West Palm Beach electrical contractors: workers' comp rates and a real payroll example
Palm Beach County has 568 electrical contractor businesses. Class 5190 is $2.969 per $100 of payroll; a 4-person West Palm Beach crew runs about $8,669 a year.
Electrical businesses in Palm Beach County
The Census Bureau counted 568 electrical contractors (NAICS 238210) establishments in Palm Beach County in 2023, with 4,970 paid employees on their payrolls.
That is 8.8% of the 6,480 such establishments statewide, and the third highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Their average annual payroll per employee was about $73,121. Workers' comp is priced on payroll, so this is the starting point for any West Palm Beach estimate.
Narrowing to ZIP codes with a West Palm Beach postal address, the same Census program lists 191 electrical contractor establishments in 2023.
Electrical firms make up 10.4% of the 5,449 construction establishments in Palm Beach County.
For electrical contractor firms, Palm Beach County's average pay of $73,121 sits above Duval County ($72,019).
BLS wage data for May 2024 puts the median for electricians in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro at $26.96 an hour across 12,570 jobs; statewide the median is $25.53.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $56,080 a year, which adds roughly $1,665 of class 5190 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5190 | ELECTRICAL WIRING W/IN BUILDING AND DRIVERS | $2.969 | $2,831 |
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 West Palm Beach crew
Take a 4-person West Palm Beach crew paid the county average: $292,000 of annual payroll in class 5190.
At $2.969 per $100, the manual premium is about $8,669 a year, or about $2,167 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 $16,732 or $24,535.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the West Palm Beach crew would pay about $7,369, and at a 1.25 mod about $10,836.
This is an illustration built from public averages, not a quote.
Class 5190 manual premium by headcount at Palm Beach County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $73,000 | $2,167 |
| 3 | $219,000 | $6,502 |
| 4 | $292,000 | $8,669 |
| 10 | $731,000 | $21,703 |
| 20 | $1,462,000 | $43,407 |
How electrical contractors are classified
Electricians wiring inside buildings are classed 5190, Electrical Wiring Within Buildings and Drivers. Outdoor line work, such as utility poles and overhead distribution, is classified separately (for example 7538 for power-line construction), so a contractor that does both must keep separate payroll records for each or the carrier can assign unrecorded payroll to the higher-rated class. Generator installs and post-storm service calls stay in 5190 when the work is on the building side of the meter.
Usually included
- Wiring, panels and fixtures inside buildings
- Service calls and generator connections on the building side
- Low-voltage and data cabling installed by electricians
- Drivers of company vehicles
Rated separately
- Utility line and pole construction
- Clerical staff (8810)
- Outside salespeople
At audit
- Separate any line or pole work from inside wiring in the payroll records; mixed records let the auditor pick the higher-rated class.
- Apprentices and helpers are rated in 5190 the same as licensed journeymen.
Permits and licensing in West Palm Beach
Electrical businesses working in West Palm Beach pull electrical permits through the City of West Palm Beach Building Division, and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting a building permit.
The West Palm Beach Building Division takes permit applications, payments and inspection requests online, and county contractors are certified and insured through Palm Beach County's Contractor Regulations section. The county notes that as of July 1, 2025, several county construction trade scopes were preempted by state law and no longer need a county certificate of competency, so it is worth confirming which license a given trade needs before bidding. West Palm Beach is the county seat, and downtown office and residential towers sit next to older neighborhoods with steady renovation work.
West Palm Beach combines downtown office and residential towers, a large renovation market in historic neighborhoods such as El Cid and Flamingo Park, and high-end residential work across the bridges on Palm Beach island. Estate and luxury jobs are labor-intensive and often long, so payroll can grow quickly on a single project. Many contractors here work across several Palm Beach County cities, each with its own permit office, while county contractor certification is handled centrally on Jog Road. Downtown, the Brightline station has drawn new office and residential towers to the blocks around it, while the city's own water utility and its projects at the water treatment plant bring public work. Across the Intracoastal, work on Palm Beach island follows the town's own seasonal construction restrictions, which compress schedules into the off-season.
- Palm Beach County sits just outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone but inside the wind-borne debris region, so impact-rated openings are common on exterior jobs.
- Luxury residential and estate work on the island and in the suburbs is labor-heavy, which shows up directly in payroll.
Common claims for electrical contractors in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach electricians wire downtown towers and large custom homes with complex lighting, generators and smart-home systems. Salt air corrodes panels and connections on coastal buildings, so service calls often involve damaged, energized equipment.
- Shock and arc-flash burns
- Falls from ladders and lifts while pulling wire overhead
- Knee and back injuries from crawl-space and attic work
- Cuts from conduit and cable
- Heat illness on outdoor service and generator installs after storms
What to have ready for a West Palm Beach electrical quote
- Payroll for your West Palm Beach electrical work, split by class (5190) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your West Palm Beach jobs, checked in the Proof of Coverage database
- Three years of loss runs for the electrical business, plus your current experience modifier if you have one
- Recent permits pulled with the City of West Palm Beach Building Division, which show the volume and type of West Palm Beach work
- Any jobs planned outside Palm Beach County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your West Palm Beach electrical business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing electrical contractors in Palm Beach County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from West Palm Beach electrical contractors
How much is workers' comp for an electrical business in West Palm Beach?
Start from payroll. Palm Beach County electrical contractor firms paid about $73,121 per employee in 2023, and class 5190 costs $2.969 per $100 of it, so each West Palm Beach worker carries roughly $2,167 of manual premium a year. Your experience modifier, credits and the carrier's pricing move the final figure from there.
How many electrical contractor businesses operate in West Palm Beach?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 191 electrical contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a West Palm Beach postal address, out of 568 across Palm Beach County and 6,480 statewide. Any of those West Palm Beach firms with employees must insure them, which is why owners and GCs ask for a certificate before work starts.
Where do electrical contractors in West Palm Beach get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside West Palm Beach come from the City of West Palm Beach Building Division. County-level trade licensing in Palm Beach County runs through Palm Beach County Contractor Regulations. Because electrical is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the West Palm Beach permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
Can an electrical contractor split office payroll out?
Yes. Estimators, dispatchers and office staff who never work in the field can be rated in 8810 at a fraction of the 5190 rate, as long as their payroll is recorded separately. Anyone who goes to job sites, even part-time, stays in 5190.
Do I still need a Palm Beach County certificate of competency?
It depends on the trade. Palm Beach County says that since July 1, 2025, several county trade scopes are preempted by state law and no longer require a county certificate. Check the county's contractor regulations page for your trade before bidding, and keep your insurance certificates on file with the county either way.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for electrical contractors in West Palm Beach?
The rate does not change with the season, but the bill can. Premium is calculated on audited payroll, so the storm-repair work that follows a hurricane in West Palm Beach raises payroll and, with it, the final audited premium. Updating your payroll estimate mid-term avoids a large audit bill.
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 West Palm Beach, Building Division
- Palm Beach County, Contractor Regulations
- 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.