What workers' comp costs concrete contractors in Jacksonville, Florida
Duval County has 61 concrete contractor businesses. Class 5213 is $5.184 per $100 of payroll in 2026; a 7-person Jacksonville crew runs about $20,114 a year.
Concrete businesses in Duval County
The Census Bureau counted 61 poured concrete foundation and structure contractors (NAICS 238110) establishments in Duval County in 2023, with 1,082 paid employees on their payrolls.
That is 3.4% of the 1,804 such establishments statewide, and the seventh highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $55,465 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.
Within Jacksonville's own postal ZIP codes there were 34 concrete contractor establishments in 2023.
Of all construction businesses in Duval County, 1.9% are concrete contractor firms (61 of 3,171).
For concrete contractor firms, Duval County's average pay of $55,465 sits above Palm Beach County ($54,692) and below Alachua County ($56,932).
Cement masons and concrete finishers in the Jacksonville area earned a median $21.31 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 1,140 employed; the Florida median was $22.34.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $44,310 a year, which adds roughly $2,297 of class 5213 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5213 | CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION NOC. | $5.184 | $2,900 |
| 5221 | CONCRETE OR CEMENT WORK | $3.873 | $2,900 |
Rates are the 2026 Florida manual rates published by the FWCJUA, matching the standard filing approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation for policies effective on or after January 1, 2026.
Worked example for a Jacksonville crew
A Jacksonville shop with 7 field employees at the county's average pay reports about $388,000 of class 5213 payroll.
At $5.184 per $100, the manual premium is about $20,114 a year, or about $2,873 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
If the business were placed in the FWCJUA instead, the 2026 surcharges of 93% (Tier 1) and 183% (Tiers 2 and 3) would put the same payroll at about $38,820 or $56,922.
The same crew doing only flatwork in 5221 at $3.873 would be about $15,027.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Jacksonville crew would pay about $17,097, and at a 1.25 mod about $25,142.
This is an illustration built from public averages, not a quote.
Class 5213 manual premium by headcount at Duval County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55,000 | $2,851 |
| 3 | $166,000 | $8,605 |
| 7 | $388,000 | $20,114 |
| 10 | $555,000 | $28,771 |
| 20 | $1,109,000 | $57,491 |
How concrete contractors are classified
Concrete payroll usually sits in two classes. Structural work, such as foundations, tilt-wall, columns and elevated slabs, is 5213 at $5.184 per $100. Flatwork, such as driveways, sidewalks, patios and slab-on-grade floors, is 5221 at $3.873. The difference is meaningful, so a contractor doing both should track each job by type. Pump-truck operation and ready-mix delivery have their own codes.
Usually included
- Foundations, footings and columns (5213)
- Elevated slabs and decks (5213)
- Driveways, sidewalks and slab-on-grade floors (5221)
- Forming and finishing crews
Rated separately
- Concrete pumping operators
- Ready-mix delivery drivers
- Clerical staff (8810)
At audit
- Track structural pours (5213) separately from flatwork (5221) job by job; the rate gap is large enough to matter at audit.
- Pump operators and ready-mix drivers are classified apart from the finishing crew.
Permits and licensing in Jacksonville
Concrete businesses working in Jacksonville pull building and right-of-way permits for foundations, slabs and driveways through the City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division, and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting a building permit.
Jacksonville and Duval County have operated as one consolidated government since 1968, so a single Building Inspection Division issues permits and runs inspections across almost the whole county. That makes Jacksonville the largest city in Florida by population and one of the largest in land area in the continental United States, and it means a crew can drive an hour between two jobs without leaving city limits. Drive time between sites is paid time, and it lands in the same class code as the work at the end of the drive.
Jacksonville's construction market spreads across a huge footprint: industrial and distribution buildings along the I-95 and I-295 corridors, port work at JAXPORT's terminals, federal work at the naval stations, new subdivisions in the St. Johns and Nassau county suburbs, and older housing stock in neighborhoods such as Riverside and Springfield. That spread means crews travel, and the payroll for drive time stays in the class code of the work. Many Jacksonville contractors also cross into Georgia, and out-of-state work needs other-states coverage on the policy. JEA, the city-owned utility, provides electric, water and sewer service across most of Duval County, so new services and utility relocations run through a single public utility. Riverfront redevelopment downtown and along the St. Johns River adds marine, park and mixed-use projects to the industrial and suburban work.
