By StartBusinessByStatePublisher: Robert SmithResearch process
Fixed edition analyzed September 16, 2026; rents updated October 7, 2026. Geography: the 50 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas by Census 2024 population. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent FY2027 two-bedroom (metro or median of HUD Metro FMR Area components). Pay: BLS QCEW 2024 annual average weekly wage, private ownership, for janitorial (561720), landscaping (561730), child day care (624410), and plumbing/HVAC contractors (23822). Hours = monthly 2BR FMR ÷ (weekly wage ÷ 40). Not OEWS occupation medians — see differentiation below.
Short answer: Among large metros with published janitorial QCEW pay, the median worker needs about 119 hours of average weekly pay to cover one month of metro 2BR Fair Market Rent — roughly 69% of a conventional 173-hour full-time month. That is much harder than the statewide maid/housekeeper median of ~73 hours on our state service wages vs Fair Market Rent page, because this study uses metro rents and industry average pay.
This page is metro/MSA grain. It is not another state rollup. Sibling state pages: OEWS occupation wages vs state FMR and state FMR vs NDCP daycare prices. Daycare prices stay state-only here (NDCP lacks a clean metro series we trust) — linked for context, not fabricated at MSA grain.
Hiring cleaners in your metro area?
Use local pay and rent as context, then set the role, hours and employer budget for your own team. The cleaning guide covers hiring preparation.
Why metro rankings flip vs state averages
Statewide FMR is an unweighted median of county rents. Large metros inside “cheaper” states often sit far above that rollup — so a state that looks affordable on the sibling page can still be a tough housing market for service employers in its biggest cities.
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (California): metro FMR $3,272 vs state median $1,725 (+1,547/mo)
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (California): metro FMR $3,251 vs state median $1,725 (+1,526/mo)
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (California): metro FMR $3,010 vs state median $1,725 (+1,286/mo)
- New York-Newark-Jersey City (New York): metro FMR $2,623 vs state median $1,385 (+1,238/mo)
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad (California): metro FMR $2,823 vs state median $1,725 (+1,098/mo)
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Illinois): metro FMR $2,011 vs state median $958 (+1,054/mo)
Example: Dallas–Fort Worth 2BR FMR is $1,807 vs Texas’s county-median FMR of $1,104 (+702/mo). Janitorial hours-to-rent in Dallas: 111.2. Miami sits $875 above Florida’s state median FMR and needs about 153.3 janitorial hours.
Hardest metros for janitorial pay vs rent
Where QCEW publishes private janitorial (NAICS 561720) average weekly wages for the MSA, California coastal metros dominate the hardest hours-to-rent list — high FMR, not the lowest pay:
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad — 166 hours (2BR FMR $2,823, janitorial weekly $678)
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim — 163 hours (2BR FMR $3,010, janitorial weekly $740)
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont — 161 hours (2BR FMR $3,251, janitorial weekly $809)
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach — 153 hours (2BR FMR $2,349, janitorial weekly $613)
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — 147 hours (2BR FMR $3,272, janitorial weekly $889)
Among published metros, the easiest end includes Cleveland (~86 hours) and Detroit (~87 hours). Median across published top-50 metros: 119.0 hours. Pearson correlation of FMR vs cleaning hours: 0.856; wage vs hours only 0.38 — same pattern as the state study: rent level drives the hours metric.
Other service industries
Median hours-to-rent among top-50 MSAs with published QCEW pay:
- Child day care (624410): 121.4 hours (n=26)
- Janitorial / cleaning (561720): 119.0 hours (n=27)
- Landscaping (561730): 76.0 hours (n=31)
- Plumbing & HVAC contractors (23822): 47.0 hours (n=23)
Highest metro 2BR Fair Market Rents
Among the 50 largest MSAs, median 2BR FMR is $1,748/mo. San Jose ($3,272), San Francisco Bay components, Los Angeles, and San Diego lead. Download the CSV for every MSA in the set.
