Florida Countertop Fabricator & Installer Pay Guide
Compare Florida countertop fabricator and installer pay using May 2025 government wage benchmarks and an August 2026 job-ad snapshot, with limits explained.
Contents11 sections
This guide compares countertop fabricator and installer pay in Florida using two historical sources: May 2025 government wage estimates and an August 2026 sample of advertised offers. They measure different things. The broad occupation figures are benchmarks, while the job-ad ranges describe the offers recorded in that sample, not what every countertop worker earns.
There is no government job code that isolates countertop fabrication and installation across the whole trade. Read each official figure as a labeled occupational proxy. The advertised ranges below are an editorial snapshot with a limited, non-random sample; the underlying individual ads are not published here, so they cannot be independently checked from this page. Confirm any current offer directly with the employer.
Key takeaways
- The honest middle of the trade in Florida is about $20–$28/hr. Government median pay for the closest occupations sits at roughly $21.65–$22.73/hr; live shop postings cluster a little higher, around $22–$30 for experienced hands.
- Role matters more than title. A helper, a polisher, a fabricator, a templater, and an installer are paid on different rungs — from ~$15/hr at the bottom to $34+/hr for a lead.
- The Florida and national figures below describe broader occupations. They are useful comparisons, but they do not establish a statewide countertop wage or an individual worker’s take-home pay.
- Hourly isn’t the only model. Piece rate (e.g. ~$4.00 per square foot fabricated) and day rates ($200–$250/day for install and template crews) are common, especially in South Florida and Orlando.
- Miami–Fort Lauderdale is the top metro for installer pay in the state; the Panhandle and smaller inland markets sit lower.
How much countertop workers earn in Florida, by role
The ranges below combine the government baseline (see methodology at the end) with a survey of live Florida job postings collected in August 2026. Postings are aggregated into ranges; individual employers are not named.
| Role | Typical Florida range (hourly) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Install helper / shop helper (entry) | $15 – $20 | Starts at or just above the state minimum wage; “will train” common |
| Polisher | $18 – $24 | Hand and machine polishing of edges |
| Fabricator (saw / general) | $18 – $30 | The core shop role; wide spread by experience |
| CNC / bridge saw operator | $20 – $28 | 5-axis and sawjet experience pushes toward the top |
| Templater (measure technician) | $18 – $30 | Also advertised as a day rate ($200–$220/day) |
| Countertop installer | $18 – $30 | Day rates of $200–$250/day are common for lead installers |
| Lead fabricator / shop foreman | $28 – $40+ | Supervisory pay; some shops quote salary ($40k+/yr) |
A few patterns are worth reading between the lines of that table:
- The minimum-wage context has a date: Florida’s published schedule sets $14.00/hr from September 30, 2025 and $15.00/hr from September 30, 2026. That schedule does not predict the rate a particular countertop shop will offer. Check the state guidance and the terms of the actual role.
- Piece rate and day rate are real alternatives to hourly. Some Orlando and South Florida shops advertise fabrication at roughly $4.00 per square foot rather than by the hour, and install and template work is frequently quoted as a day rate of $200–$250. For an experienced crew moving volume, piece rate can beat the equivalent hourly; for a slower week, it cuts the other way.
- Bilingual ability is a live advantage. Many of the South Florida and Orlando ads we saw run in Spanish or are explicitly bilingual. It isn’t a formal pay line, but it widens the number of shops that will hire you.
What the government data says
For a benchmark that isn’t tied to whoever happens to be hiring this week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program is the anchor. Because no single code means “countertop fabricator,” we use two proxies:
- Tile and Stone Setters (SOC 47-2044) — the best available match for countertop installers.
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic (SOC 51-9195) — the best available match for shop fabrication workers.
Both are imperfect: 47-2044 includes tile setters who never touch a slab, and 51-9195 includes a range of manufacturing molders. Treat them as the neighborhood, not the address.
Florida, May 2025 (most recent release), hourly:
| Measure | Installers (47-2044) | Shop workers (51-9195) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $13.49 | $17.45 |
| 25th percentile | $18.27 | $19.04 |
| Median | $22.73 | $21.65 |
| Mean | $24.27 | $21.76 |
| 75th percentile | $29.14 | $22.71 |
| 90th percentile | $34.80 | $27.26 |
| Statewide employment | 4,070 | 2,410 |
For context, the national medians are higher — $26.77/hr for installers and $22.20/hr for shop workers. On the installer proxy, Florida’s median runs about 15% below the national figure; on the shop-worker proxy the gap is small, only about 2–3%. Either way, Florida is a solid but not top-paying state for the trade — consistent with what the live postings show.
Two adjacent codes fill in the specialist roles:
- CNC Tool Operators (SOC 51-9161): Florida median $22.20/hr (4,040 employed). This code is dominated by metal machining, so read it only as a loose ceiling reference for stone CNC work.
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing (SOC 51-9021): Florida median $22.57/hr (520 employed) — a rough proxy for dedicated polishers.
