Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Average Salary in California
$44,210 average · $44,210 median · BLS OEWS 2025
SOC Code: 37-2011What is this?
This page shows employer-reported wages for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in California, drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey — median and mean pay, the full percentile distribution, and the industries that employ this occupation locally. Employer type creates the meaningful gaps: in-house institutional positions (schools, hospitals, government facilities) pay more than contract-cleaning firms for the same work and add benefits and stability. Unionized janitorial markets in large cities show visibly higher wages in the state data. Specialized niches — industrial cleaning, hazmat remediation, high-rise window work — pay premiums for certification and risk.
How much do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners make in California?
The average janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners salary in California is $44,210 per year. That works out to about $21.25 per hour on average. BLS counts roughly 234,240 janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners jobs in California.
Mean and median are close, so pay is relatively concentrated around $44,210. Entry-level roles (10th percentile) report about $44,210; experienced workers at the 90th percentile report about $44,210 — a 0% spread from bottom to top. Figures are employer-reported wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — not self-reported survey averages — so they are the right baseline for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
How Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Careers Are Structured
Cleaning and grounds occupations are steady-demand work — every building requires it, in every economy — with compressed wages and high part-time incidence. The data here is among the least distorted in the survey: little bonus pay, few tips, and what is recorded closely matches what is earned.
The wage tables and percentile chart on this page show how janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners pay is distributed in California specifically — and because state-level wages for the same occupation routinely differ by 30% or more, the local figures here are the ones that matter for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
What Moves Pay in This Field
Employer type creates the meaningful gaps: in-house institutional positions (schools, hospitals, government facilities) pay more than contract-cleaning firms for the same work and add benefits and stability. Unionized janitorial markets in large cities show visibly higher wages in the state data. Specialized niches — industrial cleaning, hazmat remediation, high-rise window work — pay premiums for certification and risk.
Entry is immediate. Progression runs to crew lead and facility supervisor, or sideways into building maintenance and repair roles, where the wage distribution is meaningfully higher — the maintenance-technician path, often supported by employer-funded training, is the most reliable financial upgrade available from this group.
New to reading wage distributions? Our guide to salary percentiles explains how to place yourself on the chart above, and the negotiation playbook shows how to use these numbers in an actual conversation.
What Do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Do?
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners positions belong to the building and grounds cleaning and maintenance field. Cleaning and grounds occupations are steady-demand work — every building requires it, in every economy — with compressed wages and high part-time incidence. The data here is among the least distorted in the survey: little bonus pay, few tips, and what is recorded closely matches what is earned.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 37-2011
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners pay in California
In California, janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners report a median of $44,210 (about $21.25/hour) across roughly 234,240 jobs. The local pay band runs from about $44,210 at the 10th percentile to $44,210 at the 90th.
Compared with the national distribution, local industry mix and cost of living are the main reasons California wages for this occupation sit where they do — toggle Regional Price Parity on this page to see purchasing-power-adjusted pay.
What your paycheck is really worth in California
Prices in California run 11% above the national average (RPP 110.7). So a nominal salary of $44,210 has the buying power of about $39,930 in national terms.
California vs. United States for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
The median janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners salary in California is $44,210, which is +14.1% above the national median of $38,760 (mean pay is +13.0% above the U.S. mean of $39,122). Among 51 states and D.C. with OEWS data, California ranks #4 by median wage for this occupation (top tier). California accounts for about 1.8% of U.S. janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners employment in the latest OEWS release.
See every state ranked for this occupation on the best-paying states page, or compare purchasing power on real wages.
Income reality check
The median salary for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in California of $44,210 falls in the Stably paid band of this framework - roughly ~12% of the U.S. population and ~15% of the global population sit in this band.
Illustrative relative standing for education only - this ladder is a simplified framework, not an official Census, BLS, or World Bank statistical series. Salary figures on Wage Atlas come from official BLS OEWS data.
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Occupation Report Card
Top Industries for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
| $42,430 | $39,371 | $20 | 910,870 | |
| $41,685 | $40,163 | $20 | 194,650 | |
| $41,551 | $39,256 | $20 | 1,874,400 | |
| $36,384 | $35,856 | $17 | 2,702,430 |
Related Occupations
SOC: 33-9032 • 92% match | $42,595 | $42,070 | $20 | 7,593,360 |
SOC: 53-7062 • 87% match | $42,117 | $42,260 | $20 | 15,269,800 |
SOC: 35-3031 • 95% match | $40,070 | $40,060 | $19 | 13,138,520 |
SOC: 53-7065 • 90% match | $39,579 | $39,440 | $19 | 14,316,800 |
| Find Occupation 53 7065 Jobs | ||||
SOC: 35-2014 • 87% match | $38,701 | $38,600 | $19 | 8,130,270 |
SOC: 41-2031 • 86% match | $37,302 | $37,310 | $18 | 19,723,450 |
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