Lee County

County Business Patterns, 2023Forms the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro areaPopulation 844,226

Lee County had 264,855 private jobs, the 8th-most of any county, in 22,756 establishments in March 2023, paying $55,417 on average, 8% below the Florida figure. Only two counties have more jobs in mining and quarrying; it has 275. Jobs in construction are 1.8 times as common here as across the 67 counties, 12.8% of all local jobs.

Compare Lee side by side with Sarasota or another county.

The largest industry, health care and social assistance, has 17% of Lee County's jobs. Among its larger industries, pay runs from $25,901 a year in hotels and restaurants to $98,979 in utilities.

Pays above the county averagePays below itNot shown by industryCounty averageFlorida average

Where Lee County ranks

The four measures on which Lee County sits furthest from the middle county. It is furthest out on jobs, where it ranks 8th of 67.

Average annual pay$55,417

14thof 67

Jobs264,855

8thof 67

Business establishments22,756

8thof 67

Payroll per resident$17,386

17thof 67

LeeOther countiesMiddle county

Every industry, line by line

19 industries published; construction added the most jobs since 2019 (8,518), hotels and restaurants lost the most (1,696).

Industry	Jobs	Avg pay	Pay vs same industry statewide	Jobs since 2019
Health care & social assistance	45,760	$68,344	1.06×	+18.1%
Retail trade	43,772	$37,700	0.99×	+8.5%
Hotels & restaurants	33,915	$25,901	0.91×	−4.8%
Construction	33,899	$62,602	0.98×	+33.6%
Administrative & support services	20,043	$39,796	0.68×	+15.0%
Professional & technical services	16,958	$97,536	1.09×	+24.9%
Other services	10,777	$40,895	1.03×	+8.7%
Transportation & warehousing	9,403	$66,378	1.10×	+59.7%
Real estate & rental	8,021	$69,655	1.14×	+6.7%
Arts & recreation	7,849	$33,706	0.78×	+3.0%
Wholesale trade	7,587	$75,060	0.94×	+6.8%
Manufacturing	6,843	$64,886	0.95×	+26.4%
Finance & insurance	6,651	$85,707	0.81×	+10.7%
Management of companies	4,786	$91,656	0.90×	+27.9%
Information	3,639	$76,302	0.74×	−19.0%
Educational services	3,409	$39,538	0.81×	+18.8%
Utilities	961	$98,979	0.80×	+9.4%
Agriculture, forestry & fishing	291	$27,371	0.61×	+592.9%
Mining & quarrying	275	$74,793	0.85×	+36.8%
All industries	264,855	$55,417	0.92×	+13.8%

What sets Lee County apart

Jobs in mining and quarrying are 2.6 times as common here as across the 67 counties; finance and insurance is the most under-represented, at 0.49×.

Business sizes

88.0% have fewer than 20 employees; 357 have 100 or more.

EmployeesEstablishments

1–414,221

5–93,389

10–192,406

20–491,761

50–99622

100–249266

250–49971

500–99910

1,000+10

Since 2019

Jobs +13.8%, residents +9.6% since March 2019.

Jobs264,8552019: 232,778+13.8%

Business establishments22,7562019: 19,540+16.5%

Average pay (nominal)$55,4172019: $43,062+28.7%

Residents844,2262019: 770,577+9.6%

Share of Florida

Fewer of Florida's jobs (3.29%) than of its residents (3.69%).

Residents3.69%

Businesses3.53%

Jobs3.29%

Payroll3.09%

Source: Census CBP 2023, 2022, 2019; Population Estimates. FIPS 12071. How to read County Business Patterns figures.