How Do My Numbers Compare to Other Florida Contractors?

By Will Abberger, Enrolled Agent, former construction CFO · Published August 5, 2026

You can gauge yourself right now on three numbers, even before an external benchmark exists: your gross margin by department, your overhead ratio, and your working capital turnover. A $2 million electrical contractor and a $2 million landscaping company have different normal ranges for all three — so the honest first step isn't finding an outside number to compare to, it's calculating your own and watching whether it's moving in the right direction.

The Three Numbers Worth Tracking

Gross margin by department or service line — not one blended company-wide number. A service-heavy trade like HVAC repair naturally runs a different margin structure than a materials-heavy trade like roofing, so a single "contractor average" tells you very little. Your own margin, tracked by department over time, tells you a lot.
Overhead ratio — your total overhead divided by revenue. This is where marketing spend, insurance, staff compensation, and fleet costs show up, and it's usually the fastest-moving number when something in the business changes.
Working capital turnover — your annual revenue divided by your working capital. The most profitable contractors typically run this between roughly 8 and 15 times; well outside that range in either direction is worth investigating.

Why an Outside Benchmark Is Still Worth Having

Your own trend tells you whether something changed. An outside benchmark tells you whether "normal for you" is actually healthy for your trade — the two are different questions, and you eventually want both answers. The Florida Trade Contractor Financial Benchmark Report is currently in development, built from real client-book data across Florida trade contractors in the $1 million to $5 million range, and will give trade-specific and revenue-range-specific numbers rather than generic small-business averages.

What To Do In the Meantime

Calculate all three numbers above for your business today, then track them monthly by department. A downward trend against your own history is meaningful on its own — it tells you something changed before you even have an outside number to compare against.

The most useful comparison isn't always to other contractors — it's to yourself, six months ago. An outside benchmark tells you where the industry stands. Your own trend line tells you whether you're moving toward it or away from it.

Want this handled every month? Tracking your own margins by department every month is built into our construction fractional CFO service, so you see the trend long before year-end.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I just compare myself to national contractor averages?

National averages blend trades, regions, and revenue ranges together, which washes out the differences that actually matter — Florida market conditions and trade-specific cost structures.

When will the Florida benchmark report be available?

It's currently in development. Check back on this page, or ask directly during a call.

What can I track on my own right now?

Three numbers: gross margin by department, your overhead ratio, and your working capital turnover. Calculate them today, then track them monthly.

What's a healthy working capital turnover?

Most profitable contractors run between roughly 8 and 15 times annual revenue divided by working capital. Well outside that range in either direction is worth a closer look.

Ready to see this in your own numbers?

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