Ham radio operators in Florida: new licenses by county
42,085 licensed amateur radio operators; 1,252 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 112
- New hams · last 12 months
- 1,252
- ▼ 5% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 42,085
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 824
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 416
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 562
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 2,294
About ham radio in Florida
Florida added 1,252 new amateur radio operators in the past 12 months, about the same as the year before (down 5%). Florida ranks #3 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Hillsborough County leads the state with 66 new hams. Among larger counties, Manatee County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 42% of the state’s licensees, below the U.S. average of 48%, pointing to an experienced, HF-heavy community.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | 133 |
| Dec 2025 | 115 |
| Jan 2026 | 84 |
| Feb 2026 | 93 |
| Mar 2026 | 124 |
| Apr 2026 | 83 |
| May 2026 | 150 |
| Jun 2026 | 140 |
| Jul 2026 | 91 |
| Aug 2026 | 94 |
| Sep 2026 | 96 |
| Total | 1,207 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 17,527 | 42% | 48% |
| General | 11,610 | 28% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 10,085 | 24% | 21% |
| Advanced | 2,003 | 5% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 860 | 2% | 2% |
Bar = Florida share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 336 operators upgraded to General and 428 to Amateur Extra.
How Florida compares
#3 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 29.7 | 33.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 19.6 | 15.3 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 54.5 | 58.2 |
1,252 new hams in Florida this past year. Get next month’s list free.
Sign Up Free →Top 10 Florida counties for new hams
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillsborough County | 66 | ▼ 13% | 2,387 | 27.6 |
| 2 | Brevard County | 62 | ▼ 10% | 2,403 | 25.8 |
| 3 | Broward County | 61 | ▼ 15% | 2,049 | 29.8 |
| 4 | Sarasota County | 59 | ▲ 2% | 1,223 | 48.2 |
| 5 | Orange County | 55 | ▼ 8% | 1,702 | 32.3 |
| 6 | Palm Beach County | 55 | ▼ 13% | 2,344 | 23.5 |
| 7 | Duval County | 54 | ▲ 4% | 1,527 | 35.4 |
| 8 | Miami-Dade County | 48 | ▼ 25% | 2,041 | 23.5 |
| 9 | Pasco County | 44 | ▲ 13% | 1,290 | 34.1 |
| 10 | Polk County | 41 | ▲ 17% | 1,340 | 30.6 |
All Florida counties
45 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Alachua County19 new hams in 12 months
- Bay County13 new hams in 12 months
- Bradford County4 new hams in 12 months
- Brevard County62 new hams in 12 months
- Broward County61 new hams in 12 months
- Charlotte County13 new hams in 12 months
- Citrus County7 new hams in 12 months
- Clay County15 new hams in 12 months
- Collier County16 new hams in 12 months
- Columbia County1 new hams in 12 months
- Duval County54 new hams in 12 months
- Escambia County22 new hams in 12 months
- Flagler County8 new hams in 12 months
- Hendry County1 new hams in 12 months
- Hernando County14 new hams in 12 months
- Highlands County11 new hams in 12 months
- Hillsborough County66 new hams in 12 months
- Indian River County7 new hams in 12 months
- Lake County29 new hams in 12 months
- Lee County33 new hams in 12 months
- Leon County18 new hams in 12 months
- Levy County3 new hams in 12 months
- Manatee County38 new hams in 12 months
- Marion County17 new hams in 12 months
- Martin County11 new hams in 12 months
- Miami-Dade County48 new hams in 12 months
- Monroe County5 new hams in 12 months
- Nassau County5 new hams in 12 months
- Okaloosa County26 new hams in 12 months
- Orange County55 new hams in 12 months
- Osceola County13 new hams in 12 months
- Palm Beach County55 new hams in 12 months
- Pasco County44 new hams in 12 months
- Pinellas County37 new hams in 12 months
- Polk County41 new hams in 12 months
- Putnam County4 new hams in 12 months
- Santa Rosa County30 new hams in 12 months
- Sarasota County59 new hams in 12 months
- Seminole County26 new hams in 12 months
- St. Johns County22 new hams in 12 months
- St. Lucie County40 new hams in 12 months
- Sumter County11 new hams in 12 months
- Suwannee County1 new hams in 12 months
- Volusia County36 new hams in 12 months
- Walton County19 new hams in 12 months
Smaller Florida counties
These 22 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
Show all 22 smaller counties
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Baker County | 63 | 2 |
| Calhoun County | 23 | 0 |
| DeSoto County | 70 | 0 |
| Dixie County | 32 | 0 |
| Franklin County | 43 | 3 |
| Gadsden County | 60 | 3 |
| Gilchrist County | 69 | 2 |
| Glades County | 27 | 2 |
| Gulf County | 57 | 2 |
| Hamilton County | 32 | 2 |
| Hardee County | 36 | 2 |
| Holmes County | 37 | 3 |
| Jackson County | 100 | 3 |
| Jefferson County | 66 | 0 |
| Lafayette County | 12 | 0 |
| Liberty County | 14 | 1 |
| Madison County | 51 | 0 |
| Okeechobee County | 71 | 1 |
| Taylor County | 36 | 0 |
| Union County | 25 | 0 |
| Wakulla County | 114 | 5 |
| Washington County | 54 | 2 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in Florida
How many ham radio operators are in Florida?
42,085 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Florida as of Oct 12, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in Florida last year?
1,252 people in Florida received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 12, 2026.
Which Florida counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Hillsborough County (66), Brevard County (62) and Broward County (61).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
100% of Florida licensees could be matched to a county.