolulu Community College
Honolulu, HI · Fire Protection |
64
62–66 |
$37,817/yr | 58.6x |
| 28 |
Waldorf University
Forest City, IA · Fire Protection |
62
58–63 |
$76,032/yr | 14.7x |
| 29 |
Onondaga Community College
Syracuse, NY · Fire Protection |
62
55–64 |
$37,705/yr | 48.4x |
| 30 |
Butler Technology and Career Development Schools
Monroe, OH · Fire Protection |
61
57–63 |
$47,379/yr | — |
| 31 |
Pima Community College
Tucson, AZ · Fire Protection |
72
67–74 |
$35,059/yr | 242.3x |
| 32 |
Great Oaks Career Campuses
Cincinnati, OH · Fire Protection |
59
55–60 |
$41,349/yr | — |
| 33 |
Hill College
Hillsboro, TX · Fire Protection |
67
63–68 |
$33,190/yr | 92.0x |
| 34 |
George Stone Technical College
Pensacola, FL · Fire Protection |
58
54–59 |
$39,560/yr | — |
| 35 |
Vincennes University
Vincennes, IN · Fire Protection |
58
54–59 |
$38,326/yr | 32.8x |
| 36 |
Marion Technical College
Ocala, FL · Fire Protection |
57
53–58 |
$37,678/yr | — |
| 37 |
Lake Technical College
Eustis, FL · Fire Protection |
54
50–56 |
$33,942/yr | — |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
| State | Programs | Avg Earnings | Avg TSW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 11 | $45,660/yr | 57 |
| Texas | 5 | $44,548/yr | 58 |
| Ohio | 3 | $60,224/yr | 57 |
| California | 3 | $50,290/yr | 60 |
| Indiana | 2 | $54,538/yr | 56 |
| Illinois | 2 | $68,048/yr | 64 |
| New York | 1 | $37,705/yr | 55 |
| Missouri | 1 | $48,321/yr | 60 |
| Michigan | 1 | $44,178/yr | 58 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | $90,948/yr | 65 |
| Kansas | 1 | $51,007/yr | 61 |
| Iowa | 1 | $76,032/yr | 55 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $37,817/yr | 55 |
| Georgia | 1 | $48,265/yr | 60 |
| Colorado | 1 | $44,470/yr | 58 |
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Fire Protection Schools ranks 37 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.