Is Florida a good state for your salary to go far?

Florida ranks #51 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 91.2 across 371 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 103.4 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.

What is the cost of living in Florida?

Florida's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 103.4, where the US average is 100. That is above the national average, so a dollar buys less than it does nationally. The Gera US Real Pay Index divides take-home pay by this figure to express salaries in purchasing-power-equivalent dollars.

GeraJobs / US Real Pay Index / Florida

Where Your Salary Goes Furthest in Florida

Florida ranks #51 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index (mean 91.2, base = 100). Cost of living 103.4 (US = 100); no state income tax.

Does a salary go further in Florida? (cost of living + state tax)

In Florida, the cost of living is 103.4 on the BEA index (US = 100) and the Gera US Real Pay Index averages 91.2 across 371 occupations, ranking it #51 of 51 states for how far pay goes after 2025 state income tax and 2024 BEA cost of living. Real BLS OEWS; re-dated annually.

Source:U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)·As of May 2025 state estimates · updated annually · last refreshed 19 June 2026

Gera US Real Pay Index

Florida ranks #51 of 51 states. Mean across 371 occupations; 100 = the average state, 91.2 means pay goes -8.8% less far after tax and cost of living.

How this is calculated

91.2

Real pay by occupation in Florida (best first)

Occupation	BLS median	Real pay	Index
Opticians, Dispensing	$58,850	$56,907	118.2
Producers and Directors	$79,920	$77,282	110.9
Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars	$76,950	$74,410	110.6
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers	$98,560	$95,306	110.2
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other	$75,900	$73,394	110.0
Home Appliance Repairers	$57,280	$55,389	109.2
Optometrists	$151,670	$146,663	108.8
Environmental Engineers	$116,840	$112,983	108.8
Editors	$73,950	$71,509	108.2
Tour and Travel Guides	$41,600	$40,227	107.0
Speech-Language Pathologists	$99,990	$96,689	106.8
Tellers	$45,580	$44,075	106.1
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers	$35,040	$33,883	105.8
Data Scientists	$115,820	$111,996	105.7
Physical Therapist Assistants	$72,530	$70,136	104.8
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$102,880	$99,484	104.6
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers	$33,280	$32,181	104.2
First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other	$78,730	$76,131	103.8
Waiters and Waitresses	$36,150	$34,957	103.5
Food Preparation Workers	$35,920	$34,734	103.0
Veterinarians	$131,660	$127,314	102.9
Computer Network Architects	$132,800	$128,416	102.6
Training and Development Specialists	$71,990	$69,613	101.9
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	$95,140	$91,999	101.7
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners	$60,270	$58,280	101.6
Computer and Information Systems Managers	$168,470	$162,908	101.4
Bartenders	$35,150	$33,990	101.1
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers	$70,810	$68,472	101.1
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians	$46,830	$45,284	101.1
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$75,450	$72,959	101.0
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other	$63,180	$61,094	100.9
Childcare Workers	$34,210	$33,081	100.7
Software Developers	$130,980	$126,656	100.6
Occupational Therapy Assistants	$71,630	$69,265	100.6
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	$44,470	$43,002	100.5
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products	$107,700	$104,145	100.5
Dietitians and Nutritionists	$76,050	$73,539	100.5
Database Administrators	$104,120	$100,683	100.5
Food Service Managers	$72,790	$70,387	100.4
Architectural and Engineering Managers	$170,740	$165,103	100.4

Showing the 40 highest real-pay occupations of 371 BLS publishes for Florida. Real pay = BLS median − 2025 state income tax, divided by the 2024 BEA cost of living (103.4, US = 100).

Where does your salary go furthest?

Enter a salary and a state. We adjust for 2025 state income tax and the 2024 BEA cost of living to show your real, purchasing-power-equivalent pay — then rank every state.

Gross annual salary (USD)Compare against state

In Florida, a $85,000 salary is worth about $82,194 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms.

State income tax $0 (no state income tax) · take-home $85,000 · BEA cost of living 103.4 (US = 100).

The same salary goes furthest in South Dakota — worth $95,952, a $13,758 gain over Florida.

#	State	Real value	Cost (RPP)
1	South Dakota	$95,952	88.6
2	Arkansas	$93,959	86.9
3	Louisiana	$93,473	88.2
4	Mississippi	$93,453	87.0
5	Iowa	$93,172	87.8
6	North Dakota	$93,161	89.0
7	Tennessee	$92,522	91.9
8	Oklahoma	$92,167	87.8
9	Wyoming	$91,703	92.7
10	Alabama	$90,911	88.8
11	Kentucky	$90,507	90.2
12	West Virginia	$90,397	89.5

Browse US jobs with salaries

Estimate only. State income tax is approximated from each state's 2025 flat rate (or top marginal rate as an upper bound for graduated states) and ignores federal tax, deductions and credits. The pre-published occupation and state pages use exact 2025 bracket math. Cost of living is the 2024 BEA Regional Price Parity (All Items).

Florida real pay — FAQ

Is Florida a good state for your salary to go far?: Florida ranks #51 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 91.2 across 371 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 103.4 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.
What is the cost of living in Florida?: Florida's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 103.4, where the US average is 100. That is above the national average, so a dollar buys less than it does nationally. The Gera US Real Pay Index divides take-home pay by this figure to express salaries in purchasing-power-equivalent dollars.

Compare other states

Get the Gera US Real Pay Index when BLS refreshes OEWS

BLS OEWS and BEA cost-of-living data update roughly once a year. Save your email and we’ll send the refreshed rankings.

Related on GeraJobs

Gera US Real Pay Index — all states ranked
Methodology — the exact BLS + BEA + tax computation.
Browse US jobs with salary ranges

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 state estimates); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (All Items), by state (2024 (US = 100)); Tax Foundation — 2025 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets. The Gera US Real Pay Index for Florida is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.