The United States fire service depends heavily on volunteer firefighters, yet their numbers have declined significantly over the past four decades. This page consolidates current and historical data on U.S. volunteer firefighter counts, department types, and the recruitment and retention challenges reshaping communities across the country.
Primary sources: NFPA U.S. Fire Department Profile (annual survey, multiple years); National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Fire Service Fact Sheet (March 2024). All figures refer to the United States unless otherwise noted.
Table of Contents
Current Volunteer Firefighter Count
- Total volunteer firefighters (2023): 635,100 (NFPA)
- Total volunteer firefighters (2020): 676,900 (NFPA), the most recent fully published survey
- Share of all firefighters: Volunteers represent approximately 65% of all U.S. firefighters (NVFC, 2024)
- Departments that are volunteer or mostly volunteer: 82% of all U.S. fire departments (NFPA 2020)
- Population protected by volunteer departments: Approximately 30% of the U.S. population, concentrated in rural and suburban communities
Historical Volunteer Firefighter Counts (NFPA Survey Data)
The NFPA has tracked U.S. fire department personnel since 1983. The following table presents volunteer firefighter counts from selected survey years:
| Year | Volunteer Firefighters | Career Firefighters | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 884,600 | 226,600 | 1,111,200 |
| 2000 | 777,350 | 286,800 | 1,064,150 |
| 2010 | 768,150 | 335,150 | 1,103,300 |
| 2015 | 814,850 | 345,600 | 1,149,300 |
| 2017 | 682,600 | 373,600 | 1,056,200 |
| 2020 | 676,900 | 364,300 | 1,041,200 |
| 2023 | 635,100 | — | — |
Source: NFPA U.S. Fire Department Profile, annual survey. Career figures for 2023 not yet published at time of writing. Figures may reflect rounding in original NFPA reports.
The overall trend represents approximately a 25% decline in volunteer numbers since the mid 1980s, during a period when the U.S. population grew by roughly 40% and total emergency call volume more than tripled (NVFC, 2024).
Volunteer Participation Rate Per 1,000 Population
Adjusting for population growth makes the decline clearer. The NFPA tracks volunteer firefighters per 1,000 U.S. residents:
- 1987 (peak rate): 8.05 volunteers per 1,000 population
- 2020 (lowest recorded): 5.66 volunteers per 1,000 population
This means that relative to population, the U.S. had 30% fewer volunteer firefighters per capita in 2020 than at the 1987 peak, even as the demands on the fire service continued to grow.
U.S. Fire Department Types (2020)
Of the 29,452 fire departments in the U.S. in 2020 (NFPA), the breakdown by staffing type was:
| Department Type | Number of Departments | % of All Departments |
|---|---|---|
| All volunteer | 18,873 | 64% |
| Mostly volunteer | 5,335 | 18% |
| Mostly career | 2,459 | 8% |
| All career | 2,785 | 9% |
| Total | 29,452 | 100% |
All volunteer and mostly volunteer departments together represent 82% of all U.S. fire departments. However, because volunteer departments are concentrated in rural and lower density areas, they collectively protect approximately 30% of the U.S. population. Career and mostly career departments (just 18% of departments) protect the remaining 70%, largely in urban and suburban areas.
Economic Value of Volunteer Service
The NVFC estimates that volunteer firefighters contribute approximately $46.9 billion per year in donated time and service to their communities (NVFC Fire Service Fact Sheet, 2024). This figure reflects the replacement cost of equivalent career staffing at current wage rates. Communities that lose volunteer departments face the choice of transitioning to paid staffing, a significant budget impact for smaller municipalities, or reducing fire protection coverage.
Why Volunteer Numbers Are Declining
Researchers and fire service organizations point to several interconnected causes for the long term volunteer decline (NVFC, 2024; NFPA, 2019):
- Time demands: Modern firefighting requires significantly more training hours than previous generations. NFPA 1001 (Firefighter Professional Qualifications) and state certification requirements have increased the time commitment substantially since the 1980s.
- Workforce changes: The rise of two income households, longer commutes, and less flexible work schedules makes it harder for working adults to commit to daytime call response, historically the core of volunteer availability.
- Aging volunteer base: In communities under 2,500 population, 53% of firefighters are over 40 and 32% exceed age 50 (NFPA 2017 Fire Department Profile). Fewer younger recruits are replacing retirees.
- Increased call volume: Emergency call volume has tripled over the past 40 years, driven primarily by EMS/medical calls. This increases the time demands on active volunteers without a corresponding increase in personnel.
- Retention challenges: Nearly half of current volunteers report having considered leaving (NVFC, 2024).
Volunteer Firefighter Demographics (2020)
- Female volunteers: 72,400, approximately 11% of all volunteer firefighters (NFPA 2020)
- Tenure: 43% of volunteers had 10 or more years of active service (NFPA 2020)
- Age concentration: 50% of volunteers were between 30 and 49 years old (NFPA 2020)
Operational Impact of the Volunteer Shortage
The staffing gap has direct consequences for public safety. Fire departments operate most effectively with a minimum 4 person crew, the number needed to conduct an aggressive interior attack on a structure fire. Departments operating below this threshold are typically limited to defensive operations, which means protecting exposures rather than entering a structure to suppress the fire and search for occupants.
In communities where volunteer response times have lengthened or daytime availability has dropped, some departments have transitioned to combination (paid + volunteer) staffing models, while others have consolidated with neighboring departments. A small number of rural communities have experienced coverage gaps with no practical replacement.
Methodology and Sources
- NFPA U.S. Fire Department Profile — annual survey published by the National Fire Protection Association. The survey has tracked U.S. fire department personnel annually since 1983. Available at nfpa.org.
- NVFC Fire Service Fact Sheet — published by the National Volunteer Fire Council, updated March 2024. Available at nvfc.org.
- Figures in this page reflect the most recently published NFPA survey data available at time of writing (March 2026). The 2023 volunteer count is from NFPA’s “Number of Firefighters in the U.S.” summary page.
Looking for career firefighter salary data? See our Firefighter Salary Calculator or our State of Firefighting 2026 Annual Report for the full picture on the U.S. fire service.
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