Pay for vehicle cleaners is unusually consistent across the country: $21,840 at the bottom of the range, $50,320 at the top, a spread of only 2.3×. 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 $27,380 at the 10th percentile to $47,610 at the 90th is only 1.74×, which is narrow. Pay for vehicle cleaners 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.
Grand Island (NE) leads and Ponce (PR) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Island NE | $50,320 | $24.19 | 4.76 | 460 |
| Decatur IL | $49,370 | $23.74 | 1.32 | 150 |
| St. Joseph MO-KS | $49,140 | $23.62 | 3.27 | 430 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $47,350 | $22.76 | 1.99 | 200 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $47,050 | $22.62 | 0.32 | 30 |
| Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area | $45,120 | $21.69 | 1.5 | 590 |
| Sioux City IA-NE-SD | $44,440 | $21.36 | 2.84 | 520 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $44,350 | $21.32 | 0.85 | 4,930 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $43,680 | $21.00 | 0.75 | 2,090 |
| Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $43,260 | $20.80 | 0.86 | 150 |
| Greeley CO | $42,920 | $20.63 | 1.72 | 500 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $42,750 | $20.56 | 0.81 | 4,120 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $42,460 | $20.41 | 1.44 | 380 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area | $41,770 | $20.08 | 2.64 | 2,420 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $41,600 | $20.00 | 1.07 | 4,190 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $41,540 | $19.97 | 0.83 | 19,280 |
| Boulder CO | $41,250 | $19.83 | 0.64 | 300 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $41,210 | $19.81 | 1.23 | 390 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $41,000 | $19.71 | 1.32 | 120 |
| Connecticut nonmetropolitan area | $40,860 | $19.64 | 0.91 | 150 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $40,840 | $19.64 | 1.12 | 330 |
| Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $40,830 | $19.63 | 2.38 | 430 |
| Bozeman MT | $40,480 | $19.46 | 1.55 | 270 |
| Gettysburg PA | $40,230 | $19.34 | 1.94 | 150 |
| Anchorage AK | $40,210 | $19.33 | 0.92 | 400 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 0.67 | 100 |
| Mayaguez PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 0.48 | 60 |
| Arecibo PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 0.74 | 60 |
| Aguadilla PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 0.62 | 70 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $22,120 | $10.64 | 0.57 | 960 |
| Laredo TX | $25,350 | $12.19 | 1.89 | 510 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX | $25,720 | $12.37 | 1.04 | 750 |
| Hammond LA | $25,770 | $12.39 | 1.54 | 180 |
| San Angelo TX | $26,060 | $12.53 | 1.15 | 140 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $26,420 | $12.70 | 0.9 | 350 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Island NE | $50,320 | $24.19 | 4.76 | 460 |
| St. Joseph MO-KS | $49,140 | $23.62 | 3.27 | 430 |
| Gadsden AL | $36,100 | $17.35 | 3.17 | 260 |
| Hanford-Corcoran CA | $37,650 | $18.10 | 3.04 | 360 |
| Enid OK | $39,320 | $18.91 | 3.03 | 170 |
| Twin Falls ID | $35,360 | $17.00 | 2.89 | 360 |
| Sioux City IA-NE-SD | $44,440 | $21.36 | 2.84 | 520 |
| Rocky Mount NC | $27,840 | $13.38 | 2.67 | 360 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area | $41,770 | $20.08 | 2.64 | 2,420 |
| Topeka KS | $35,940 | $17.28 | 2.5 | 710 |
| Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $40,830 | $19.63 | 2.38 | 430 |
| Jonesboro AR | $36,890 | $17.74 | 2.18 | 320 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $41,540 | $19.97 | 0.83 | 19,280 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $37,540 | $18.05 | 1.04 | 15,950 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $36,580 | $17.59 | 1.09 | 12,030 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $31,350 | $15.07 | 1.01 | 9,970 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $29,650 | $14.26 | 1.12 | 9,020 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $31,690 | $15.24 | 1 | 7,040 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $34,310 | $16.50 | 1 | 6,880 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $35,160 | $16.91 | 0.8 | 5,680 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $36,730 | $17.66 | 0.73 | 5,560 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $36,230 | $17.42 | 1.21 | 5,100 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $44,350 | $21.32 | 0.85 | 4,930 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $35,620 | $17.12 | 0.83 | 4,800 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 53-7061. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 522 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.