CountyPayrolls

Florida's highest- and lowest-paying counties

By Madison BrooksPublished Data: County Business Patterns 2023

Hamilton County has the highest average pay in Florida, $73,675 per job in 2023, but with 1,760 jobs it is a special case. Among counties with more than 100,000 jobs, Miami-Dade County ($67,834) and Hillsborough County ($67,804) lead. Lafayette County is lowest at $34,265. Only 6 of 67 counties pay above the Florida average of $60,013, and the gap between the top and the bottom comes mostly from what the same industries pay in each place, not from which industries are there.

The ten highest and ten lowest

Apart from Hamilton County, the top ten are all metro counties with at least 151,907 jobs. The bottom ten are all small: none has more than 7,282 jobs, and 7 of them lie outside any metro or micro area.

Highest average pay, 2023

CountyAverage payJobsLargest industry
1. Hamilton CountyAverage pay$73,675Jobs1,760Largest industryManufacturing
2. Miami-Dade CountyAverage pay$67,834Jobs1,055,440Largest industryHealth care
3. Hillsborough CountyAverage pay$67,804Jobs697,689Largest industryHealth care
4. Palm Beach CountyAverage pay$66,342Jobs592,227Largest industryHealth care
5. Duval CountyAverage pay$64,686Jobs508,104Largest industryHealth care
6. Broward CountyAverage pay$61,265Jobs780,632Largest industryHealth care
7. Pinellas CountyAverage pay$59,991Jobs425,004Largest industryHealth care
8. Seminole CountyAverage pay$58,649Jobs193,461Largest industryRetail trade
9. Collier CountyAverage pay$58,454Jobs151,907Largest industryHotels & restaurants
10. Orange CountyAverage pay$58,345Jobs842,028Largest industryHotels & restaurants

Lowest average pay, 2023

CountyAverage payJobsLargest industry
58. Washington CountyAverage pay$40,487Jobs4,041Largest industryRetail trade
59. Gulf CountyAverage pay$40,034Jobs2,779Largest industryHotels & restaurants
60. Wakulla CountyAverage pay$39,989Jobs4,357Largest industryRetail trade
61. Madison CountyAverage pay$39,869Jobs3,264Largest industryHealth care
62. Dixie CountyAverage pay$38,583Jobs1,809Largest industryManufacturing
63. Franklin CountyAverage pay$38,021Jobs2,315Largest industryHotels & restaurants
64. Holmes CountyAverage pay$37,832Jobs2,142Largest industryHealth care
65. Levy CountyAverage pay$37,154Jobs7,282Largest industryRetail trade
66. Calhoun CountyAverage pay$36,138Jobs1,657Largest industryHealth care
67. Lafayette CountyAverage pay$34,265Jobs687Largest industryHealth care

The spread is wide. Average pay in Hamilton County is 2.15 times that in Lafayette County, and the middle county, $46,815, is well below the state average because the state figure is weighted toward the large counties.

Bigger counties pay more

The most reliable pattern in the data is size. Group the counties by how many jobs they have and average pay climbs from one group to the next:

Jobs in the countyCountiesCombined average payMiddle county
250,000 or moreCounties8Combined average pay$63,528Middle county$64,686
50,000 to 249,999Counties20Combined average pay$51,709Middle county$50,478
10,000 to 49,999Counties13Combined average pay$45,906Middle county$45,541
Under 10,000Counties26Combined average pay$43,242Middle county$42,496

Part of the reason is which industries large counties have. Finance and insurance, information, management of companies and professional services are four of the five best-paid sectors statewide. They hold 19.4% of jobs in the counties with 250,000 or more jobs, and 6.3% in counties with fewer than 10,000, where they are also often withheld. But mix is only part of the story, as the next section shows.

Industry mix or local pay levels

A simple test separates two explanations. Take each county's published industries and pay every job at that industry's average across all 67 counties. The result is what the county would pay if its only difference from the rest of Florida were its mix of industries. Compare that with what it actually pays.

