Janitors & building cleaners

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

2.38M

Average Age

45.3

Average Salary

$27,039

Average Male Salary

$30,378

Average Female Salary

$20,194

About

Janitors & building cleaners are most often employed by the Services to buildings & dwellings (except cleaning during construction & immediately after construction) industry. The average yearly wage for Janitors & building cleaners was $27,039 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Janitors & building cleaners by wage are Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists, Massage therapists, and Other grounds maintenance workers.

Janitors & building cleaners are part of the Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of housekeeping & janitorial workers, Firstline supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, & groundskeeping workers, Maids & housekeeping cleaners, Janitors & building cleaners, Pest control workers, and 3 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Janitors & building cleaners are Washington Heights, Inwood & Marble Hill PUMA, NY, Concourse, Highbridge & Mount Eden PUMA, NY, and Bedford Park, Fordham North & Norwood PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Janitors & building cleaners are Concourse, Highbridge & Mount Eden PUMA, NY, Morris Heights, Fordham South & Mount Hope PUMA, NY, and Bedford Park, Fordham North & Norwood PUMA, NY.

Service Occupations Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Janitors & building cleaners and on wages and locations for those in the field. Services to buildings & dwellings (except cleaning during construction & immediately after construction) is the industry that employs the most Janitors & building cleaners, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Janitors & building cleaners, by average wage, is Pottery, ceramics, & plumbing fixture manufacturing . Janitors & building cleaners are paid most in LA City (Northeast/North Hollywood & Valley Village) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Concourse, Highbridge & Mount Eden PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$27,039

AVERAGE SALARY

± $422

In 2020, Janitors & building cleaners earned an average of $27,039, $28,915 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists make somewhat more than Janitors & building cleaners while Other grounds maintenance workers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Janitors & building cleaners as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.403

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Janitors & building cleaners had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.403, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Janitors & building cleaners (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Janitors & building cleaners.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Janitors & building cleaners

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Janitors & building cleaners.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Janitors & building cleaners, by number of employees, are Services to buildings & dwellings (except cleaning during construction & immediately after construction), Elementary & secondary schools, Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Restaurants & Food Services, Religious organizations, Amusement & Recreation, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Traveler accommodation, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, and Executive offices & legislative bodies.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Janitors & building cleaners, by average wage, are Pottery, ceramics, & plumbing fixture manufacturing , Miscellaneous petroleum & coal products, and Petroleum refining.

Industries by Share

2.38M

2020 Workforce

± 37,583

−2.31%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 2.27%

The number of people employed as Janitors & building cleaners has been declining at a rate of −2.31%, from 2,437,949 people in 2019 to 2,381,639 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Janitors & building cleaners employed by various industries. Services to buildings & dwellings (except cleaning during construction & immediately after construction) employs the largest share of Janitors & building cleaners at 23.5%, followed by Elementary & secondary schools with 15% and Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers with 4.67%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Janitors & building cleaners in the US. The average age of male Janitors & building cleaners in the workforce is 45.1 and of female Janitors & building cleaners is 45.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Janitors & building cleaners is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

1.6M

MALE WORKFORCE

± 30,896

781k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 21,636

67.2% of Janitors & building cleaners are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Janitors & building cleaners.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Janitors & building cleaners

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

46.1% of Janitors & building cleaners are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 16.9% of Janitors & building cleaners, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Janitors & building cleaners.

Age by Sex

45.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.301

45.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.401

The median age of Janitors & building cleaners is 45.3, and Male employees are generally 0.648 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Janitors & building cleaners from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Janitors & building cleaners is Business but a relatively high number of Janitors & building cleaners hold a major in Personal & Culinary Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Janitors & building cleaners from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Janitors & building cleaners need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Service Orientation, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Janitors & building cleaners need more than the average amount of Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, and Equipment Selection.