Employment increased in 20 of Florida’s 25 largest counties from March 2024 to March 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pasco and St. Johns counties saw the largest employment gains over the year, each rising by 2.2 percent. Pinellas County experienced the largest decrease, with employment dropping by 1.4 percent.
Miami-Dade County had the highest employment among large Florida counties, with 1,283,000 workers in March 2025. The state’s 27 largest counties made up nearly 88 percent of all covered employment in Florida during this period. By comparison, the nation’s 372 largest counties accounted for about 73 percent of total covered employment across the United States.
All large Florida counties with available data reported increases in average weekly wages over the year. Duval County recorded the highest wage growth at 6.8 percent, while other large counties posted gains ranging from 6.7 percent to 1.8 percent.
Two of Florida’s largest counties had average weekly wages above the national average of $1,589: Miami-Dade at $1,708 and another unspecified county above that threshold. Marion County reported an average weekly wage of $1,032.
Data for smaller Florida counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees—showed that all were below the national wage average. Indian River had the highest weekly wage among these smaller counties at $1,306; Holmes County had the lowest at $773.
Across all Florida counties, nine reported average weekly wages below $900; twenty-one registered between $900 and $1,024; thirteen ranged from $1,025 to $1,149; ten fell between $1,150 and $1,274; and fourteen reported wages of $1,275 or higher.
“Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Pasco and St. Johns counties had the largest over-the-year increases in employment, with gains of 2.2 percent each.”
Further details on quarterly employment and wage data are available on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website (https://www.bls.gov/cew/). Nationwide figures can be found in a separate County Employment and Wages news release (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewqtr.nr0.htm). Additional technical information is also accessible through a dedicated note (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewqtr.tn.htm).
The next update covering second quarter data is scheduled for December 3, 2025.