For Lafayette County, the mix predicts $57,469; actual pay across its published industries is $33,333. Its industries are not unusually low-paying ones. They pay far less there than they do elsewhere. That is the typical result: actual pay is below the mix prediction in 58 of 67 counties. For the ten lowest-paying counties, the mix alone would give an average of $54,549, against an actual $38,120. About 79% of their gap to the 67-county average of $58,882 is pay within the same industries; the rest is mix.

Each circle is a county, sized by jobs. Dark circles sit above the dashed line: they pay more than their industry mix predicts. Light circles pay less.
$30k$30k$40k$40k$50k$50k$60k$60k$70k$70k$80k$80kPay = mix predictionMiami-Dade County: actual $67,838, mix predicts $60,066Orange County: actual $58,345, mix predicts $57,848Broward County: actual $61,265, mix predicts $59,765Hillsborough County: actual $67,806, mix predicts $65,094Palm Beach County: actual $66,344, mix predicts $58,997Duval County: actual $64,688, mix predicts $63,526Pinellas County: actual $59,993, mix predicts $61,809Lee County: actual $55,416, mix predicts $56,426Polk County: actual $50,156, mix predicts $60,685Brevard County: actual $57,835, mix predicts $58,805Seminole County: actual $58,648, mix predicts $62,676Volusia County: actual $45,852, mix predicts $54,254Sarasota County: actual $55,770, mix predicts $56,422Collier County: actual $58,459, mix predicts $53,227Pasco County: actual $46,810, mix predicts $54,778Manatee County: actual $50,617, mix predicts $55,455Escambia County: actual $55,197, mix predicts $60,799Leon County: actual $55,498, mix predicts $58,221Alachua County: actual $53,630, mix predicts $57,628Marion County: actual $47,272, mix predicts $55,125Osceola County: actual $41,061, mix predicts $49,874Lake County: actual $44,838, mix predicts $53,529St. Johns County: actual $50,474, mix predicts $51,652St. Lucie County: actual $46,148, mix predicts $55,108Martin County: actual $49,640, mix predicts $55,136Okaloosa County: actual $49,783, mix predicts $54,896Bay County: actual $48,016, mix predicts $53,496Indian River County: actual $50,718, mix predicts $54,431Clay County: actual $45,767, mix predicts $53,713Charlotte County: actual $47,627, mix predicts $52,799Hernando County: actual $43,351, mix predicts $54,094Monroe County: actual $48,063, mix predicts $44,008Santa Rosa County: actual $41,503, mix predicts $52,128Sumter County: actual $50,260, mix predicts $55,841Citrus County: actual $42,975, mix predicts $55,352Walton County: actual $50,251, mix predicts $50,441Baker County: actual $45,208, mix predicts $54,943Bradford County: actual $39,096, mix predicts $53,011Calhoun County: actual $36,213, mix predicts $54,669Columbia County: actual $51,192, mix predicts $56,110DeSoto County: actual $44,896, mix predicts $56,024Dixie County: actual $38,758, mix predicts $53,894Flagler County: actual $43,547, mix predicts $53,829Franklin County: actual $38,126, mix predicts $49,659Gadsden County: actual $49,864, mix predicts $55,937Gilchrist County: actual $43,390, mix predicts $55,182Glades County: actual $46,092, mix predicts $50,032Gulf County: actual $40,057, mix predicts $52,915Hamilton County: actual $73,999, mix predicts $57,791Hardee County: actual $43,695, mix predicts $59,359Hendry County: actual $44,386, mix predicts $54,933Highlands County: actual $42,318, mix predicts $52,877Holmes County: actual $37,226, mix predicts $53,883Jackson County: actual $40,350, mix predicts $55,018Jefferson County: actual $42,769, mix predicts $56,428Lafayette County: actual $33,333, mix predicts $57,469Levy County: actual $37,119, mix predicts $54,291Liberty County: actual $46,761, mix predicts $59,258Madison County: actual $39,876, mix predicts $58,641Nassau County: actual $45,536, mix predicts $50,133Okeechobee County: actual $42,321, mix predicts $52,304Putnam County: actual $43,666, mix predicts $54,936Suwannee County: