Fence Installers in the Orlando area earn a median of $37,420 a year, 23% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #49 of 51 metros for fence installer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Lakeland.
It's one of 4 Florida metros with published pay for this trade; see fence installers across Florida.
Fence Installer pay in Orlando at a glance
- Fence installers in the Orlando, FL metro earn a median $37,420 a year ($17.99 an hour), #49 of 51 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $27,040 and $47,540.
- After local prices, that median buys what $36,897 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,726 a month, 55% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among fence installers in Orlando.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker. The median here works out to about $18 an hour in yearly terms.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for fence installers here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (3.9%) and the population is growing faster than most (+10.3% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 7,874 one-person site prep & specialty contracting businesses averaging $68,423 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $55/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Orlando scorecard for fence installers Our calculation
Grades compare Orlando with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers.
Pay over time
The median pay for fence installers in the Orlando area went from $46,790 in 2020 to $37,420 in 2025, down 20.0%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -36.2% — a real pay cut. Some years are missing because BLS redrew or didn't publish this metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Orlando Our calculation
Prices in Orlando run 1% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $36,897 would in a typical place, ranking #51 of 51 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Orlando from this pay, local rent and prices.
What fence installers do
Erect and repair fences and fence gates, using hand and power tools.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Establish the location for a fence, and gather information needed to ensure that there are no electric cables or water lines in the area.
- Set metal or wooden posts in upright positions in postholes.
- Measure and lay out fence lines and mark posthole positions, following instructions, drawings, or specifications.
- Align posts, by lines or sighting, and verify vertical alignment of posts, using plumb bobs or spirit levels.
- Attach rails or tension wire along bottoms of posts to form fencing frames.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, fence installer jobs are projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 2,500 openings a year. About 21% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often fence installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Florida Official source
The main state licensing office in Florida is the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction and electrical contractor boards. It can point you to the right license for fence installers.
Official Florida licensing site ↗
Requirements for fence installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, fence installers have 118 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.4× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying FL metros for fence installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port St. LucieFLORIDA · FL | $57,600 | $57,469 | 40 |
| North PortFLORIDA · FL | $48,410 | $47,268 | 70 |
| LakelandFLORIDA · FL | $45,550 | $46,891 | 110 |
| OrlandoFLORIDA · FL | $37,420 | $36,897 | 360 |
See every metro in Florida.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Orlando area's unemployment rate was 3.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just fence installers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Orlando area is 29 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 18% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 69% drive alone, 1% take transit and 17% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Orlando area's population grew 10.3% from 2020 to 2025 (2,680,430 → 2,957,672), ranking #33 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +241,353) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Orlando
The Orlando area has about 1,197,348 homes. 21% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 24% were built in 2010 or later. 62% of households own their home, and the median home value is $409,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Orlando are down 9% from 2021 to 2025 (30,618 → 27,845).
In 2025 the Orlando area approved permits for 27,845 new homes (14,198 single-family), or 10.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #30 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 7,874 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $68,423 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Orlando compares among the best cities to start a fence installer business.
They compete with 832 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 9,713 workers in total). 62% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
What new hires earn here
People newly hired into construction jobs in the Orlando area earn about $57,800 a year at the start, compared with $77,800 for all construction workers who've stayed with their employer. By age, construction workers 19 to 24 average about $47,000 a year here, and those 45 to 54 about $86,600. That's for every construction job combined, not just fence installers, but it shows how much experience is worth here.
Census Quarterly Workforce Indicators, construction (NAICS 23), private employers, 2024 Q4–2025 Q3. Monthly earnings × 12.
Traveling here for work
Out-of-town fence installers on travel jobs here are often paid per diem. The federal rate is $153 a night for lodging, up to $178 a night in peak season plus $80 a day for meals, the Orlando rate: about $1,631 a week on top of wages. Compare a travel job here with a local one.
GSA per diem rates, FY2027 (October 2026–September 2027). Employers set their own per diem; many use the GSA rate as a guide.
Working outdoors in Orlando Government data
In an average year, Orlando has 110 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), 2 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 77 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 92°F and winter nights 52°F. That matters for fence installers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Orlando International Airport, FL station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $37,420 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get fence installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Orlando with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for fence installersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in OrlandoSee where it falls among local fence installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolOrlando budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Orlando metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Orlando against every other metro for fence installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.