Florida by the numbers
In Florida, the median worker earns $46,860 a year, the typical home is worth $325,000 and carries $2,555 of property tax, and the average household pays $169 a month for electricity at 15.17¢ per kilowatt-hour.
South Southeast (non-RTO) Regulated monopoly
Energy
Florida generates the large majority of its electricity from natural gas, which normally means exposure to fuel-price swings. Two things blunt it. The state's combined-cycle fleet is unusually new and efficient, because Florida utilities replaced older oil and gas steam units aggressively, and a more efficient plant converts less fuel into the same kilowatt-hour. Florida utilities also hedge fuel and recover it through a clause that is trued up annually, which smooths the path even when the market moves.
Florida has built solar at very large scale over the past decade, which displaces gas during the daytime peak when it is most expensive.
Against that sits hurricane exposure. Storm restoration costs are recovered through surcharges after major events, and ongoing hardening with concrete poles, undergrounding and transmission strengthening is a permanent line item.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Florida households used 1,094 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $169. At the state median wage that is about 7.5 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, a heat pump costs less to run than gas here, by about $12.36 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Florida worker earned $46,860 in 2024, 5.3% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Farm and Home Management Educators | 4.44× | $56,610 |
| Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians | 3.52× | $52,990 |
| Airfield Operations Specialists | 3.46× | $62,600 |
| Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators | 3.16× | $45,620 |
| Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians | 2.75× | $80,150 |
Property tax
The median Florida homeowner pays $2,555 a year on a home worth $325,000, an effective rate of 0.79% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 67 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Florida run at 103.4 where the national average is 100, ranking it #11 of 51. Goods sit at 98.1, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 122.1, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $46,860 therefore buys what $45,319 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach (114.2) , Naples-Marco Island (103.2) , North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota (102.4) , Cape Coral-Fort Myers (102.3) , Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (101.4) .
Housing
House prices in Florida rose 0.9% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +118.6%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota (+3.0%) , Lakeland-Winter Haven (+2.6%) , Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (+0.8%) , Cape Coral-Fort Myers (+0.3%) , Jacksonville (-0.4%) .
Who supplies the power
38 utilities report residential service in Florida, together serving 10 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Florida: common questions
What does it cost to live in Florida?
Prices overall run at 103.4 against a national average of 100, with rents at 122.1. The typical home is worth $325,000 and carries $2,555 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.79% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $169 a month at 15.17¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $46,860.
What is the property tax rate in Florida?
The effective rate is 0.79% of home value, from a median bill of $2,555. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 67 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Florida?
The median wage of $46,860 buys what $45,319 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Florida falls on.
Is Florida expensive for electricity?
It ranks #33 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 15.17¢ per kilowatt-hour, -17.7% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 10 of 51, because households there use 1,094 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Florida?
$46,860 across all occupations, about $22.53 an hour, covering 9,820,120 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Florida?
38 utilities report residential service, the largest being Florida Power & Light Co with 5.2 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources