In the United States, there are approximately 29,452 fire departments—a figure drawn from the most recent National Fire Protection Association survey covering U.S. Fire Experience.
When flames threaten homes or disasters strike unexpectedly, one question rises above all: How many fire departments are there in the United States? That’s exactly what this article answers—and it delivers not just a number, but a full picture of the American fire service: its structure, types, distribution, history, and future challenges.
Embedded in that very first paragraph, you’ve already been given the specific answer: there are roughly 29,452 fire departments across the nation. From there, we’ll explain what that number means, why it matters, and what insights shape our safety today.
Understanding the Number
That figure—29,452 fire departments—is based on NFPA’s national survey data for 2020, which projected department counts based on samples across community sizes. It reflects all public fire‑service jurisdictions—city, county, district, tribal—both volunteer and career.
Department Types and Composition
NFPA classifies departments by staffing:
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All‑career (100% paid firefighters): ~2,785 (9 %) of departments
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Mostly‑career (51–99 % paid): ~2,459 (8 %)
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Mostly‑volunteer (1–50 % paid): ~5,335 (18 %)
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All‑volunteer: ~18,873 (64 %)
These totals sum to ~29,452 departments nationwide.
Career and mostly‑career departments account for one‑sixth (~18 %) of all fire departments, yet protect nearly 70 % of the U.S. population. In contrast, volunteer and mostly‑volunteer departments—though making up about 82 % of departments—serve approximately 30 % of the population.
Why This Number Matters: Scope, Coverage, and Public Safety
For policymakers, emergency planners, and communities, knowing that the U.S. has nearly 30,000 fire departments helps:
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Allocate funding and training: volunteer‑run departments require different resource models than career ones.
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Plan regional coordination: mutual aid systems, state support, and federal grants rely on accurate counts.
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Ensure coverage: roughly half of departments serve small communities (under 2,500 residents) where geography matters most.
Historical Trends and Evolving Patterns
A. Department Count Over Time
Between 1986 and 2020, the number of career and mostly‑career departments rose from ~3,043 to ~5,244—an increase of 72 %—while truly volunteer‑heavy departments decreased from ~26,797 to ~24,208—a drop of about 10 %. This reflects urbanization, consolidation, and professionalization.
B. Volunteer Firefighters: A Declining Backbone
In 2020, there were ~676,900 volunteer firefighters—the lowest number recorded, down 25 % since 1984—while career firefighters numbered ~364,300. Volunteers still represent roughly 65–67 % of all firefighters in the U.S. population, though their ranks are shrinking.
Breaking It Down: Distribution by Community Size
NFPA provides detailed breakdowns of departments by the size of the populations they serve:
| Population Protected | # of Departments | % of All Departments |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2,500 | 13,958 | 47 % |
| 2,500–4,999 | 5,354 | 18 % |
| 5,000–9,999 | 4,325 | 15 % |
| 10,000–24,999 | 3,512 | 12 % |
| 25,000–49,999 | 1,308 | 4 % |
| 50,000–99,999 | 564 | 2 % |
| 100,000–249,999 | 296 | 1 % |
| 250,000–499,999 | 72 | <1 % |
| 500,000–999,999 | 45 | <1 % |
| 1,000,000 or more | 18 | <1 % |
| Total | 29,452 | 100 % |
Thus, nearly half of all U.S. fire departments exist in jurisdictions serving fewer than 2,500 people —underscoring their rural and small‑town nature.
Why the Count Varies Slightly
Different sources may report numbers ranging from ~29,452 to closer to ~29,700 fire departments. For example, a 2018 NFPA report estimated ~29,705 departments across the U.S., with very similar career/volunteer breakdowns. These minor differences reflect rounding, changes over time, or updates in sampling frames. The 29,452 figure from the 2020 report is generally accepted as the best current estimate.
Insight That’s Rare Elsewhere
What sets this piece apart is the synthesis of multiple data dimensions into a unified narrative:
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Not merely listing the count, but framing it in terms of department type, population served, and historical trends.
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Demonstrating how career/volunteer split, while dramatic in numbers, roles reverse in population coverage.
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Highlighting why almost half the departments serve very small communities, yet volunteer staffing models dominate there—insight often overlooked in popular articles.
Why These Figures Still Matter
A. Changing Emergency Response Role
While called “fire departments,” most now respond to medical calls, hazardous‑materials incidents, wildfire threats, and rescue missions. In 2019 alone, of 37 million emergency calls recorded, only ~1.3 million were fires—66 % were medical emergencies.
B. Increasing Complexity and Funding Pressures
Cities are reevaluating how they allocate budgets. Staffing models that grew during mid-20th-century fire threats are being challenged. Yet, fire departments expand into all‑hazard protection: EMS, rescue, public health coordination, and disaster response.
C. Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Crisis
With volunteer numbers dropping, rural and small‑town jurisdictions face serious operational pressure. Many fire chiefs cite recruiting and retention as their top challenge—with no easy fix in sight.
What’s Next: Trends and Future Projections
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Department consolidation: Some small‑town, all‑volunteer departments are merging into regional districts for cost‑effectiveness.
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Hybrid staffing: More jurisdictions adopt mixed career/volunteer models.
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Professionalization of volunteer service: Enhanced training, certifications, and part‑time stipends.
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Shift toward regional all‑hazards hubs, especially in wildfire‑prone zones and dense metro regions.
Based on NFPA trends and calls for better funding, particularly federal support for volunteer recruitment and retention, we may see the total count of departments stabilize—or even decline—over the next decade.
Summary
To restate clearly: How Many Fire Departments Are There in the United States? There are currently an estimated 29,452 fire departments, per the NFPA’s 2020 Fire Department Profile.
This article has expanded on that number by explaining:
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The breakdown between career and volunteer staffing
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The distribution by community size
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Historical trends over decades
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Why the count varies slightly across sources
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The evolving role of fire departments beyond fighting fires
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Future challenges, notably volunteer decline and funding changes
Bonus: Additional Context You Won’t Often See
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According to the National Fire Department Registry, approximately 27,098 departments are registered in the official FEMA database—slightly lower than NFPA’s projected total, likely due to a lag in reporting or inactive departments.
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NFIRS, the Incident Reporting System, includes voluntary reporting by over 23,000 departments annually, covering about 75 % of all reported fires in the U.S.
These figures reinforce that while 29,452 is the widely cited estimate, real‑time registry and incident data may register slightly lower numbers—but within the same ballpark.
Conclusion
In wrapping up, the concise answer is: about 29,452 fire departments serve communities across the United States. Yet that number only scratches the surface—behind it lies a dynamic ecosystem of all‑volunteer, mostly‑volunteer, mostly‑career, and all‑career agencies. It’s a tapestry shaped by geography, funding, tradition, and survival in the face of changing threats.
Whether you’re a resident curious about your local fire service, a policymaker shaping emergency response, or simply searching for reliable, authoritative insight, this article delivers an answer backed by data, explained clearly, and enriched with context you won’t find elsewhere.
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