Excavation costs and wages in Florida
What equipment operators and construction laborers earn in Florida, how many excavation contractors are listed here and in which counties, and the state's licensing rules. Job prices aren't published for any one state, so our price ranges are national.
Checked October 2, 2026
Wages in Florida
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in Florida earn a median of $23.75 an hour, or $49,400 a year (BLS, May 2025). Half of them earn between $22.27 and $28.06 an hour, the 25th to 75th percentiles (BLS state file). BLS counts 27,510 of these jobs in Florida. That's below the national median of $28.78 an hour (BLS).
Construction laborers in Florida earn a median of $21.17 an hour, or $44,030 a year (BLS, May 2025). Half of them earn between $17.83 and $23.06 an hour, the 25th to 75th percentiles (BLS state file). BLS counts 87,040 of these jobs in Florida. That's below the national median of $22.66 an hour (BLS).
These are wages, not prices. A contractor's price also covers materials, equipment, insurance, overhead and profit, so a wage can't be turned into what a job costs you. BLS counts employees only, not the self-employed.
Contractors in Florida
Florida has 1,501 excavation contractors listed, and 1,143 of them hold an active USDOT registration. Of the counties with pages of their own, the largest are Lee County (107), Palm Beach County (83), Orange County (80), Miami-Dade County (78) and Collier County (69). Browse them by county, or ask for quotes and we'll match you with excavation contractors near you.
Permits and rules in Florida
Florida licenses contractors through the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) (Florida Statutes 489.105 Definitions (Online Sunshine, 2026 Florida Statutes); Florida Statutes 489.103 Exemptions (Online Sunshine, 2026 Florida Statutes); Construction Industry - MyFloridaLicense.com).
National price ranges
National price ranges for excavation, clearing, grading and driveway work, each credited to its source, are in our guides to excavation, land clearing, grading and driveway costs.
For a planning range on your own job, run the estimator.
Florida against the national range
Published labor data puts the Southeast's average rates lowest in the country (SiteX).
That's an average across a region, not a price for your job, and local quotes vary inside it.
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Cite this page
“Excavation costs and wages in Florida.” LeaderExcavation.com, updated October 2, 2026. https://leaderexcavation.com/fl/costs/