Pay for janitors is unusually consistent across the country: $21,840 at the bottom of the range, $46,590 at the top, a spread of only 2.13×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
From $28,640 at the 10th percentile to $50,270 at the 90th is only 1.76×, which is narrow. Pay for janitors is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
Longview-Kelso (WA) leads and Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longview-Kelso WA | $46,590 | $22.40 | 0.87 | 510 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $46,550 | $22.38 | 1.12 | 43,160 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $46,490 | $22.35 | 0.9 | 26,820 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $45,970 | $22.10 | 0.94 | 1,250 |
| Merced CA | $45,920 | $22.08 | 1.1 | 1,240 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $45,120 | $21.69 | 0.99 | 580 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $44,860 | $21.57 | 0.87 | 650 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $44,860 | $21.57 | 0.97 | 1,790 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $44,820 | $21.55 | 1.02 | 1,370 |
| Napa CA | $44,750 | $21.51 | 1 | 1,110 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $44,680 | $21.48 | 0.96 | 1,760 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $44,180 | $21.24 | 0.89 | 29,930 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $44,100 | $21.20 | 0.73 | 1,350 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $44,030 | $21.17 | 1.27 | 1,900 |
| Rochester MN | $44,030 | $21.17 | 0.9 | 1,570 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $43,870 | $21.09 | 0.98 | 15,780 |
| Vallejo CA | $43,680 | $21.00 | 0.87 | 1,780 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $43,680 | $21.00 | 0.99 | 1,860 |
| Hanford-Corcoran CA | $43,570 | $20.95 | 0.88 | 610 |
| Salinas CA | $43,570 | $20.95 | 0.71 | 1,890 |
| Bellingham WA | $43,560 | $20.94 | 1.16 | 1,510 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $43,530 | $20.93 | 0.88 | 1,310 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $43,420 | $20.87 | 0.97 | 500 |
| Connecticut nonmetropolitan area | $43,300 | $20.82 | 0.88 | 840 |
| Bend OR | $43,050 | $20.70 | 0.94 | 1,450 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.87 | 780 |
| Ponce PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 3.26 | 2,940 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $21,930 | $10.54 | 2.19 | 21,530 |
| Mayaguez PR | $21,960 | $10.56 | 2.06 | 1,520 |
| Aguadilla PR | $22,010 | $10.58 | 1.67 | 1,160 |
| Arecibo PR | $22,490 | $10.81 | 1.55 | 760 |
| Guayama PR | $22,790 | $10.96 | 1.25 | 220 |
| Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $25,590 | $12.31 | 1.04 | 920 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City LA | $26,370 | $12.68 | 1.34 | 3,100 |
| West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $27,360 | $13.15 | 1.11 | 1,450 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 3.26 | 2,940 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $21,930 | $10.54 | 2.19 | 21,530 |
| Mayaguez PR | $21,960 | $10.56 | 2.06 | 1,520 |
| Sherman-Denison TX | $31,360 | $15.08 | 1.99 | 1,490 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.87 | 780 |
| Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area | $36,530 | $17.56 | 1.7 | 4,300 |
| Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $27,690 | $13.31 | 1.69 | 1,870 |
| Aguadilla PR | $22,010 | $10.58 | 1.67 | 1,160 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | $39,310 | $18.90 | 1.64 | 26,480 |
| Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $34,720 | $16.69 | 1.64 | 1,100 |
| Binghamton NY | $37,160 | $17.87 | 1.57 | 2,160 |
| New Haven CT | $37,890 | $18.21 | 1.55 | 6,210 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $42,840 | $20.60 | 1.36 | 183,030 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $38,720 | $18.62 | 0.93 | 83,160 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $38,470 | $18.49 | 1.09 | 70,000 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $37,840 | $18.19 | 1.33 | 59,090 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $30,650 | $14.74 | 1.05 | 48,880 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $34,860 | $16.76 | 0.84 | 48,360 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $46,550 | $22.38 | 1.12 | 43,160 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $34,180 | $16.43 | 1.05 | 41,890 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $36,930 | $17.75 | 0.99 | 40,790 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $35,940 | $17.28 | 0.75 | 30,900 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $44,180 | $21.24 | 0.89 | 29,930 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $36,280 | $17.44 | 0.8 | 26,990 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 37-2011. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 525 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.