Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Salaries

Occupation wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025)

Occupations Tracked

674

with wage data

Avg. Median Salary

$206,499

top 25 occupations

Top Salary

$403,430

Psychiatrists

Cost of Living

114.2

14% above US avg

Purchasing power: The average median salary of $206,499 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL has the purchasing power of $180,894 in a national-average-cost area. Salaries appear higher but cost of living erodes purchasing power.

The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area is tracked by BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics across 674 occupations in the May 2025 release, each representing a distinct SOC code where local employment is large enough to report without triggering confidentiality suppression. Averaging the top-ranked occupation medians gives roughly $206,499 per year, a rough midpoint that helps you compare this metro to peer cities and the national picture. The BEA Regional Price Parity index for Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL sits at 114.2, meaning the local price level is 14% above the national average for rent, groceries, services, and transportation combined.

At the top of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL ranking, Psychiatrists pays a median of $403,430 across 720 local workers. Second-ranked is Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at $396,920, followed by Physicians, Pathologists at $332,570. At the bottom of the reported-occupation range, Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists pays $29,790. This spread between top-specialist and entry-service pay is characteristic of U.S. metro labor markets, though the specific ratio varies by metro economic base. Critically, nominal pay in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL converts to $180,894 of purchasing power in a national-average-cost city, the paycheck you take home here buys less than the same nominal amount would elsewhere.

Metro medians reflect where the job is located, not where you live, relevant if you plan to commute across MSA boundaries. BLS defines metro areas using OMB's MSA delineations, so Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL spans the central city plus economically integrated surrounding counties. When using this page, drill into individual occupation rows to see percentile spread (the top 10% often earns 2× or more than the median) and compare against the occupation's national profile to see whether Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL pays a premium or discount for that specific role. Remember that OEWS wages capture base pay only, health benefits, retirement contributions, bonuses, overtime, and equity compensation can add 20-40% to real total compensation, and that gap often skews larger in high-cost metros where employers load non-wage benefits to remain competitive.

Highest Paying Jobs in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

# Occupation Median Salary
1 Psychiatrists $403,430
2 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $396,920
3 Physicians, Pathologists $332,570
4 Physicists $272,480
5 Physicians, All Other $232,960
6 Nurse Anesthetists $232,000
7 Family Medicine Physicians $227,700
8 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $216,070
9 Dentists, All Other Specialists $213,570
10 Emergency Medicine Physicians $204,990
11 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $196,890
12 Pediatricians, General $186,620
13 General Internal Medicine Physicians $174,990
14 Dentists, General $172,210
15 Computer and Information Systems Managers $169,600
16 Architectural and Engineering Managers $167,160
17 Financial Managers $164,230
18 Air Traffic Controllers $162,140
19 Lawyers $160,320
20 Medical Dosimetrists $153,490
21 Nurse Midwives $146,590
22 Psychologists, All Other $145,890
23 Biochemists and Biophysicists $145,550
24 Human Resources Managers $142,940
25 Database Architects $141,170

Lowest Paying Jobs in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Other Metros in FL

Peer MSAs in the same state for cost-of-living and wage comparisons.

Salary Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
Averaging the median salaries of the top 25 highest-paying occupations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL gives $206,499/year (BLS OEWS May 2025). This is NOT a metro-wide average across all 674 tracked occupations, it's the mean of the top tier only; see the table below for the full range.
What is the highest paying job in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
The highest paying occupation in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL is Psychiatrists with a median salary of $403,430/year. The second highest is Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at $396,920/year.
What is the cost of living in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL has a Regional Price Parity of 114.2, meaning prices are 14% above the national average. The average median salary of $206,499 has the purchasing power of $180,894 in a national-average-cost area.
What jobs pay the least in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
The lowest paying occupation in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL is Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists with a median salary of $29,790/year according to BLS data.
Where does BLS salary data come from?
All salary data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, which surveys approximately 1.1 million business establishments nationwide to produce detailed wage estimates by occupation and geographic area.

Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Cost-of-living index: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023.

Every figure on WageDex is rendered directly from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro area figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS metro-level data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.

Verify with BLS →