actual $40,733, mix predicts $55,507Taylor County: actual $47,459, mix predicts $54,463Union County: actual $46,410, mix predicts $55,601Wakulla County: actual $39,993, mix predicts $53,817Washington County: actual $40,495, mix predicts $56,250FranklinHamiltonLafayetteMiami-DadeMonroeOrangePay predicted from industry mixActual average pay$30k$30k$40k$40k$50k$50k$60k$60k$70k$70k$80k$80kPay = mix predictionMiami-Dade County: actual $67,838, mix predicts $60,066Orange County: actual $58,345, mix predicts $57,848Broward County: actual $61,265, mix predicts $59,765Hillsborough County: actual $67,806, mix predicts $65,094Palm Beach County: actual $66,344, mix predicts $58,997Duval County: actual $64,688, mix predicts $63,526Pinellas County: actual $59,993, mix predicts $61,809Lee County: actual $55,416, mix predicts $56,426Polk County: actual $50,156, mix predicts $60,685Brevard County: actual $57,835, mix predicts $58,805Seminole County: actual $58,648, mix predicts $62,676Volusia County: actual $45,852, mix predicts $54,254Sarasota County: actual $55,770, mix predicts $56,422Collier County: actual $58,459, mix predicts $53,227Pasco County: actual $46,810, mix predicts $54,778Manatee County: actual $50,617, mix predicts $55,455Escambia County: actual $55,197, mix predicts $60,799Leon County: actual $55,498, mix predicts $58,221Alachua County: actual $53,630, mix predicts $57,628Marion County: actual $47,272, mix predicts $55,125Osceola County: actual $41,061, mix predicts $49,874Lake County: actual $44,838, mix predicts $53,529St. Johns County: actual $50,474, mix predicts $51,652St. Lucie County: actual $46,148, mix predicts $55,108Martin County: actual $49,640, mix predicts $55,136Okaloosa County: actual $49,783, mix predicts $54,896Bay County: actual $48,016, mix predicts $53,496Indian River County: actual $50,718, mix predicts $54,431Clay County: actual $45,767, mix predicts $53,713Charlotte County: actual $47,627, mix predicts $52,799Hernando County: actual $43,351, mix predicts $54,094Monroe County: actual $48,063, mix predicts $44,008Santa Rosa County: actual $41,503, mix predicts $52,128Sumter County: actual $50,260, mix predicts $55,841Citrus County: actual $42,975, mix predicts $55,352Walton County: actual $50,251, mix predicts $50,441Baker County: actual $45,208, mix predicts $54,943Bradford County: actual $39,096, mix predicts $53,011Calhoun County: actual $36,213, mix predicts $54,669Columbia County: actual $51,192, mix predicts $56,110DeSoto County: actual $44,896, mix predicts $56,024Dixie County: actual $38,758, mix predicts $53,894Flagler County: actual $43,547, mix predicts $53,829Franklin County: actual $38,126, mix predicts $49,659Gadsden County: actual $49,864, mix predicts $55,937Gilchrist County: actual $43,390, mix predicts $55,182Glades County: actual $46,092, mix predicts $50,032Gulf County: actual $40,057, mix predicts $52,915Hamilton County: actual $73,999, mix predicts $57,791Hardee County: actual $43,695, mix predicts $59,359Hendry County: actual $44,386, mix predicts $54,933Highlands County: actual $42,318, mix predicts $52,877Holmes County: actual $37,226, mix predicts $53,883Jackson County: actual $40,350, mix predicts $55,018Jefferson County: actual $42,769, mix predicts $56,428Lafayette County: actual $33,333, mix predicts $57,469Levy County: actual $37,119, mix predicts $54,291Liberty County: actual $46,761, mix predicts $59,258Madison County: actual $39,876, mix predicts $58,641Nassau County: actual $45,536, mix predicts $50,133Okeechobee County: actual $42,321, mix predicts $52,304Putnam County: actual $43,666, mix predicts $54,936Suwannee County: actual $40,733, mix predicts $55,507Taylor County: actual $47,459, mix predicts $54,463Union County: actual $46,410, mix predicts $55,601Wakulla County: actual $39,993, mix predicts $53,817Washington County: actual $40,495, mix predicts $56,250HamiltonLafayetteMiami-DadeOrangePay predicted from industry mixActual average pay

