Palm Beach housekeepers are raking in salaries as high as $250,000 after ashortage of workers for wealthy homes and luxury hotels led to a surge in hourly wages.
An influx of rich families to the popular Florida city from high-tax areas such as New York has also pushed up demand - with many now seeking help in their mansions.
This has led to booming business for butlers, now called 'hospitality managers' or 'estate managers', private chefs, nannies, drivers, security guards and especially housekeepers.
It means that while once considered a humble, blue-collar job, those in the cleaning industry are now able to charge staggering sums.
A typical salary for a housekeeper used to be$25 an hour in 2020.Today, it's surged to nearly $50 an hour, CNBC reported.
Palm Beach housekeepers are living large, making over $150,000, as a shortage of workers for wealthy homes and luxury hotels has led to a surge in hourly wages
An influx of rich families to the popular Florida city from high-tax areas such as New York has also pushed up demand - with many now seeking help in their mansions
Yearly, housekeepers with experience are making upwards of 150,000 plus benefits - including401(k) plans, health care insurance and overtime.
April Berube, owner and found of the Wellington Agency told DailyMail.com that she has more than 30 years of experience in placing all types of household domestic staff - including private chefs, nannies and housekeepers.
'The highest demand right now we're seeing is in Miami, Palm Beach, and it's still in New York and the Hamptons,' she said - adding that her clients usually have multiple homes. Berube also said there's been a mass migration of clients from California - especially Los Angeles.
Berube revealed that when the families relocate, they'll often take a head executive housekeeper with them and find local housekeepers in the new area - which is especially prevalent in areas like the Hamptons, where only summers are spent in the home.
She said that there is a huge demand for household workers in Palm Beach - and the work is the best paying - but Berube insists not everyone is cut out for the job.
'We require a minimum of five years experience working in the field that you're applying for. So whether you're a nanny or housekeeper, you have to have a history and background of working in the industry,' Berube said.
'It takes a certain person to work for high net worth, high profile families. So you can't just come from another industry or be a housekeeper or from a cleaning service - there is a lot of experience and training that that is involved when bringing in housekeepers at this level.'
April Berube, owner and found of the Wellington Agency told DailyMail.com that she has more than 30 years of experience in placing all types of household domestic staff
Marta Magarelli started working in the industry when she was just 25 and has now accumulated over 30 years of experience
Berube also stressed that a major requirement for all her staffers is confidentiality.
'They have to sign non disclosure agreements. We have to make sure that when we're calling their references, we call all of the families that they've worked with before,' she revealed.
'We're asking how discreet are these people - are they gossipy? Because our reputation is at stake. We can't put in people who have not worked at this level and are not trustworthy.'
Berube said that well-trained housekeepers are currently in control of their own rate because they are in such high demand, and that families are no longer determining what their salary is. She revealed that cleaners are looking for $45 to $50 an hour, as well as benefits and paid vacation.
Palm Beach families have especially high standards and expectations for their household staff, which makes sense given the jaw-dropping salaries. According to Berube, housekeepers are required to wear special uniforms and keep the sprawling mansions in tip-top condition, all while staying out of the family's way.
Housekeepers and cleaners are growing to be proud of their positions as they become more valued and better paid, Berube said.
She revealed that the highest salaries she's seeing are in Florida - specifically Miami and Palm beach, where one of her housekeepers just secured a $250,000 yearly salary.
DailyMail.com spoke to an executive housekeeper who was placed with a New York City family with two children through the Wellington Agency.
Marta Magarelli started working in the industry when she was just 25 and has now accumulated over 30 years of experience. Her current family are based in NYC, but travel to Palm Beach for four months every winter.
After many years of practice and trying multiple different roles, she earns a six-figure salary, annually. The competitive salary comes as demand for household staff has shot up in Palm Beach.
Magarelli said that, in order to run a household successfully, you must be incredibly detail-oriented, precise and organized.
A typical salary for a housekeeper used to be $25 an hour in 2020. Today, it's surged to nearly $50 an hour. Yearly, housekeepers with experience are making upwards of 150,000 plus benefits - including 401(k) plans, health care insurance and overtime
While she said that experience comes with time, Magarelli revealed that she took an organization class to perfect her housekeeping skills.
Magarelli said that her favorite part of the job is the people - she loves the family she works for currently and says it's a 'healthy environment,' especially compared to prior households she's worked in.
Her top tip for any member of household staff that are in a bad environment is to remember it's just a job, and that you have to deal with the situation and go home and let it go.
She stressed that there is a major difference between housekeepers and cleaners.
She says that as a housekeeper you have to 'wear many hats' - including nanny, driver, chef. She says you have to be on top of everything and always be two steps ahead.
Magarelli said that you have to be ready to drop everything for the family - even if they say 'can you jump on a plane and come to New York City' at a moment's notice.
But the shimmer and shine of the Sunshine State may be wearing off with Americans who moved to Florida during the pandemic.
But Florida appears to be is losing its shine as disillusioned newcomers find the state less idyllic than they had expected, despite plentiful sunshine and tax breaks
With an average of 250 days of sunshine each year, it's easy to see why the state's allure is strong, especially to those from northern climes where the cold and clouds rule - but after a stint in the south, some are giving up on the dream.
And it doesn't take long for those packing their backs to list any number of reasons as to why they have had enough.
While many who took part in the national migration south have fallen in love with the state, others have had enough of the extreme heat, hurricanes, dangerous native wildlife such as crocodiles and alligators, and rising cost of living.
Florida had a population boom during the pandemic, with more than 700,000 people moving there in 2022.
The state with the biggest number of transplants was New York with 90,000 leaving the Empire State for Florida in 2022, according to census data, as reviewed by Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News.
The weather can also be brutal with hurricanes a common occurrence and ever-present risk. Pictured, an American flag is seen amidst the wreckage of a home after a hurricane in Horseshoe Beach, Florida last August
Census Bureau data also reveals Florida was still the second-fastest-growing state as recently as July 2023, but there may soon be a sharp decline in such numbers with more people making a U-turn in their U-Haul trucks.
But while hundreds of thousands became Florida residents in 2022 lured by the promise of stunning weather, no income tax and lower costs overall, almost 500,000 left the same year.
Some of those who departed blame soaring insurance costs, a hostile political environment, worsening traffic and extreme weather.
When it comes to the cost of living, consumer prices in South Florida were up almost 5 percent year on year compared with 3.2 percent across the country.
Only a few years ago, Florida's housing market was at bargain basem*nt prices but now it is quite the opposite with with prices up 60 percent since 2020.
The average house price is $388,500, according to Zillow. This is slightly above the median U.S. home price which is around $384,000.
