Salary Comparison Summary: Fire Supervisor vs Intelligence Analyst
At the headline level, Fire Supervisor is benchmarked at $99,832.0 per year and Intelligence Analyst is benchmarked at $101,862. That makes intelligence analyst the current pay leader, but the better reading comes from looking at how each role behaves across the full pay ladder rather than stopping at one average.
This matters because some roles start lower and accelerate later, while others pay well early but flatten sooner. The summary table gives the quick salary picture before the deeper sections move into location, specialization, and demand.
| Metric | Role A | Role B | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| National median salary | $99,832.0 | $101,862 | Role B |
| Hourly equivalent | $48.0 | $49.0 | Role B |
| Entry-level salary | $58,324.0 | $58,997.0 | Role B |
| Senior salary | $125,290 | $130,729 | Role B |
| Lead salary ceiling | $153,696 | $173,507 | Role B |
| Projected job growth | 3.4% | -0.7% | Role A |
Salary Difference by Experience Level
For Fire Supervisor vs Intelligence Analyst, experience shifts the pay story faster than most readers expect. Entry-level differences can be modest, then widen sharply once the work carries more ownership, leadership, or specialized tools. The full band progression shows whether one role only pays better now or also compounds better over time.
| Metric | Role A | Role B | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | $58,324.0 | $58,997.0 | Role B |
| Mid Level | $99,800.0 | $101,884 | Role B |
| Senior Level | $125,290 | $130,729 | Role B |
| Lead / Principal | $153,696 | $173,507 | Role B |
Salary Comparison by Location
Location changes the Fire Supervisor vs Intelligence Analyst comparison because employer density, industry mix, and cost pressure are not evenly distributed. Intelligence Analyst leads nationally, but that can flip inside specific metros if the local market favors the other role more heavily.
- San Jose, CA: $189K
- Los Angeles, CA: $171K
- Sacramento, CA: $167K
- San Francisco, CA: $162K
- Santa Cruz, CA: $145K
- Hagerstown, MD: $157K
- San Jose, CA: $157K
- Brunswick, GA: $155K
- Washington, DC: $153K
- Oxnard, CA: $143K
Salary Comparison by Industry
Industry premiums often explain why Fire Supervisor and Intelligence Analyst salaries separate once real offers arrive. The tables below show where each role gets its strongest wage support — usually where specialization, regulation, employer scale, or revenue impact are higher.
- Utilities: $134K
- Educational Services: $104K
- Transportation and Warehousing: $99.7K
- Manufacturing: $98.1K
- Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service: $93.2K
- Transportation and Warehousing: $115K
- Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service: $93.6K
- Government Excluding Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service: $93.5K
- Health Care and Social Assistance: $85.7K
- Educational Services: $83.0K
Salary by Skill Specialization
Skill specialization shapes what employers pay for in Fire Supervisor and Intelligence Analyst differently. The premium in each role may come from different strengths — systems judgment, tools, delivery speed, or market expertise. That divergence is often why salary moves differently even when both roles sit in the same broader market.
On the knowledge side, fire supervisor leans more on Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, and Education and Training, while intelligence analyst leans more on Law and Government, English Language, and Public Safety and Security. Those differences help explain why salary movement can diverge even when both roles sit in the same broader employment market.
Entry-Level Salary Comparison
Entry-level Fire Supervisor vs Intelligence Analyst salary matters because it shapes the real cost of getting started in either role. The preparation gap and first-year pay difference can make one path noticeably more accessible than the other.
- Preparation level: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Typical education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
- Preparation level: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Typical education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Mid-Career Salary Growth Comparison
Mid-career is where the Fire Supervisor vs Intelligence Analyst gap becomes clearer. Once the early learning curve is behind you, employers price each role differently based on independence, judgment, delivery speed, and how directly the work affects business or technical outcomes.
| Metric | Role A | Role B | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-career median | $99,800.0 | $101,884 | Role B |
| Growth from entry | 71.1% | 72.7% | Role B |
Senior Level and Leadership Salary Comparison
The senior and lead bands are often where Fire Supervisor and Intelligence Analyst pull apart most visibly. That gap usually reflects how the market values leverage in outcomes — leadership scope, systems ownership, revenue influence, or decision-making authority in each role.
| Metric | Role A | Role B | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior salary | $125,290 | $130,729 | Role B |
| Lead salary | $153,696 | $173,507 | Role B |
| Lead upside above median | 54.0% | 70.3% | Role B |
Job Demand Comparison
Intelligence Analyst leads on salary, but demand data shows whether that pay ceiling is backed by a healthy market. A higher Fire Supervisor or Intelligence Analyst median in a slower-growing field can still be the weaker long-term path if openings are narrower or growth is flatter.
| Metric | Role A | Role B | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projected growth | 3.4% | -0.7% | Role A |
| Annual openings | 7k | 8k | Role B |
| Employment base | 97k | 118k | Role B |
Entry Barrier and Career Difficulty Comparison
Fire Supervisor and Intelligence Analyst differ on how hard each is to enter, not just on pay. Preparation level, education, related experience, and post-hire training all shape how quickly someone can move from interest to a real offer in each role.
