Cleaners’ Wages Grow 27 Percent From 2020-2025

NEW BERLIN, WI -- The median hourly pay for janitors and building cleaners increased 26.7 percent between May 2020 and May 2025, according to Nassco, Inc.'s analysis of national wage and employment data.

The analysis found that while the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 321,800 openings in the occupation each year from 2025 through 2035, the figures provide context for facility managers evaluating how floor-cleaning work is staffed, measured, and supported by equipment.

The BLS’ May 2020 report on Occupational Employment and Wage, found that the national median/average hourly wage for cleaners and janitors, excluding maids and housekeeping cleaners, was $13.98 in May 2020.

By May of 2025, the janitors and building cleaners' hourly median wage had reached $17.71, or $36,840 annually, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

The 26.7 percent increase is calculated from the two published median hourly wage figures. The BLS figures are national occupational benchmarks rather than measures of individual facility costs. They also do not include every employer expense associated with cleaning labor.

At the same time, BLS projects 2 percent employment growth for janitors and building cleaners between 2025 and 2035. Employment is projected to increase from 2,432,600 jobs in 2025 to 2,486,200 in 2035, representing approximately 53,600 additional jobs.

Despite the modest net growth, BLS projects about 321,800 openings per year over the decade, resulting from workers transferring to other occupations or leaving the workforce.

For facility operators, the combination of higher median wages and substantial replacement hiring activity creates a reason to examine cleaning workload more closely.

The relevant question is not simply how many workers a facility employs, but how much floor area must be serviced, how often it must be cleaned, and which equipment fits the work.

Pay also varies by employer category. In May 2025, the BLS reported median hourly wages of $20.76 in government, excluding state and local education and hospitals; $18.63 in educational services; $18.35 in healthcare and social assistance; and $17.21 in services to buildings and dwellings.

The variation reinforces the importance of using facility-specific labor and workload information when evaluating floor-care operations.

The BLS projection of 321,800 annual openings does not mean that 321,800 jobs are currently vacant. Instead, BLS expects most projected openings to occur due to replacement needs. Workers are expected to transfer to other occupations or leave the workforce, including through retirement.

Janitorial work also spans multiple facility types. BLS reports that in 2025, approximately 35% of janitors and building cleaners worked in services to buildings and dwellings, 17% in educational services, 7% in healthcare and social assistance, and 5% in government, excluding state and local education and hospitals.

These environments can have very different floor areas, traffic patterns, cleaning frequencies, and operating schedules. Equipment requirements need to be considered in relation to the individual facility.

ISSA's eighth edition of The Official ISSA Cleaning Times added equipment data covering walk-behind vacuum units, autoscrubbers, and microscrubbers, alongside revised cleaning times.

Facility Workload Can Shape Floor-Equipment Selection
Nassco, Inc. offers several types of floor-cleaning equipment, including autonomous scrubbers, rider and stand-on scrubbers, walk-behind scrubbers, burnishers, floor machines, and sweepers.

As these machines are designed for different cleaning tasks and facility conditions, equipment selection can start with the workload the facility needs to manage. Factors such as cleanable square footage, floor type, cleaning frequency, congestion, obstacles, route repeatability, staffing, storage, and charging requirements can help determine which type of equipment is appropriate for the space.

A walk-behind machine may be considered differently from a rider or stand-on machine when available floor area, maneuverability, and traffic conditions differ. Autonomous equipment introduces additional considerations, including route repeatability, operating environment, charging, and deployment.

Service, maintenance, and training can also affect the practical suitability of equipment. Nassco's janitorial equipment service and repair program includes planned maintenance, replacement parts, installation, and training. Equipment does not automatically reduce labor costs, and purchasing a machine does not establish a guaranteed return on investment. Any change in labor requirements depends on utilization, task fit, and whether staff time can be productively redirected.

A facility can begin by measuring cleanable floor area and cleaning frequency, identifying the tasks performed, estimating task time using appropriate production benchmarks, and comparing those requirements with actual staffing and labor costs. Equipment options can then be evaluated against the facility's physical and operational conditions. The result is a facility-specific approach to floor-care planning rather than an assumption that one equipment category or productivity rate applies to every site.

This analysis synthesizes U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data for May 2020, BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook wage and employment data for 2025 through 2035, and ISSA guidance on cleaning-time and work loading calculations.

The analysis also incorporates ISSA's worked example using a 5,355-square-feet-per-hour production rate for a specified 14-inch flat mop and dual-chamber bucket setup. ISSA production rates are benchmarks and should not be treated as guaranteed results.

Nassco, Inc. is a janitorial solutions provider founded in 1955 and based in New Berlin, Wisconsin. The company provides commercial cleaning and floor-care equipment, including autonomous, rider, and walk-behind scrubbers, burnishers, floor machines, and sweepers. Its floor-equipment offering is organized around facility needs, equipment type, and operational requirements, with consultation, training, and service support.

More information is available at Nasscoinc.com.