Florida among worst states for paid internships

by | Mar 15, 2023



  • The Sunshine State isn’t so sunny when it comes to paid internships, ranking low for both pay rate and paid opportunities.
  • Florida pays interns less than most other states, ranking 35th in the nation for hourly intern pay rate.
  • The state also affords comparatively fewer opportunities for paid interns, offering a higher rate of unpaid internships than most states.

A majority of employers end up offering full-time jobs to their interns, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. In fact, about 70% of interns land a job with their employer after their internship is over. Major companies, including General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs, IBM, NBCUniversal, and all of the Big Four accounting firms, are known to hire a large percentage of their staff directly from their pool of interns.

Depending on the target industry, an internship could be a crucial step in landing a job, especially for those fresh out of college. However, the financial viability of interning can be a gamble, as internships tend to vary wildly in their pay rates – with many offering little to no compensation. (Here are the highest paying jobs you can get without a college degree.)

According to career search website Zippia, the average hourly wage for interns in Florida stands at $14.75, the 16th lowest among the 50 states.

Meanwhile, a recent report from online lender CashNetUSA found that 17.9% of all internships in Florida were unpaid as of August 2022, the seventh largest share of all states.

To determine these rankings, CashNetUSA reviewed internship salary data from more than 100 U.S. industries. Average hourly pay for paid internships in each state was sourced from Zippia.

 

Rank State Avg. hourly intern pay ($) Unpaid internships as a share of total (%)
1 Washington 20.92 11.93
2 California 20.78 25.79
3 Connecticut 20.39 13.75
4 Nevada 18.89 4.95
5 Oregon 18.88 26.91
6 New York 18.38 27.03
7 Delaware 18.31 33.54
8 Massachusetts 18.15 15.88
9 West Virginia 17.82 7.58
10 Vermont 17.75 8.33
11 North Dakota 17.65 5.97
12 Hawaii 17.46 12.05
13 Wisconsin 17.12 5.56
14 New Hampshire 17.09 9.18
15 Maryland 16.91 7.78
16 Minnesota 16.88 5.00
17 Colorado 16.86 4.73
18 Alaska 16.80 9.84
19 Pennsylvania 16.75 15.65
20 Georgia 16.71 15.01
21 Arizona 16.68 10.04
22 New Jersey 16.42 25.69
23 Montana 16.40 6.67
24 Michigan 16.36 11.18
25 Illinois 15.99 17.57
26 Idaho 15.99 6.25
27 Virginia 15.98 10.88
28 Rhode Island 15.85 13.79
29 Ohio 15.78 5.00
30 Maine 15.75 10.00
31 Texas 15.32 9.44
32 South Dakota 15.21 7.58
33 Utah 15.09 7.64
34 Mississippi 15.01 7.77
35 Florida 14.75 17.94
36 Missouri 14.69 10.00
37 North Carolina 14.68 17.53
38 Kentucky 14.63 6.92
39 Nebraska 14.61 4.24
40 Indiana 14.46 14.89
41 Tennessee 14.26 8.33
42 Iowa 14.00 6.10
43 Oklahoma 13.90 11.11
44 Arkansas 13.79 5.71
45 Kansas 13.51 4.20
46 South Carolina 12.44 7.64
47 Alabama 12.39 7.76
48 Louisiana 12.12 9.92
49 New Mexico 12.03 26.67
50 Wyoming 11.92 9.09

0 Comments

 

What is the most glaring political issue facing Floridians ahead of Legislative Session?
×
%d bloggers like this: