Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

United States SOC 37-2011.00 Cleaning & Building Services Confidence ★★★★★

Also called: Airport Attendant, Alley Cleaner, Blinds Cleaner, Blinds Washer, Brass Cleaner, Brass Polisher, Building Attendant, Building Custodian

Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition.

Median annual pay
$36,840
25th–75th pct. $32,240–$44,060
Top pay (est.)
$65,400
Top 10% $50,270
Pay in 5 years
$43,000est.
2031
Pay in 10 years
$50,200est.
$43,100–$58,200
Outlook score
50/100
★★★☆☆ Average
AI replacement risk
20%
Very low
Job growth (10 yr)
+2.2%
322K openings / yr

What Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners do

Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Perform heavy cleaning duties, such as cleaning floors, shampooing rugs, washing walls and glass, and removing rubbish. Duties may include tending furnace and boiler, performing routine maintenance activities, notifying management of need for repairs, and cleaning snow or debris from sidewalk.

Typical tasks

Typical path into the job (BLS)

Education No formal educational credentialRelated experience NoneOn-the-job training Short-term on-the-job trainingO*NET Job Zone 3

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners salary

The median annual wage for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is $36,840 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $28,640 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $50,270. The mean annual wage is $38,760.

Median
$36,840
Mean
$38,760
10th percentile
$28,640
Entry level
25th percentile
$32,240
75th percentile
$44,060
90th percentile
$50,270
Top earners
Mean hourly wage
$18.00
2.5× the federal minimum ($7.25)
In Japanese yen
¥5.79M
≈ at 157.25 JPY/USD

The mean hourly wage of $18.00 is 2.5× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →

How does your pay compare with people your age?

Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).

Pay by percentile

Entry level (10th pct.)
$28,640
Early career (25th pct.)
$32,240
Mid career (median)
$36,840
Experienced (75th pct.)
$44,060
Top earners (90th pct.)
$50,270

Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.

How median, percentiles and the pay range are defined →

Projected pay for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (3, 5 and 10 years)est.

Today $36,840 → in 3 years $40,400 → in 5 years $43,000 → in 10 years $50,200 (10-year range $43,100–$58,200). The model assumes pay growth of +3.1% per year.

$36,840
Now
2026
$40,400
In 3 yrs
2029
$37,300–$44,000
$43,000
In 5 yrs
2031
$38,700–$47,900
$50,200
In 10 yrs
2036
$43,100–$58,200

What drives the annual growth rate

Base wage growth +3.0%Labor demand -0.09%AI impact +0.22%Total +3.1% / yr

Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →

Outlook score for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

50/100
★★★☆☆
Average · ranked #488 of all U.S. occupations
Pay level
6 pts
AI resistance
80 pts
Entry barrier
8 pts
Annual openings
85 pts
Projected growth
44 pts

Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.

Will AI replace Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners? AI replacement risk

20%
Very low
Ranked #123 safest from AI among all U.S. occupations
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

How AI is changing this job

A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.

AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →

Labor demand for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Employment
2.2M
BLS OEWS
Projected employment
2.5M
2025–35
Projected change
+2.2%
ranked #458 for growth
Annual openings
322K
growth + replacement needs
Demand score
High
67/100
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
Work experience
None
in a related occupation
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.

The same job in Japan

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
United States
ビル清掃
Japan
Median / average pay$36,840¥2.97M
≈ $18,913
Pay in 10 years (est.)$50,200¥4.05M
Outlook score5055
AI replacement risk20% Very low11% Very low
Workers2.2M—

Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.

Skills, education and requirements for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Key skills

Monitoring
2.2
Coordination
2.2
Active Listening
2.2
Reading Comprehension
2.2
Writing
2.2
Service Orientation
2.2
Complex Problem Solving
2.1
Social Perceptiveness
2.1

O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).

Key knowledge areas

Administration and Management
2.8
Public Safety and Security
2.6
Customer and Personal Service
2.1
English Language
2.0
Transportation
1.5
Physics
1.2
Education and Training
1.2
Production and Processing
1.2

What the work involves

Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgePerforming General Physical ActivitiesCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesHandling and Moving ObjectsEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Important abilities

Near VisionTrunk StrengthStatic StrengthExtent FlexibilityOral ExpressionOral Comprehension

Education of workers

Less than high school
14%

Training before entry

None / short demo
15%
6–12 months
10%

Related work experience

None
19%
Up to 1 month
16%
1–3 months
9%

Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)

Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)

How to become Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Typical education
No formal educational credential
BLS
Related experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.

Career path and how to earn more as Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35; O*NET 31.0 Database by USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0), modified by Shigoto Zukan. Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.