Which Role Pays More Long-Term?
The better long-term path is usually the one that combines a stronger senior ceiling with a healthier market around it. On that reading, Intelligence Analyst looks stronger because the upper pay bands and demand signals hold together better once the early-career phase is past.
Fire Supervisor can reach roughly $153,696 at the lead band, while Intelligence Analyst can reach roughly $173,507. That does not make the lower-ceiling role a bad choice. It simply means the pay curve starts to separate more clearly once leadership, ownership, and advanced specialization enter the picture.
| Metric | Role A | Role B | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1–2 cumulative | $117K–$156K | $118K–$149K | Role A |
| Year 3–5 cumulative | $351K–$532K | $341K–$541K | Role B |
| Year 6–10 cumulative | $850K–$1M | $851K–$1M | Role B |
Which Role Is Better for Beginners?
Beginners usually care about three things at once: how much the first role pays, how hard the role is to break into, and whether the market still offers enough openings to make the learning path worthwhile. On that three-part test, Fire Supervisor comes out slightly stronger.
That result is driven by the balance between entry pay, preparation level, and demand. Someone choosing a starting path may still prefer the other role if the work itself fits better, but this section is the clearest read on which one asks for less sacrifice up front.
- Entry salary starts around $58.3K.
- Preparation level: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed.
- Training expectation: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations..
- Demand outlook: 3.4% projected growth.
- Annual openings: 7k.
- Remote compensation is less clearly visible in the current dataset for this role.
- Entry salary starts around $59.0K.
- Preparation level: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed.
- Training expectation: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations..
- Demand outlook: -0.7% projected growth.
- Annual openings: 8k.
- Remote compensation is less clearly visible in the current dataset for this role.
How to Switch From One Role to the Other
The easiest switches happen when the core overlap is already visible. In this pair, the clearest shared strengths are Microsoft PowerPoint, ESRI ArcView, Public Safety and Security, and Customer and Personal Service. That overlap lowers the friction, but the target role still needs proof in the skills that do not transfer automatically.
Work-Life Balance Comparison
Comparing work-life balance for Fire Supervisor and Intelligence Analyst is softer than salary because public occupation data does not produce one clean score. Remote flexibility, work-style intensity, and the structure of the work environment give the clearest available signal for each role.
On that softer reading, Intelligence Analyst looks slightly more balanced. That edge usually comes from a mix of remote or hybrid pay support, the way employers organize the work, and whether the role seems to ask for constant escalation or steadier execution.
Related Salary Guides and Career Paths
A role comparison becomes more useful when you read the full salary guides, the how-to-become pages, and the high-pay market pages for both roles. That is where the pair-level verdict turns into a clearer decision path for fire supervisor and intelligence analyst.
FAQs: Fire Supervisor vs Intelligence Analyst Salary
These questions usually come up after readers compare the national pay gap, experience bands, and switching difficulty together. They help close the practical questions that still remain once the numbers and the work path are already in view.
Fire Supervisor vs Intelligence Analyst: which role pays more right now?▾
Intelligence Analyst currently shows the stronger national median salary in Careerclev's comparison model. Fire Supervisor is benchmarked at $99,832.0, while Intelligence Analyst is benchmarked at $101,862.
Which path has better long-term earning upside, Fire Supervisor or Intelligence Analyst?▾
Intelligence Analyst looks stronger on long-term upside when senior and lead pay are read together with growth outlook. Fire Supervisor reaches about $153,696 at the lead band, while Intelligence Analyst reaches about $173,507.
Which role is easier to start with for beginners?▾
Fire Supervisor comes out better for beginners once entry pay, preparation level, and early-career demand are read together. Fire Supervisor starts around $58,324.0 and Intelligence Analyst starts around $58,997.0.
Can someone switch from Fire Supervisor to Intelligence Analyst?▾
Usually yes, especially when the two roles already share skills such as Microsoft PowerPoint, ESRI ArcView, and Public Safety and Security. The harder part is closing the target-role gaps, which often means learning Adobe Photoshop, Amazon Web Services AWS software, and Data visualization software.
Why can the higher-paying role still be the weaker fit?▾
Pay is only one layer of the comparison. Preparation expectations, remote flexibility, work-style fit, demand outlook, and how quickly a role opens salary growth all matter. A slightly lower-paying role can still be the stronger choice if it is easier to enter, easier to progress in, or better aligned with the kind of work the reader actually wants to do.