Yahoo Finance Some Florida Housekeepers Are Making More Than $100K a Year — Here's Why
Staffing agencies in cities such as Palm Beach — where the average home price in 2024 is more than $2 million — are in desperate need of experienced household staff
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Palm Beach County, FloridaHousekeepers are in high demand in Florida — and earning hefty salaries to match.
A new report from CNBC found that housekeepers in South Florida — one of the wealthiest areas in the United States — are routinely making more than $100,000 per year. The trend is being driven in large part by the "mass wealth migration" to Florida from other high-tax states like New York, according to the outlet.
In its report, released on May 23, CNBC spoke with a number of staffers and housekeeper agency owners, as well as staffers in similar fields — such as nannies, private security professionals, private chefs, chauffeurs and more — who said it's common for mansion owners to pay their household employees as much as $150,000 per year. Bidding wars have even broken out between homeowners to secure the best employees possible, the outlet noted.
"I have been placing staff for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this," said April Berube, founder of The Wellington Agency, which operates in Palm Beach, Miami, New York City and other wealthy zip codes. "We've seen such a boom from people relocating, especially Palm Beach and Miami."
Zillow reports that in 2024, the average home price in Palm Beach is $2.1 million, and prices have only been going up for the past several years.
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According to the CNBC report, the number of wealthy homeowners relocating from states like New York — where taxes for the rich are high — to Florida is increasing by the year. Also driving the soaring salaries for housekeepers — or "hospitality managers," as they're often called now — is a significant shortage of workers, as hotels and other businesses compete with homeowners for employees.
"For housekeepers, it's wonderful," Berube told the outlet. "For us, it's extremely difficult. It's a severe shortage."
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A stock image of a person cleaningBerube added that becoming a housekeeper for the extremely wealthy requires a specific skillset that can take time to learn, making the demand for experienced workers even higher.
"There are specific tools and skills you need to work in fine homes," she said.
CNBC reported that agencies have said that the pay for their housekeepers has soared from about $25 per hour in 2020 to anywhere from $45 to $50 per hour in 2024.
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Melissa Psitos, the founder of another agency called Lily Pond Services, told the outlet that she knows of one housekeeper who makes $250,000 per year. She also shared that one of her clients contacted the agency seeking a housekeeper and offered to pay $75,000 per year, but ended up offering $110,000 to match the market.
"There is just not enough supply," Psitos explained.
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Berube noted that some of her clients have been "in shock" when they learn the average salary for housekeepers.
" 'No way I'm paying that,' " she recalled frequently hearing from clients. "It's even uncomfortable for me to give them the numbers. But when they try to hire someone for less, with less experience, they almost always come back to us and say, 'I learned my lesson. We are willing to pay for the experience.' "
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