Customer Support Specialist salary in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
Hiring a customer support specialist costs less in Lakeland-Winter Haven than in Florida or the country as a whole. The median is $38,750 a year1: 4.2% below the Florida statewide median of $40,440 and 13.4% below the US median of $44,770. Nationally it ranks #338 of 520 areas. About 6,000 customer support specialists work here, 3% of the Florida total.
BLS occupation 43-4051, area Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Lakeland-Winter Haven against Florida and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | $31,790 | $38,750 | $57,090 | |
| Florida | $31,620 | $40,440 | $59,770 | |
| United States | $31,750 | $44,770 | $63,590 |
The middle half of customer support specialists in Lakeland-Winter Haven earns $36,020–$45,900. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $57,090, only 1.8 times the bottom tenth, against 2.0 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($42,680) is 10% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $9,880 wide, against $11,460 across Florida and $14,910 nationally: employers in Lakeland-Winter Haven pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a customer support specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,790 | $2,649 | $15.28 | $41,019 |
| 25th percentile | $36,020 | $3,002 | $17.32 | $46,477 |
| Median | $38,750 | $3,229 | $18.63 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $45,900 | $3,825 | $22.07 | $59,226 |
| 90th percentile | $57,090 | $4,758 | $27.45 | $73,665 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $7,150 over the median, the 25th only $2,730 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $9,226 a year in employer cost. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $44,770 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Lakeland-Winter Haven, and the Florida statewide median of $40,440 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Lakeland-Winter Haven
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $11,250 to the $38,750 median and brings it to $50,000 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
Our open customer support specialist roles pay $700–$1,000 a month under a direct contract. The one-time fee is $2,5003 with a 180-day replacement; paying through Deel adds $49 a month4. Change any number below to match your plan.
A local hire here costs about 3.8 times as much as a remote hire in year one at the midpoint of our range. From year two, when the fee drops out, it is 4.6 times the remote figure of $10,788. About the candidates: most apply through our assessment platform with a written and a spoken English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff interviews every shortlisted candidate live, in English, before you meet them.
Other roles in Lakeland-Winter Haven
Of the 17 roles we track in Lakeland-Winter Haven, this one ranks #16 by median pay, between medical administrative assistants ($39,520) and virtual receptionists ($35,430). Project Coordinator is the highest at $94,720.
| Role | Median | vs customer support specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +3.3% | 100 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | +2.0% | 130 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | +2.0% | 2,470 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | this role | 6,000 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | -8.6% | 1,300 |
Measured against the US median, customer support specialists rank #12 of the 17 roles we track in Lakeland-Winter Haven (-13.4%), between e-commerce order specialists (-13.3%) and medical administrative assistants (-14.0%). The typical role here is at -9.5%, so, measured against the US, customer support specialists cost less in Lakeland-Winter Haven than the area's general pay level would suggest. Customer support specialists hold 23.1% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Lakeland-Winter Haven, 19.7% across Florida and 16.4% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Florida
Across the 24 areas of Florida with data for this job, the median runs from $34,330 in Sebring to $43,680 in Naples-Marco Island, a gap of $9,350 a year. All 4 areas in Florida with more customer support specialists than Lakeland-Winter Haven also pay more, among them Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ($39,560) and Orlando-Kissimmee, FL ($40,530).
| Area | Median | vs Lakeland-Winter Haven | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildwood-The Villages, FL | +4.1% | 660 | |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +2.1% | 63,440 | |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach, FL | +1.3% | 1,860 | |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | this area | 6,000 | |
| Punta Gorda, FL | -0.3% | 820 | |
| Gainesville, FL | -0.5% | 2,030 | |
| North Florida (Nonmetro) | -0.5% | 1,220 |
Lakeland-Winter Haven against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Lakeland-Winter Haven is #70 of 520 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, with pay near the middle of the US range. Outside Florida, Baton Rouge and Flint pay just above Lakeland-Winter Haven and Casper and Jackson just below. All four are within $70 a year of the median in Lakeland-Winter Haven. Of the three markets with about as many customer support specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Lakeland-Winter Haven | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron, OH | +17.2% | 5,780 | jobs | |
| Honolulu, HI | +15.2% | 6,260 | jobs | |
| Wichita, KS | +1.5% | 5,950 | jobs | |
| Flint, MI | +0.1% | 1,970 | pay | |
| Baton Rouge, LA | +0.0% | 5,750 | pay | |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | this area | 6,000 | ||
| Casper, WY | -0.0% | 390 | pay | |
| Jackson, TN | -0.2% | 970 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a customer support specialist in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL?
About $50,000 a year at the median, or $4,167 a month: $38,750 in pay plus about $11,250 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for customer support specialists in Lakeland-Winter Haven?
The median was $38,750 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $31,790, the 90th $57,090, and the middle half earned $36,020 to $45,900.
Is Lakeland-Winter Haven cheaper than the rest of Florida for customer support specialists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $38,750 against $40,440 statewide. The next area up in Florida is Crestview-Fort Walton Beach at $39,240, the next down Punta Gorda at $38,630.
How many customer support specialists work in Lakeland-Winter Haven?
BLS counts about 6,000 in the May 2025 survey. That is 3% of the Florida total of 228,000. 4 areas in Florida have more; the closest in size is Jacksonville, with about 17,030.
Does a customer support specialist cost more than a virtual receptionist in Lakeland-Winter Haven?
Yes: $3,320 a year more at the median. The medians are $38,750 and $35,430.
What does a remote customer support specialist cost compared with Lakeland-Winter Haven?
Our open roles pay $700–$1,000 a month. At the midpoint, with the one-time fee and Deel, year one comes to $13,288, against about $50,000 for a local hire at the median.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4051: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.