Florida income
A good salary in Florida depends on whether you mean one paycheck or a whole household, and where in the state you live. Here is how incomes actually break down, using the newest U.S. Census data.
The short answer
The typical Florida household earns $74,568 a year. A household income around $93,000 puts you ahead of 60% of Florida households, and $147,300 puts you in the top 20%. For one person working full time, the typical Florida paycheck is $53,766 a year.
Median household income
$74,568
Half of Florida households earn more, half earn less
Top 20% starts at
$147,327
Household income, all earners combined
Full-time worker median
$53,766
One person, working full time, year round
The Census Bureau splits households into five equal groups, from lowest to highest income. These are the real cutoffs for Florida. Household income means everyone in the home combined, before taxes.
| Group | Household income | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 20% | Under $31,856 | Lower income |
| 20% to 40% | $31,856 to $59,310 | Lower middle |
| 40% to 60% | $59,310 to $92,767 | The middle of Florida |
| 60% to 80% | $92,767 to $147,327 | Upper middle |
| Top 20% | $147,327 and up | High income |
About 11% of Florida households earn $200,000 or more, so the top 10% starts at roughly $200,000. Source: Census table B19080 (household income quintile upper limits) and B19001.
By that measure, a household income of about $93,000 or more is a solidly good income in Florida: it beats 60% of households. Reach $147,000 and you are in the top fifth of the state.
Here is how common household incomes stack up against every household in the state.
| Household income | Earns more than |
|---|---|
| $50,000 | About 33% of Florida households |
| $75,000 | About 50% (right at the median) |
| $100,000 | About 63% |
| $150,000 | About 81% |
| $200,000 | About 89% |
Estimated from the Census household income ranges (table B19001) for Florida.
Household income often includes two earners, so it runs higher than a single paycheck. For individuals, the Census reports that the median Florida worker who works full time, year round earns $53,766, compared with $61,657 nationally. Counting part-time and seasonal workers too, the median is $41,891.
So for one person, a salary above about $54,000 means you out-earn most full-time workers in Florida. A single salary of $65,000 to $75,000 is well above the typical full-time paycheck, and it stretches further in lower-cost areas than in Miami, Naples, or Boca Raton, where rents run higher.
A common guideline, used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is that housing should take no more than 30% of your income. Florida's median rent is $1,669 a month. To keep that at 30% of income, you need about $66,800 a year, close to the state's median household income. Florida rents run higher than the national median of $1,413.
Incomes and rents vary a lot across the state. The last column shows the yearly income needed to keep the city's median rent at 30% of income.
| City | Median household income | Median rent | Income to afford median rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples | $153,182 | $2,305 | $92,200 |
| Boca Raton | $106,273 | $2,508 | $100,320 |
| Cocoa Beach | $87,990 | $1,569 | $62,760 |
| Fort Lauderdale | $83,130 | $1,854 | $74,160 |
| Port St. Lucie | $80,648 | $1,937 | $77,480 |
| Cape Coral | $78,104 | $1,858 | $74,320 |
| Tampa | $75,475 | $1,701 | $68,040 |
| St. Petersburg | $75,192 | $1,663 | $66,520 |
| Pensacola | $74,212 | $1,322 | $52,880 |
| West Palm Beach | $73,446 | $1,772 | $70,880 |
| Palm Bay | $72,614 | $1,601 | $64,040 |
| Orlando | $72,336 | $1,747 | $69,880 |
| Sarasota | $72,105 | $1,684 | $67,360 |
| Jacksonville | $69,872 | $1,465 | $58,600 |
| Vero Beach | $69,758 | $1,221 | $48,840 |
| Melbourne | $66,991 | $1,525 | $61,000 |
| Titusville | $66,192 | $1,334 | $53,360 |
| Lakeland | $64,185 | $1,395 | $55,800 |
| Fort Myers | $63,732 | $1,580 | $63,200 |
| Miami | $62,462 | $1,758 | $70,320 |
| Tallahassee | $57,409 | $1,293 | $51,720 |
| Hialeah | $55,594 | $1,689 | $67,560 |
| Kissimmee | $53,758 | $1,647 | $65,880 |
| Daytona Beach | $52,058 | $1,328 | $53,120 |
| Gainesville | $46,195 | $1,296 | $51,840 |
Rent is median gross rent per month. "Income to afford median rent" is 12 months of median rent divided by 30%. Source: Census tables B19013 and B25064, city (place) level.
Some patterns stand out. In Naples and Boca Raton, incomes are high but so are rents. In Miami, Hialeah, and Kissimmee, the median household earns less than it takes to comfortably afford the median rent. On the Space Coast, Cocoa Beach earns well above the state median, while Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Titusville sit a bit below it with somewhat lower rents.
How does your zip code compare?
Look up the median household income for any Florida zip code, or browse every zip in the state.
See income by zip code in FloridaFlorida's median household income of $74,568 is about 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734, and the top-20% cutoff is lower too ($147,327 in Florida vs. $162,235 nationally). Florida has no state income tax, though, so the same paycheck takes home a little more than in most states.
What is the average salary in Florida?
The median full-time, year-round worker in Florida earns $53,766. The median household, counting everyone in the home, earns $74,568.
Is $100,000 a good salary in Florida?
Yes. As a household income, $100,000 is higher than about 63% of Florida households. As a single salary, it is close to double what the typical full-time worker earns.
What income is considered middle class in Florida?
The middle fifth of Florida households earns $59,310 to $92,767. A broader middle class, from the 20th to the 80th percentile, runs from about $31,900 to $147,300.
Where does this data come from?
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020 to 2024, the most recent release. See our methodology for details.