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What Should My Job Actually Pay in Florida?

Use the free tool — Raise Request

Why this is confusing

Most workers have never seen real pay data for their own job. You hear numbers from coworkers, from job ads, from rumors. None of that tells you what people in your occupation actually earn where you live and work.

Where the real numbers come from

The federal government asks employers — not workers — what they pay. The results are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. It shows pay from the 10th percentile up to the 90th percentile for your occupation, broken down by metro area.

• Find your occupation and metro area on the BLS OEWS page.
• The 10th percentile is the low end of the reported range. The 90th percentile is the high end. The median (50th percentile) is the middle.
• Roughly, strong performers can reasonably ask for something between the 50th and 75th percentile — but confirm the real numbers for your own occupation and metro area on the BLS page before you rely on any figure.

If you're paid hourly or you work for tips, also check the Florida minimum wage, which rises every September 30. Poster and notice requirements are listed by FloridaCommerce.

What number to ask for

Anchor your ask to the BLS range for your occupation and metro area, and to what you've actually done — projects finished, people trained, shifts covered, certifications earned. If the higher number feels like a stretch, have a fallback ready: a smaller raise now with a review date set, a title change, a shift differential, a certification bonus, or extra PTO. Don't threaten to quit and don't invent a competing offer — ask for what the data and your record support.

Your right to talk about pay

Under the National Labor Relations Act, most private-sector employees have the right to discuss their pay with coworkers. That's confirmed by the NLRB. That right is about talking with your coworkers — it's different from naming them or their pay in your meeting with your boss.

If something looks off, or you're in a union

If your pay looks like it's below the Florida minimum wage, or you think you're owed unpaid overtime, that's a different conversation than a raise ask — check the Overtime and Paystub tools and contact the U.S. Department of Labor. If you're in a union, your contract's wage scale governs your pay and your steward is the first call, though building your case can still help with a reclassification or step review. Your county's CareerSource center also offers free career counseling and wage information — find yours at CareerSource Florida.

What to do next

The free tool reads your own numbers — your job title, metro area, current pay, tenure and what you've done — and gives you the BLS range to check yourself, a number to ask for and why, the email to request the meeting, and the script to use in the room. No account. Nothing stored. This is not legal, financial or employment advice, and it can be wrong. Confirm wage figures on the BLS page and check with a professional or your union steward if you need one.

Raise Request gives coaching and points to public wage data; it can be wrong, and it is not legal, financial or employment advice. Wage figures must be confirmed on the BLS OEWS page for your area. Nothing you paste is stored.