Metro table (50 largest MSAs)
Sortable table: population, metro 2BR FMR, statewide county-median FMR, metro premium, and hours-to-rent by industry where QCEW published a wage (em dash = suppressed / not disclosed — never imputed).
| Metro (Census) | Primary state | Pop 2024 | Metro 2BR FMR | State FMR median | Metro − state | Janitorial hrs | Landscaping hrs | Childcare hrs | Plumbing/HVAC hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | California | 3,298,799 | $2,823 | $1,725 | $+1,098 | 166.5 | 115.5 | 146.8 | 69.7 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | California | 12,927,614 | $3,010 | $1,725 | $+1,286 | 162.7 | 120.3 | 158.3 | 74.0 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | California | 4,648,486 | $3,251 | $1,725 | $+1,526 | 160.7 | 109.5 | 135.7 | 61.6 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Florida | 6,457,988 | $2,349 | $1,474 | $+875 | 153.3 | 112.5 | 141.5 | 74.7 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | California | 1,995,484 | $3,272 | $1,725 | $+1,547 | 147.2 | 114.6 | 133.8 | — |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | California | 2,463,127 | $2,201 | $1,725 | $+476 | 142.0 | 76.6 | 124.7 | 54.0 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | Florida | 3,424,560 | $1,917 | $1,474 | $+443 | 130.2 | 89.2 | 122.3 | 61.8 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | California | 4,744,214 | $2,103 | $1,725 | $+378 | 129.6 | 87.4 | 127.5 | 59.2 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | Maryland | 2,859,024 | $2,006 | $1,875 | $+131 | 126.2 | 78.1 | 123.1 | — |
| Fresno, CA | California | 1,189,557 | $1,685 | $1,725 | $-40 | 124.4 | 58.3 | 96.3 | 48.9 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | Florida | 2,940,513 | $1,959 | $1,474 | $+485 | 122.8 | 83.3 | 132.8 | 59.7 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | New York | 19,940,274 | $2,623 | $1,385 | $+1,238 | 120.2 | 98.5 | 141.4 | 62.9 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Massachusetts | 5,025,517 | $2,375 | $2,226 | $+149 | 119.0 | 77.6 | 121.0 | — |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 1,169,048 | $1,933 | $1,933 | $+0 | 119.0 | 76.2 | 130.4 | 44.9 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | Nevada | 2,398,871 | $1,686 | $1,327 | $+359 | 116.3 | 76.0 | 115.5 | 44.5 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | North Carolina | 1,562,009 | $1,689 | $1,145 | $+544 | 115.7 | 70.0 | — | 46.4 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Washington | 4,145,494 | $2,306 | $1,467 | $+840 | 115.6 | 86.2 | 121.8 | 46.3 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Pennsylvania | 6,330,422 | $1,860 | $1,136 | $+724 | 112.9 | 74.5 | 116.6 | 41.8 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | Rhode Island | 1,700,901 | $1,879 | $1,879 | $+0 | 112.5 | 70.9 | — | 48.5 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | North Carolina | 2,883,370 | $1,785 | $1,145 | $+640 | 112.4 | — | — | — |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | Texas | 2,550,637 | $1,817 | $1,104 | $+712 | 112.0 | 65.8 | 108.5 | 43.7 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Texas | 8,344,032 | $1,807 | $1,104 | $+702 | 111.2 | 71.2 | — | 47.0 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | Utah | 1,300,762 | $1,615 | $1,158 | $+457 | 110.2 | 67.4 | 113.6 | 43.6 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | Arizona | 5,186,958 | $1,734 | $1,244 | $+490 | 102.3 | 71.1 | 110.6 | — |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | Wisconsin | 1,574,452 | $1,263 | $1,040 | $+222 | 96.6 | 53.0 | 85.3 | 28.7 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Michigan | 4,400,578 | $1,459 | $1,085 | $+374 | 87.1 | 56.0 | 98.6 | 34.5 |
| Cleveland, OH | Ohio | 2,171,877 | $1,138 | $1,048 | $+90 | 85.6 | 50.9 | — | 31.3 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | District of Columbia | 6,436,489 | $2,438 | $2,438 | $+0 | — | — | — | — |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | Colorado | 3,052,498 | $2,169 | $1,374 | $+794 | — | — | — | — |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Illinois | 9,408,576 | $2,011 | $958 | $+1,054 | — | — | — | — |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | Oregon | 2,537,904 | $1,878 | $1,324 | $+554 | — | — | — | — |
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | Tennessee | 2,150,553 | $1,798 | $1,048 | $+750 | — | — | — | — |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Georgia | 6,411,149 | $1,762 | $1,058 | $+704 | — | — | — | — |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | Minnesota | 3,757,952 | $1,734 | $1,048 | $+686 | — | — | — | — |
| Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 1,760,548 | $1,694 | $1,474 | $+220 | — | 76.2 | 113.2 | — |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | Virginia | 1,794,278 | $1,667 | $1,262 | $+405 | — | — | — | — |
