What does the average county worker earn in Miami-Dade? Take a look at our charts

Who earns the most on Miami-Dade County’s payroll?

The answer continues to be lawyers, who occupied 14 of the top 20 slots in the Miami Herald’s latest ranking of Miami-Dade government compensation. That’s roughly the same as in 2023, when the County Attorney’s Office accounted for 15 of the 20 best-paid slots in the Herald analysis.

The latest tally is based on detailed 2024 compensation data recently released by the county. The numbers show the wide range in pay for county employees, and which agencies are more likely to offer top incomes.

The average worker in the Parks Department earned about $55,000 last year, making that one of the lowest-paid departments in county government. At the top of the compensation list: the County Attorney’s Office, where the average pay in 2024 was nearly $185,000.

Payroll is the largest single expense in Miami-Dade’s $12.9 billion budget, accounting for 38 cents of every dollar spent.

Local budgets are under more scrutiny than ever with Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia leading the state’s DOGE effort that’s accusing metropolitan governments of over-taxing residents as spending and property-tax revenues grow. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has presided over two tax-rate cuts since being elected in 2020 and will be negotiating new contracts with county unions next year as the county faces projected deficits starting in 2027 as the real estate market cools.

Other highlights of the compensation numbers include:

• On average, a Miami-Dade police officer earned $133,000 in 2024. That’s up 6% from 2023. Now classified as a deputy after the Miami-Dade Police Department became the Sheriff’s Office in January, police officer was the top job title last year in county government, with more than 2,400 people holding that position. 
• Levine Cava earned about $201,000 last year, making her the 986th best-paid employee in the county. Her best-paid department heads both earned $384,000 last year: Aviation Director Ralph Cutié and PortMiami Director Hydi Webb, giving them the top non-lawyer slots on the list. 
• As usual, Miami-Dade’s top lawyer — County Attorney Geraldine Bonzon-Keenan —  takes the No. 1 slot in the list, with 2024 compensation of about $471,000.
• Employees who keep the county’s bus fleet moving received notable pay bumps last year. The average bus operator earned nearly $77,000 last year, up 12% from 2023. Maintenance technicians for the bus line saw their average pay grow 18% to $121,000. Joseph D’Elia, president of the county transit union, said Miami-Dade boosted starting pay for bus drivers in an effort to fill vacancies in the transit system. D’Elia said while Transportation and Public Works was short about 300 bus operators several years ago, now the gap is closer to 100 vacant positions. 
• Front-line park employees earn some of the lowest pay in county government. The average janitorial worker at the Parks Department – a job that carries the title of “park service aide” — earned less than $24,000 last year. The pay is so low because managers typically restrict those positions to part-time work, said SeAdoreia Brown, president of the AFSCME union chapter that represents the park aides. “They expect them to be able to afford rent,” she said. “It’s insane.” Parks Director Christina White confirmed most park service aides work just below 30 hours a week. “Park Service Aides are a valued part of our workforce,” she said. “Their schedules are set based on the programming and maintenance needs within our parks.”
• The average county worker in the Herald’s analysis earned nearly $101,000 last year. That’s up 8% from the $93,000 the average county worker earned in 2023. 

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This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 12:04 PM.