Licensing
Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board (part of DBPR) licenses plumbing contractors as state-certified, to work anywhere in Florida, or registered, to work in one locality.
What plumbers earn in Florida
Published data- Median hourly wage
- $25.44
- Mean hourly wage
- $26.94
- Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
- $22.70–$30.20
- Median annual wage
- $52,910
- Mean annual wage
- $56,030
- Median vs. national
- 17% below national ($30.67)
- Employed in the state
- 29,260
BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 47-2152. Last verified: October 23, 2026. BLS series IDs: OEUS120000000000047215208, OEUS120000000000047215203, OEUS120000000000047215207, OEUS120000000000047215209, OEUS120000000000047215201.
From wage to hourly rate in Florida
Modeled- 1. Median wage
- $25.44
- 2. Loaded cost per paid hour
- $34.02
- 3. Break-even per billable hour
- $56.70
- 4. Rate at a 40% gross margin
- $94.50
The rate works out to about 3.7× the wage. Change any input below to use your own payroll, schedule and margin.
LeadDuo assumptions: payroll taxes 10%, workers' comp 8%, benefits $4 per paid hour, billable time 60% (typical range 55–65%), and a 40% target gross margin that covers overhead and profit. These are modeled values, not published data.
Labor rate calculator
Charge at least
$94.50/hr
- Loaded cost per paid hour
- $34.02
- Break-even per billable hour
- $56.70
- Rate as a multiple of the wage
- 3.7×
Labor on common jobs at this rate
ModeledLabor only, at $94.50/hr. Parts, equipment, permits and trip charges are extra, so these are not full job prices.
| Job | Typical labor hours | Labor at this rate |
|---|---|---|
| Drain clearing (main or branch line) | 1 | $94 |
| Faucet or toilet replacement | 1.5 | $142 |
| 40–50 gal tank water heater replacement | 3 | $283 |
Labor hours are LeadDuo planning assumptions.
Full job prices with parts: price list template →Working in Florida
Permits
County and city building departments permit water heater, repipe and sewer work.
What drives the work
Many older Florida homes still have cast-iron drain lines, and sandy soils with a high water table add to the wear, so drain and sewer replacement is a steady category.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a plumber make in Florida?
The median plumber wage in Florida is $25.44 an hour ($52,910 a year) per BLS OEWS (May 2025), 17% below the national median of $30.67. The middle half earn $22.70–$30.20 an hour.
What hourly rate does a plumbing company in Florida need?
At the median wage and LeadDuo's published defaults (10% payroll taxes, 8% workers' comp, $4/hr benefits, 60% billable time, 40% gross margin), a plumbing company in Florida needs about $56.70 per billable hour to cover the technician's cost and about $94.50 an hour to hit a 40% margin. Change the inputs in the calculator to use your own numbers.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Florida?
Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board (part of DBPR) licenses plumbing contractors as state-certified, to work anywhere in Florida, or registered, to work in one locality.
How many plumbers work in Florida?
BLS counts 29,260 employed plumbers in Florida (May 2025), about 6.3% of the 465,840 nationwide. The count leaves out self-employed owners.
Other states
Plumbing labor rate calculator (all states) →Sources and freshness
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, SOC 47-2152 (Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters). Last verified: October 23, 2026.
Loaded cost, break-even, selling rate and labor per job are LeadDuo calculations from the stated assumptions, not BLS-published figures. How we use public data · Pricing changelog