- JAXPORT and the naval stations at Mayport and Jacksonville bring port, logistics and federal construction work that often requires higher limits and waiver-of-subrogation endorsements.
- Northeast Florida gets fewer direct hurricane landfalls than South Florida, but nor'easters and tropical storms still drive coastal repair surges at the Beaches.
Common claims for concrete contractors in Jacksonville
Jacksonville concrete crews pour tilt-wall and slab work for the distribution buildings going up along I-95 and I-295, along with residential foundations. Coastal concrete work includes seawall caps and elevated slabs, adding work near water and at height.
- Back and knee injuries from screeding and finishing
- Chemical burns from wet cement on skin
- Struck-by injuries from pump booms and formwork
- Falls from elevated forms and decks
- Heat illness during early-morning pours that run into midday
What to have ready for a Jacksonville concrete quote
- Payroll for your Jacksonville concrete work, split by class (5213, 5221) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Jacksonville jobs, checked in the Proof of Coverage database
- Three years of loss runs for the concrete business, plus your current experience modifier if you have one
- Recent permits pulled with the City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division, which show the volume and type of Jacksonville work
- Any jobs planned outside Duval County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your Jacksonville concrete business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing concrete contractors in Duval County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Jacksonville concrete contractors
What does workers' comp cost concrete contractors in Jacksonville, FL?
About $2,873 per worker per year in manual premium, if your pay matches the Duval County average of $55,465. That comes from the statewide class 5213 rate of $5.184 per $100 of payroll; the location inside Florida does not change the rate.
How many concrete contractor businesses operate in Jacksonville?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 34 concrete contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Jacksonville postal address, out of 61 across Duval County and 1,804 statewide. Each of them needs workers' comp once it has an employee, so a current certificate is part of almost every Jacksonville bid package.
Where do concrete contractors in Jacksonville get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Jacksonville come from the City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division. Concrete contractors in Jacksonville work under a state certified or registered license from the Florida DBPR. Because concrete is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the Jacksonville permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
What is the difference between 5213 and 5221?
5213 is structural concrete such as foundations, columns and elevated decks. 5221 is flatwork such as driveways, sidewalks and slab-on-grade floors. In 2026 the Florida rates are $5.184 and $3.873 per $100 of payroll.
Do I need extra coverage if my Jacksonville crew works in Georgia?
Usually yes. A Florida policy covers Florida work; for jobs across the state line, ask for other-states coverage (Part 3) on the policy, listing Georgia. Without it, an injury on a Georgia job may fall outside the policy's primary coverage.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for concrete contractors in Jacksonville?
Rates stay fixed for the policy year. What moves is payroll: after a storm, Jacksonville concrete contractors often add crews and overtime, and the year-end audit charges premium on every added dollar. Tell your agent when you staff up so the deposit premium keeps pace.
Sources
- Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 (metropolitan areas and Florida)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 (establishments by size class, ZIPs grouped by postal city)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.103 — Building permits; proof of workers' compensation coverage
- Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriting Association, 2026 rates and minimum premiums by class
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Commissioner approves 6.9% workers' compensation rate decrease effective January 1, 2026
- FWCJUA, Bulletin 25-9: 2026 Tier 1, 2 and 3 surcharges
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (establishments, employment and annual payroll by county and NAICS)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.02 — Definitions (employer, construction industry, corporate officers)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.05 — Election of exemption
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.10 — Liability for compensation (contractors and subcontractors)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.107 — Compliance, stop-work orders and penalties
- Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage database
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census population, QuickFacts
- City of Jacksonville, Building Inspection Division
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical cyclone climatology (Atlantic season June 1 – November 30)
Reviewed 2026-10-13. Rates and figures are for illustration; a quote depends on your payroll, classifications, experience modifier and carrier.