| Richmond, VA | Virginia | 1,370,165 | $1,651 | $1,262 | $+389 | — | — | — | — |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | Michigan | 1,178,826 | $1,630 | $1,085 | $+545 | — | 67.0 | — | 42.4 |
| Columbus, OH | Ohio | 2,225,377 | $1,602 | $1,048 | $+554 | — | — | — | — |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | Missouri | 2,253,579 | $1,546 | $962 | $+584 | — | — | — | — |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | Indiana | 2,174,833 | $1,536 | $1,086 | $+450 | — | 64.7 | — | — |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Texas | 7,796,182 | $1,497 | $1,104 | $+392 | — | — | 106.0 | — |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | Ohio | 2,302,815 | $1,442 | $1,048 | $+394 | — | — | — | — |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | Texas | 2,763,006 | $1,441 | $1,104 | $+336 | — | — | — | — |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Pennsylvania | 2,429,917 | $1,389 | $1,136 | $+253 | — | — | 94.4 | — |
| Birmingham, AL | Alabama | 1,192,583 | $1,375 | $975 | $+400 | — | 55.7 | — | — |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | Missouri | 2,811,927 | $1,349 | $962 | $+387 | — | — | — | — |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | Tennessee | 1,339,345 | $1,301 | $1,048 | $+253 | — | — | — | — |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | Kentucky | 1,394,234 | $1,276 | $925 | $+351 | — | — | — | — |
| Oklahoma City, OK | Oklahoma | 1,497,821 | $1,264 | $916 | $+348 | — | 57.2 | 105.1 | — |
How this differs from our state affordability pages
- Service wages vs Fair Market Rent — state OEWS May 2025 occupation medians ÷ statewide county-median FMR.
- Fair Market Rent vs daycare prices — state FMR vs NDCP center-based infant care prices.
- This page — metro/MSA HUD FMR × QCEW industry average weekly wages for the 50 largest MSAs, plus metro-vs-state FMR premiums.
OEWS May 2025 metropolitan files were not retrievable on 2026-09-16 (BLS returned HTTP 403 to automated and browser-assisted downloads). We pivoted to QCEW metro industry wages rather than invent OEWS cells. Same SOCs as the state wage hub remain on wages by state.
Planning next steps
For cleaning operators in the California metros highlighted above, our California cleaning insurance guide helps price employee and customer coverage alongside the wage budget. Use the planned payroll and service mix when requesting a quote.
- How to start a cleaning business · cleaning business insurance
- Landscaping business guide · landscaping insurance
- HVAC business guide · HVAC insurance
- How to start a daycare · daycare insurance · FMR vs daycare prices (state)
Your next step: plan a cleaning-business hire
Methods (brief)
- Metro set: 50 largest MSAs by Census Vintage 2024
POPESTIMATE2024(LSAD = Metropolitan Statistical Area). - FMR: HUD User FY2027
metroareasfrom the same archivedfmr/statedataextracts as our state FMR pages. For a CBSA with multiple HUD Metro FMR Areas, use the median of component 2BR values (documented in CSV asfmr_method). - Wages: QCEW 2024 annual CSV by industry, private ownership (
own_code=5), MSA agglvl (48 for 6-digit NAICS, 47 for 5-digit). Implied hourly = average weekly wage ÷ 40. - Hours: monthly 2BR FMR ÷ implied hourly. Full-time month comparator = 2080÷12 ≈ 173.33 hours (arithmetic only).
- State comparison: statewide unweighted county-median 2BR FMR from the sibling state study, matched on primary state from the Census metro name.
What we do not claim
- FMR ≠ asking rent, owner costs, or commercial shop rent.
- QCEW industry means ≠ OEWS occupation medians; one earner; metro average ≠ every neighborhood.
- Suppressed QCEW cells are shown as unavailable — never zero-filled.
- Not a “best metro to start a business” score.
Sources
- HUD User Fair Market Rents FY2027 — huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 2024 annual industry files — bls.gov/cew / data.bls.gov/cew
- Census Bureau CBSA population estimates 2024 — census.gov/programs-surveys/popest
- Sibling methods: state wages vs FMR, OEWS wages by state
Dataset license and reuse
Reuse terms, version September 27, 2026. You may quote our original findings and summary statistics with credit to StartBusinessByState.com and a link to this page. Keep the source names, data years, units and relevant limitations with quoted figures.
This permission covers our original contributions to this dataset. It does not relicense underlying source data or grant blanket permission to redistribute third-party datasets. Source data retains its provider’s terms, and public-domain material remains public domain. Any additional reuse permissions stated elsewhere on this page still apply. For other reuse of our original material, contact us.