What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for First Lieutenant?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where First Lieutenant jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Soledad, CA (49.6% above average), followed by Nome, AK and Chowchilla, CA. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Soledad, CA $122,257 $10,188 $2,351 $58.78 Nome, AK $101,383 $8,448 $1,949 $48.74 Chowchilla, CA $98,804 $8,233 $1,900 $47.50 Sitka, AK $98,456 $8,204 $1,893 $47.33 Santa Clara, CA $95,984 $7,998 $1,845 $46.15 Livermore, CA $95,865 $7,988 $1,843 $46.09 San Jose, CA $95,784 $7,982 $1,842 $46.05 Berkeley, CA $95,174 $7,931 $1,830 $45.76 Daly City, CA $94,697 $7,891 $1,821 $45.53 Santa Cruz, CA $94,368 $7,864 $1,814 $45.37

First Lieutenant

First Lieutenant Salary

Q: How much does a First Lieutenant make?

The average annual pay for a first lieutenant in the United States is $81,728 a year — that works out to approximately $39.29 an hour. The middle 80% of First Lieutenants earn between $50,500 (10th percentile) and $113,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related First Lieutenant Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to First Lieutenant in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Securities at $8,874 (10.9%) above First Lieutenant. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Securities $72,854 $6,071 $1,401 $35.03 Security Lieutenant $50,041 $4,170 $962 $24.06 Graduate Assistant Football Coach $42,394 $3,532 $815 $20.38 Grade C Security $38,415 $3,201 $738 $18.47 Watch Commander $27,432 $2,286 $527 $13.19

$43K

$65.5K

$132.5K

$81,728

/year

$39.29

/hour

First Lieutenant Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$81,728

Columbus

Ohio

$78,941

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How much does a First Lieutenant make?

As of Aug 25, 2026, the average annual pay for a First Lieutenant in the United States is $81,728 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $39.29 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,571/week or $6,810/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $132,500 and as low as $43,000, the majority of First Lieutenant salaries currently range between $60,000 (25th percentile) to $108,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $113,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a First Lieutenant varies greatly (by as much as 48500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A First Lieutenant in your area makes on average $78,941 per year, or $2,787 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $81,728. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for First Lieutenant salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for First Lieutenant jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a First Lieutenant on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for First Lieutenant Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a First Lieutenant job is above the national average. Topping the list is Soledad, CA, , with Nome, AK, and Chowchilla, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Chowchilla, CA, beats the national average by $17,076 (20.9%), and Soledad, CA, furthers that trend with another $40,529 (49.6%) above the $81,728 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a First Lieutenant appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 25% between Soledad, CA, and Santa Cruz, CA, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in a First Lieutenant role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Soledad, CA	$122,257	$10,188	$2,351	$58.78
Nome, AK	$101,383	$8,448	$1,949	$48.74
Chowchilla, CA	$98,804	$8,233	$1,900	$47.50
Sitka, AK	$98,456	$8,204	$1,893	$47.33
Santa Clara, CA	$95,984	$7,998	$1,845	$46.15
Livermore, CA	$95,865	$7,988	$1,843	$46.09
San Jose, CA	$95,784	$7,982	$1,842	$46.05
Berkeley, CA	$95,174	$7,931	$1,830	$45.76
Daly City, CA	$94,697	$7,891	$1,821	$45.53
Santa Cruz, CA	$94,368	$7,864	$1,814	$45.37

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related First Lieutenant Jobs in the U.S.

Analyzing some similar jobs related to the First Lieutenant job category, we found that Securities jobs have average salaries similar than First Lieutenant jobs.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Securities	$72,854	$6,071	$1,401	$35.03
Security Lieutenant	$50,041	$4,170	$962	$24.06
Graduate Assistant Football Coach	$42,394	$3,532	$815	$20.38
Grade C Security	$38,415	$3,201	$738	$18.47
Watch Commander	$27,432	$2,286	$527	$13.19

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing First Lieutenant salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $81,728 per year or $39.29 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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