The table splits the gap to the 67-county average into a mix effect (mix prediction minus $58,882) and a pay-level effect (actual minus mix prediction) for the five highest- and five lowest-paying counties.

CountyActual payMix predictsMix effectPay-level effect
Hamilton CountyActual pay$73,999Mix predicts$57,791Mix effect−$1,091Pay-level effect+$16,208
Miami-Dade CountyActual pay$67,838Mix predicts$60,066Mix effect+$1,184Pay-level effect+$7,772
Hillsborough CountyActual pay$67,806Mix predicts$65,094Mix effect+$6,212Pay-level effect+$2,713
Palm Beach CountyActual pay$66,344Mix predicts$58,997Mix effect+$115Pay-level effect+$7,346
Duval CountyActual pay$64,688Mix predicts$63,526Mix effect+$4,644Pay-level effect+$1,162
Franklin CountyActual pay$38,126Mix predicts$49,659Mix effect−$9,223Pay-level effect−$11,533
Holmes CountyActual pay$37,226Mix predicts$53,883Mix effect−$4,999Pay-level effect−$16,657
Levy CountyActual pay$37,119Mix predicts$54,291Mix effect−$4,591Pay-level effect−$17,172
Calhoun CountyActual pay$36,213Mix predicts$54,669Mix effect−$4,213Pay-level effect−$18,456
Lafayette CountyActual pay$33,333Mix predicts$57,469Mix effect−$1,413Pay-level effect−$24,136

Computed from published industry cells only; withheld industries are left out of both figures, so “actual” can differ slightly from the county's headline average.

The same industry, different pay

Pay inside one industry varies a lot from county to county. In health care and social assistance, county averages run from $32,993 in Lafayette County to $70,403 in Hillsborough County. In hotels and restaurants the range is $16,991 (Hamilton County) to $39,815 (Monroe County). These comparisons count only counties with at least 100 jobs in the industry.

A NAICS sector is broad. Health care and social assistance covers hospitals, doctors' offices, nursing homes and social services in one line, so a county with a large hospital and one with mostly small clinics can report very different averages under the same heading. The average also mixes full- and part-time jobs, and that mix can differ from one county to the next. The data cannot separate those effects, but the table above shows how much they add up to.

Why a small county tops the list

Hamilton County has 1,760 jobs. Manufacturing is its largest industry, with 31.4% of them, and it pays $153,473 there, the highest manufacturing pay of any Florida county with at least 100 manufacturing jobs. With so few jobs in total, a handful of establishments set the county average. Its employment figure also carries the Census Bureau's middle noise flag (2% to 5%). The same caution applies at the bottom: Lafayette County has 687 jobs.

What the averages do not say

CBP counts jobs where the establishment is, not where the worker lives. A county where many residents commute out to better-paid jobs elsewhere will show a low average here even if its households earn well. The figures also leave out government, so a county whose largest employers are public shows only its private side. And the dollars are nominal.

To see two counties' pay, jobs and industry mix side by side, open the comparer with Hamilton and Lafayette, or the pay rankings.

Related

Data as of: 2023 County Business Patterns (released 2025); population July 1, 2023 (Vintage 2024 estimates); retrieved October 27, 2026. Dollar amounts are nominal (not adjusted for inflation). Statistics for general information, not career, business or investment advice.

Sources