Pipe Crew Lead Pay in Florida: 2026 Placement Data

Last updated November 2, 2026 · Compiled from Amundson Group placement records and public market data.

Hiring for heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, or wastewater work? Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter. First qualified resumes in 7 hours. Send us the role or call (832) 558-7982.

In Florida, the person running an underground utility pipe crew is hired at a higher base than a foreman. Over the 12 months to October 2026, Florida pipe crew leads were hired at a median base of $93,600, while Florida foremen were hired at $81,900 over the same window, according to the Amundson Group Construction Placement Pay Index. The Florida pipe crew lead median matches the national one exactly.

What Florida pipe crew leads are hired at

Cut	Window	Median base at placement
Florida	12 months to October 2026	$93,600
Florida	24 months to October 2026	$93,600
Tampa Bay	24 months to October 2026	$91,000
National	12 months to October 2026	$93,600 (25th percentile $87,150, 75th $96,200)
National, prior year	12 months to October 2025	$92,300

The Florida and national 12 month rows share a window and are directly comparable; the 24 month Florida and Tampa Bay cuts overlap them and are not. Pipe crew leads have one of the tightest pay bands in the Index: the national 25th and 75th percentiles are $87,150 and $96,200. Nationally they are also hired above foremen, $93,600 against $87,200 over the same 12 months. Figures are base pay at hire, before truck, per diem and bonus, from the Construction Placement Pay Index.

What BLS shows: the lead and the crew

BLS has no pipe crew lead occupation. The closest is First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011), where Florida’s May 2025 median is $75,790, with a 25th percentile of $60,490 and a 75th of $95,200. The people a crew lead runs are Pipelayers (47-2151): BLS counted 4,050 in Florida, with a median of $47,260, a 25th percentile of $43,820 and a 75th of $49,800, below the national pipelayer median of $49,000. BLS covers all employed workers, not new hires.

Florida pipelayer pay by metro

Metro (BLS, May 2025)	Pipelayers employed	Median	75th percentile
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville	50	$50,810	$58,890
Naples-Marco Island	130	$48,220	$49,500
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach	700	$47,950	$50,800
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater	570	$47,790	$50,640
Jacksonville	450	$47,690	$49,400

Pipelayer pay barely moves across Florida: four of the five metros above sit within $530 of each other. Orlando, with 690 pipelayers, has a median of $46,650.

What a pipe crew lead runs in Florida

Pipe crew leads run the crew that lays water, sanitary sewer, force main and storm pipe: excavation, bedding, laying to grade, backfill and compaction, plus structures and testing. On Florida county work, that often means working around existing underground utilities. On site development and data center campuses, the same crews install the water, sewer, storm and duct bank runs that tie a site together. On rehabilitation work, they replace water and sewer mains and rebuild pump stations.

Florida rules every pipe crew works under

Under section 556.105 of the Florida Statutes, excavators must notify Sunshine 811 at least 2 full business days before digging, and a ticket is valid for 30 calendar days. Under the Florida Trench Safety Act (section 553.63), any contract for trench excavation deeper than 5 feet must reference the trench safety standards in effect and carry a separate cost item for compliance, and the excavating contractor must meet minimum excavation safety standards, follow any special shoring requirements and consider available geotechnical information when designing its trench safety system.

Open Amundson Group pipe crew roles in Florida

• Pipe Crew, Tampa Bay, underground utility and public works, $85,000 to $95,000, posted September 16, 2026
• Pipe Foreman, Pump Stations, Polk County, $62,400 to $93,600, posted September 24, 2026
• Pipe Foreman, $70,000 to $85,000, posted October 11, 2026
• Pipe Foreman, posted October 10, 2026

All open on October 29, 2026. More Florida roles are on our jobs page.

Hiring a pipe crew lead in Florida? Send us the role: first qualified resumes in 7 hours on average. Searches run on a retained or engaged basis. More on our data center construction recruitment.

Sources

• Amundson Group Construction Placement Pay Index, October 2026 release: amundsongroup.com
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: state, metro
• Florida Statutes, section 556.105: flsenate.gov
• Florida Statutes, section 553.63: flsenate.gov

Frequently asked questions

What does a pipe crew lead make in Florida?

The Pay Index median at hire is $93,600 across Florida placements in the 12 months to October 2026, and the same $93,600 over 24 months.

Is a pipe crew lead paid more than a foreman?

In the placement data, yes. Over the same 12 months, Florida pipe crew leads were hired at $93,600 and Florida foremen at $81,900; nationally, $93,600 against $87,200.

What must happen before a Florida pipe crew digs?

A Sunshine 811 notice at least 2 full business days ahead, and for trenches deeper than 5 feet, a trench safety system that meets the standards referenced in the contract.

Start a search with Amundson Group. Average 7 hours from job intake to first qualified resume.

More from Amundson Group: Florida construction recruiters.