Wages are still moving. The BLS Employment Cost Index shows private-industry wages and salaries up about 3.3% over the year to Q2 2026, so expect these 2025 figures to read a little higher by the time the next release lands.
Florida pay by metro
Installer pay (SOC 47-2044) varies meaningfully across Florida’s metros. BLS median hourly wages, May 2025:
| Metro | Median (installers) | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach | $23.22 | 950 |
| Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford | $22.82 | 450 |
| Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater | $22.25 | 480 |
| Jacksonville | $21.84 | 250 |
Miami–Fort Lauderdale is both the highest-paying and the largest market — no surprise given its residential remodel volume. The Panhandle and smaller inland markets (Ocala, the Treasure Coast) generally sit below these figures, though a lead installer posting in the Crestview area was advertising $26–$28/hr, a reminder that a specific shop’s need can outrun the metro median.
On the shop-fabrication side (SOC 51-9195), metro medians are tightly bunched: Miami $22.17, Orlando $21.68, Tampa $21.31. The takeaway for a fabricator: your metro moves your pay a dollar or two, but your role and experience move it far more.
How Florida countertop pay is actually structured
The hourly number is only part of the deal. From the live postings surveyed:
- Benefits are inconsistent. Some Florida shops offer health, dental, and vision (often after a 60–90 day probation) plus a 401(k) with a match that typically vests after a year; others list only paid vacation and holidays. Tools are usually provided. A benefits package can be worth more than a dollar or two on the hourly rate — always ask what’s included.
- Company vehicles are common for install and template crews. Several sampled employee roles provide a company truck, fuel, and tools for daily travel to job sites; explicit per-diem or travel allowances were rarely mentioned in the ads (which isn’t proof employers rarely provide them). Several sampled contractor listings expected crews to supply their own vehicle.
- No state income tax on wages. Florida levies no individual state income tax, so — all else equal — a given hourly rate carries more take-home than the same rate in an income-tax state. (Actual net pay still depends on federal and payroll taxes, benefits, and other deductions; purchasing power also depends on local living costs.)
- Training and credentials didn’t show a clear pay premium. OSHA 10 and 30 (course-completion cards, not certifications) and Natural Stone Institute accreditation appear in some Florida ads as “nice to have,” but our posting sample showed no consistent stated hourly premium for them. NSI accreditation is a company-level credential, not something an individual worker holds.
The Florida countertop industry: who’s hiring
Countertop fabrication in Florida is a fragmented, small-shop trade. Federal Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data for 2025 counts about 271 establishments in the cut-stone and stone-product manufacturing industry (NAICS 327991) statewide, employing roughly 2,098 people, with the establishment count up about 2.3% year over year — modest growth. (That industry code is broader than countertops alone — it also captures monument and building-stone shops — so read it as a proxy for the employer base, not an exact count.)
Those shops cluster where the rooftops are: Miami-Dade, Orange County (Orlando), and Duval (Jacksonville) each carry a meaningful share of the state’s stone-product employers. The median shop is small — a handful of workers — which is why pay is set ad hoc, shop by shop, rather than by any statewide scale.
Is countertop work a growing trade in Florida?
Yes — the outlook is healthy. State long-term projections (2024–2034) have the broader occupations this trade maps to growing well ahead of the general workforce: tile and stone setters (the installer proxy) are projected to grow about 18%, and molders, shapers, and casters (the shop-worker proxy) about 14%, with roughly 600 and 290 average annual openings respectively. Two caveats: those occupations are wider than countertops alone, so read the direction of travel rather than a countertop-specific headcount; and “annual openings” counts growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits (including retirements) — not just newly created jobs. The direction is clearly up, driven by Florida’s steady residential remodel volume. (Projections are the state 2024–2034 long-term series aggregated by Projections Central; treat them as secondary to the wage data above.)
Frequently asked questions
How much do countertop installers make in Florida?
The August 2026 advertised-pay summary below lists Florida installer roles at $18–$30 an hour. The government median for the closest occupation (tile and stone setters) is $22.73/hr, and the August 2026 Florida posting sample for experienced installers includes offers in the $22–$30 range, with day rates of $200–$250 also common. Entry-level helpers start near $15/hr.
What’s the starting pay for a countertop helper in Florida?
The August 2026 advertised-pay snapshot in this guide lists helper roles at $15–$20/hr. It is a small sample, not an estimate for every employer. Florida’s published minimum-wage schedule reaches $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026; confirm the current offer and applicable requirements with the employer.
Is countertop fabrication a good-paying trade in Florida?
Whether it is a good offer depends on the duties, hours, benefits and your costs. The advertised ranges in this guide are higher for some experienced and lead roles than for helpers, but they do not track individual careers or show how quickly someone progresses. Ask a prospective employer what training, responsibilities and pay reviews it offers.
Does a CNC operator earn more than a hand fabricator?
