Average Fire Prevention Officer Salary in Panama for 2026
A fire prevention officer in Panama earns about 19,360 PAB a year. That's 25% below the national average of 25,940 PAB.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Panama sit around 7,820 PAB a year, while the very top stretches to 27,480 PAB. Everything on this page is in Panamanian balboa (PAB, symbol B/.), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Panama, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a fire prevention officer make in Panama?
A typical fire prevention officer working in Panama brings home around 1,613 PAB a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 7,820 PAB, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 27,480 PAB for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior fire prevention officer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How fire prevention officer pay ranges in Panama
A good way to think about salary in Panama is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all fire prevention officers in Panama earn less than 20,300 PAB a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 12,120 PAB (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 24,820 PAB (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of fire prevention officers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 7,820 PAB. The highest stretch to 27,480 PAB, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Fire prevention officer pay by experience in Panama
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a fire prevention officer in Panama, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical fire prevention officer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years10,220 PAB
- 2-5 Years+33% from previous13,560 PAB
- 5-10 Years+51% from previous20,520 PAB
- 10-15 Years+14% from previous23,480 PAB
- 15-20 Years+5% from previous24,720 PAB
- 20+ Years+16% from previous28,660 PAB
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 51%. That is the point at which a fire prevention officer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Fire prevention officer pay by education in Panama
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving fire prevention officer pay in Panama. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average fire prevention officer salary in Panama broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Certificate or Diploma13,540 PAB
- Bachelor's Degree+67% from previous22,660 PAB
Fire prevention officer gender pay gap in Panama
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Panama is no exception. Male fire prevention officers in Panama earn an average of 21,540 PAB a year, while female fire prevention officers earn around 19,220 PAB. That works out to a 12% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Fire Prevention Officer gender pay gap
11%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Panama.
Pay raises for a fire prevention officer in Panama
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Panama sees a raise of about 8% every 21 months, which works out to roughly 5% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Panama, the national average raise is around 7% every 19 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Panama:
- Banking
- Energy1%
- Information Technology
- Healthcare2%
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Fire prevention officer bonus rates in Panama
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
27% of fire prevention officers in Panama reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a fire prevention officer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 73% of fire prevention officers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Panama
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Fire prevention officer: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Panama is about 4% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
4%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Panama on average.
Fire Prevention Officer in Panama: FAQs
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How much does a fire prevention officer make per month in Panama?
A fire prevention officer in Panama earns about 1,613 PAB a month before tax, based on an annual average of 19,360 PAB.
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What's the salary range for a fire prevention officer in Panama?
Entry-level fire prevention officers in Panama start near 7,820 PAB. Top-end pay reaches around 27,480 PAB. The middle 50% of earners sit between 12,120 and 24,820 PAB.
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Is the median fire prevention officer salary in Panama higher or lower than the average?
The median is 20,300 PAB, higher than the average of 19,360 PAB. Half of fire prevention officers in Panama earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for fire prevention officers in Panama?
Men working as a fire prevention officer in Panama earn around 12% more than women on average (21,540 vs 19,220 PAB a year).
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Do fire prevention officers in Panama get bonuses?
About 27% of fire prevention officers in Panama reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.
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Do fire prevention officers earn more in the public or private sector in Panama?
In Panama, the public sector pays a fire prevention officer about 4% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do fire prevention officers in Panama get a pay raise?
A fire prevention officer in Panama sees a raise of around 8% every 21 months, equivalent to roughly 5% a year.