Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Palm Coast, FL MSA — October 2026
Palm Coast labor pool grows while jobs lag behind.
Flagler County's labor force hit 56,612 in September even as unemployment held at 5.5%, a full point above Florida's 4.4% statewide rate, while local wages ($1,006/week) continue trailing the state average of $1,518.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Flagler County unemployment rate: 5.5% — vs. 4.4% statewide, 4.1% national (August/Sept 2026)
- Flagler civilian labor force: 56,612 — September 2026, continued growth signal
- Flagler avg. weekly wage: $1,006 — vs. $1,518 Florida average (March 2026)
- Year-ago unemployment comparison: 4.2% (Aug 2025) → 5.5% (Aug 2026) — 1.3-point increase over 12 months
Key takeaways
Labor force growth is outpacing job absorption.
Flagler County's labor force expanded to 56,612 in September even as unemployment sits a full percentage point above the state average. That combination points to population-driven labor supply growth outrunning local job creation, a dynamic distinct from the tight, participation-constrained picture seen nationally.
Wage gap with the rest of Florida remains wide.
Flagler's $1,006 average weekly wage trails the state's $1,518 figure by roughly a third, even as Florida posted 4.3% year-over-year wage growth. Persistently lower local pay levels may reflect the metro's reliance on retail, tourism, and healthcare support roles, which contrast with the professional and business services driving state wage gains.
Accountant pay surge stands out against a soft local backdrop.
Metro Accountant pay rose significantly to a $90,000 median, now matching the national figure and well above the metro's broader wage profile. That signals increasing demand for financial and compliance expertise locally, a potential marker of growing business formation or administrative complexity even as overall unemployment runs high.
Construction-adjacent trades show local softening alongside national strain.
Construction Laborer and Warehouse Manager advertised pay both declined moderately in the metro even as national figures for the former rose, diverging from the statewide narrative of structural trades shortages. Local commerce leaders should watch whether this reflects softer regional building activity, distinct from the labor-supply constraints affecting construction statewide.
Median advertised pay by role — Palm Coast, FL MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $26,813 | $32,240 | $34,320 | Moderate increase | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $27,949 | $31,391 | $31,680 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $28,175 | $31,200 | $33,800 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $60,577 | $85,623 | $98,800 | Moderate decline | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $30,337 | $33,229 | $36,442 | Moderate increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $34,320 | $37,648 | $39,520 | Moderate decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $52,000 | $58,240 | $60,320 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $27,038 | $29,065 | $37,440 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $29,257 | $35,360 | $35,724 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,884 | $29,754 | $30,347 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $32,240 | $37,440 | $38,480 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $33,280 | $40,849 | $41,948 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $43,680 | $52,000 | $52,000 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $77,255 | $87,994 | $93,839 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer * | $109,907 | $146,023 | $157,888 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,161 | $133,667 | $151,702 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $60,000 | $90,000 | $90,000 | Significant increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $71,478 | $90,000 | $98,573 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $55,000 | $66,134 | $75,000 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $47,073 | $62,068 | $70,334 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $60,000 | $71,115 | $87,000 | Stable | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $34,320 | $45,632 | $51,056 | Stable | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $67,707 | $80,000 | $87,500 | Significant decline | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $56,465 | $69,940 | $75,000 | Moderate decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $77,675 | $96,219 | $109,119 | Moderate increase | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $62,400 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $50,378 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $33,843 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $61,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $43,524 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $50,564 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $47,750 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $71,297 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,200 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,311 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Flagler County's unemployment rate held at 5.5% in August, up from 4.2% a year earlier and still above both the state's 4.4% and the national 4.1% rate, even as the civilian labor force grew to 56,612 in September, a sign more residents are entering the job market faster than local employers are absorbing them. Metro wage levels remain well below state and national benchmarks, with Flagler's average weekly wage of $1,006 trailing Florida's $1,518 statewide figure, reflecting a local economy still anchored in healthcare, retail, and tourism, with lower representation of higher-wage sectors.
What it means
Rising labor force participation alongside a stubbornly elevated unemployment rate suggests Palm Coast's labor supply is loosening even as the broader Florida economy tightens, which may widen the metro's wage gap with faster-growing Florida metros like Miami-Dade (1.9% unemployment) unless local wage growth accelerates. Commerce leaders weighing expansion or relocation decisions should note that a deeper, more available labor pool is emerging locally at a moment when construction and skilled-trades labor remains structurally constrained statewide. Consider evaluating whether current local wage levels, still well under state averages in several advertised roles, position Palm Coast competitively for employers seeking lower-cost labor access without sacrificing workforce availability.
Looking ahead
Potential inflection point: Flagler's unemployment rate has declined slowly since January's 6% peak; watch the next two BLS releases to see whether the gap with Florida's statewide 4.4% rate continues narrowing or stalls, which would signal a more durable local slack.
Expected: Florida's minimum wage increase to $15.00 per hour, effective September 30, will show up in October and November wage data for retail and food-service roles locally; watch whether Metro Retail Sales Associate and Food Service Worker pay move in response.
Worth watching: Statewide construction labor constraints, with 41% of the trade workforce expected to retire by 2031, contrast with Flagler's locally softening Construction Laborer pay. Commerce and economic development leaders should monitor whether this metro bucks the statewide trend as a real opportunity for construction-dependent investment.
Emerging pressure point: Florida's broader payroll count has shown little month-over-month movement even as its unemployment rate falls, a pattern consistent with labor-force shrinkage amid weak demand growth. Local economists should watch whether Flagler's labor force expansion, unusual against that statewide backdrop, continues or reverts toward the state pattern.
Sources
- FlaglerLive / Florida Dept. of Commerce — Flagler County unemployment rate stable at 5.5% in August 2026
- Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) / BLS — Flagler County civilian labor force reached 56,612 in September 2026
- BLS QCEW — Flagler County average weekly wage of $1,006 as of March 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Florida average weekly wage of $1,518, ranked 19th nationally
- State of Florida — Florida minimum wage increased to $15.00/hour effective September 30, 2026
- Florida Council of 100 / industry survey — 41% of construction workforce expected to retire by 2031
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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