It’s close — the two overlap. CNC and bridge-saw operation tends to lift the floor a little (advertised around $20–$28/hr vs $18–$30 for hand fabrication). The clearer step up is programming: BLS puts CNC programmers’ median pay around $31/hr in Florida versus about $22/hr for operators — a distinct, more advanced role, though in smaller countertop shops one person may do both. (Those are all-industry CNC codes, so read them as reference points.)
Do Florida shops pay by the hour or by the square foot?
Both. Most shop roles are hourly, but piece rate (around $4.00 per square foot fabricated) and day rates ($200–$250/day for install and template crews) are common, especially in South Florida and Orlando.
How to compare a countertop job offer in Florida
- Confirm the shop location, reporting point and normal installation territory. A statewide range does not describe the journey between your home, the shop and each jobsite.
- Separate base hourly pay from bonuses, overtime and any crew or piece-rate arrangement. Ask which work is included and what assumptions sit behind an advertised earnings figure.
- Check whether the job combines fabrication, templating and installation or expects one specialty. Compare offers at the same level of responsibility.
- List the schedule, benefits, travel arrangements and training alongside the rate. If a pay figure depends on a future change, ask the employer to explain the date and the terms.
Considering both states? Read the Texas countertop pay guide using the same role and source vintage. Employers can use the hiring brief checklist to make an offer easier to compare; candidates can send their experience and preferences. These guides are historical research, not current vacancies or a promise of pay.
Who publishes this guide
Countertop Jobs is a recruitment company for the US countertop trade — fabricators, installers, CNC and bridge saw operators, templaters, polishers and shop managers. We are new, and this guide is the kind of work we are willing to put our name to now: public wage data read carefully, set next to what shops are actually advertising, with government sources linked and the limitations of the unpublished job-ad sample stated.
If you run a Florida shop and need a seat filled — templater, saw hand, installer, shop lead — tell us what the role is. If you work in the trade and want to be on the list when roles come up, send us your details. And if a number here is wrong, tell us that too; we would rather fix it than defend it.
Methodology and sources
Government wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release (the vintage used in this guide), for SOC codes 47-2044 (Tile and Stone Setters, our installer proxy), 51-9195 (Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic, our shop-worker proxy), 51-9161 (Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators), and 51-9021 (Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders). There is no OEWS code specific to countertop fabrication, so every one of these is a broad, all-industry proxy, not a countertop-specific figure — the occupations also include tile setters, non-stone molders, metal-machining CNC operators, and so on. OEWS also covers wage-and-salary workers and excludes the self-employed and independent contractors, which matters in a trade with a lot of contractor install crews. Wage-growth context is from the BLS Employment Cost Index (private industry, wages and salaries, +3.3% over the year to Q2 2026). Industry and establishment figures are from BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025, NAICS 327991 (Cut Stone and Stone Product Manufacturing), which is broader than countertops alone. Minimum-wage and tax figures are current as of August 2026 and reflect Florida’s 2020 constitutional amendment schedule.
August 2026 advertised pay ranges are drawn from a survey of roughly 15–20 Florida countertop job postings with disclosed pay, collected in August 2026 across public job boards. Advertised pay is aggregated into ranges; individual employers are not named. Job ads expire quickly and pay varies by shop, experience, and week — treat these as an August 2026 snapshot, not a fixed scale.
Sources, with the vintage each figure is drawn from:
- Wages, percentiles and employment — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). May 2025 vintage; national, Florida and metro estimates for SOC 47-2044, 51-9195, 51-9161 and 51-9021. Read August 2026. OEWS publishes one vintage at a time, so the linked pages will show a newer release than May 2025 once BLS updates them.
- Wage growth — BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI). Private industry, wages and salaries, +3.3% over the year to Q2 2026. Read August 2026. Used for direction of travel only; OEWS is not built for time-series comparison.
- Establishments and industry employment — BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). 2025 data, NAICS 327991 (Cut Stone and Stone Product Manufacturing), Florida. Read August 2026. Broader than countertops alone.
- Occupational growth and annual openings — state long-term projections, 2024–2034, aggregated by Projections Central. Read August 2026. Secondary to the wage data; the occupations are wider than this trade.
- Florida minimum wage — $14.00/hr from September 30, 2025; $15.00/hr from September 30, 2026. See the Florida Department of Commerce announcement for the schedule.
- Advertised pay — a survey of roughly 15–20 Florida countertop job postings with disclosed pay, collected across public job boards in August 2026. Not a random sample, not a statistical estimate, and not comparable to OEWS; employers are not named.
Originally published August 2026. Guidance and presentation updated September 7, 2026; the underlying wage figures were not refreshed in this revision. BLS figures retain their stated May 2025 vintage, and the advertised-pay sample remains August 2026.
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Countertop Jobs
Countertop Jobs recruits for the US countertop trade — fabricators, countertop installers, CNC operators, sawyers, templaters, polishers and shop managers — for fab shops across the country. We write about the work: what shops pay, what the machines and the material actually demand, and what changes on the floor.
Where this article quotes numbers, the sources and the workings are set out in how we put these figures together.
Figure look wrong, or out of date for your market? Tell us and we’ll fix it.