Updated October 15, 2026. Data: U.S. Labor Department, Bureau of Labor Statistics, quarterly count of jobs and wages from employer tax records, first quarter 2026 vs. first quarter 2025. Figures are preliminary. Second-quarter 2026 figures are due in December.
Janitorial and cleaning businesses employed about 1.06 million people in early 2026, almost unchanged from a year earlier (+0.1%). Pay moved more: average weekly pay rose 3.1% to $664.
The national picture
Private janitorial and cleaning businesses, first quarter of each year. Jobs are the average of January, February and March.
| Q1 2025 | Q1 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs | 1,060,157 | 1,061,671 | +0.1% |
| Business locations | 82,416 | 83,480 | +1.3% |
| Jobs per location | 12.9 | 12.7 | -1.1% |
| Average weekly pay | $644 | $664 | +3.1% |
What the numbers show, and what they don’t
- Flat jobs, higher pay. When pay rises and jobs don’t, it usually means employers are competing for the same workers. Many cleaning jobs are part-time, so weekly pay is lower than an hourly rate times 40.
- More businesses. Locations rose 1.3% to 83,480.
- Florida grew. Jobs rose 2.3% to 74,604, one of the larger gains among big states, and pay rose 4.1%.
- What’s included: janitorial services, office and home cleaning companies, and window cleaning businesses with payroll. Carpet cleaning and solo cleaners with no employees aren’t counted.
For owners and would-be owners
- Clients ask for insurance and bonding. See what cleaning business insurance covers, or cleaning business insurance in Florida.
- Budget for higher wages. Build rising pay into your prices and contracts.
- Set up the business. See how to set up an LLC. For equipment or a first van, see the main types of business loans.
Starting a cleaning business?
Compare business insurance quotes from Simply Business. Need to form your company first? Form your LLC with ZenBusiness.
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State numbers
Jobs grew in 26 of the 51 states shown in the chart. The chart leaves out states with fewer than 1,000 jobs a year earlier, because small numbers swing a lot; they’re still in the table.
Click a column to sort.
| State | Jobs, Q1 2026 | Jobs, Q1 2025 | Change | Locations, Q1 2026 | Locations change | Average weekly pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12,693 | 12,452 | +1.9% | 1,038 | +2.9% | $526 |
| Alaska | 2,023 | 2,109 | -4.1% | 266 | +6.0% | $590 |
| Arizona | 18,961 | 19,030 | -0.4% | 1,388 | -1.4% | $702 |
| Arkansas | 10,463 | 9,959 | +5.1% | 630 | +3.3% | $513 |
| California | 113,742 | 113,223 | +0.5% | 8,462 | +4.4% | $767 |
| Colorado | 20,966 | 21,202 | -1.1% | 1,642 | +4.9% | $678 |
| Connecticut | 14,992 | 15,064 | -0.5% | 891 | -5.6% | $642 |
| Delaware | 4,515 | 4,640 | -2.7% | 422 | -1.6% | $603 |
| District of Columbia | 10,735 | 10,907 | -1.6% | 313 | +5.0% | $693 |
| Florida | 74,604 | 72,914 | +2.3% | 8,766 | +2.7% | $637 |
| Georgia | 24,408 | 23,904 | +2.1% | 2,577 | -1.9% | $651 |
| Hawaii | 5,511 | 5,711 | -3.5% | 620 | +2.5% | $674 |
| Idaho | 5,663 | 5,472 | +3.5% | 809 | -5.0% | $518 |
| Illinois | 47,619 | 48,653 | -2.1% | 2,857 | +5.1% | $746 |
| Indiana | 20,545 | 20,298 | +1.2% | 1,583 | +1.5% | $591 |
| Iowa | 10,172 | 10,451 | -2.7% | 733 | -3.6% | $607 |
| Kansas | 8,607 | 8,566 | +0.5% | 734 | +5.5% | $608 |
| Kentucky | 14,645 | 14,767 | -0.8% | 978 | -3.5% | $610 |
| Louisiana | 11,676 | 11,627 | +0.4% | 1,044 | -0.7% | $503 |
| Maine | 3,274 | 3,357 | -2.5% | 432 | -2.5% | $560 |
| Maryland | 23,950 | 23,642 | +1.3% | 1,622 | -0.4% | $659 |
| Massachusetts | 31,061 | 31,247 | -0.6% | 1,850 | +2.2% | $801 |
| Michigan | 30,759 | 30,741 | +0.1% | 1,690 | -0.1% | $610 |
| Minnesota | 17,123 | 17,751 | -3.5% | 1,530 | +0.2% | $659 |
| Mississippi | 8,095 | 8,115 | -0.2% | 566 | +4.8% | $431 |
| Missouri | 17,611 | 17,301 | +1.8% | 1,413 | +2.2% | $596 |
| Montana | 3,190 | 3,097 | +3.0% | 572 | +10.0% | $505 |
| Nebraska | 6,895 | 7,480 | -7.8% | 542 | +0.2% | $633 |
| Nevada | 13,449 | 13,009 | +3.4% | 970 | +5.2% | $596 |
| New Hampshire | 4,178 | 4,168 | +0.2% | 534 | -0.7% | $624 |
| New Jersey | 32,446 | 33,040 | -1.8% | 2,650 | +2.9% | $690 |
| New Mexico | 4,917 | 4,896 | +0.4% | 421 | +1.7% | $499 |
| New York | 71,371 | 71,550 | -0.3% | 4,812 | -3.2% | $894 |
| North Carolina | 31,223 | 30,944 | +0.9% | 3,052 | +6.1% | $598 |
| North Dakota | 2,479 | 2,333 | +6.3% | 298 | +5.3% | $536 |
| Ohio | 36,335 | 36,534 | -0.5% | 2,502 | -4.0% | $570 |
| Oklahoma | 7,452 | 7,641 | -2.5% | 697 | +0.1% | $515 |
| Oregon | 11,314 | 11,363 | -0.4% | 1,406 | -4.5% | $628 |
| Pennsylvania | 35,825 | 36,436 | -1.7% | 2,640 | +2.2% | $630 |
| Rhode Island | 3,949 | 3,990 | -1.0% | 417 | +2.5% | $701 |
| South Carolina | 17,039 | 16,752 | +1.7% | 1,320 | -8.8% | $600 |
| South Dakota | 2,783 | 2,622 | +6.1% | 318 | +1.9% | $516 |
| Tennessee | 21,255 | 21,229 | +0.1% | 1,424 | +8.3% | $627 |
| Texas | 91,468 | 91,432 | +0.0% | 5,602 | +0.8% | $642 |
| Utah | 9,960 | 9,818 | +1.4% | 1,055 | +1.9% | $569 |
| Vermont | 1,368 | 1,428 | -4.2% | 227 | -5.4% | $541 |
| Virginia | 40,185 | 39,377 | +2.1% | 2,686 | +1.6% | $596 |
| Washington | 21,031 | 20,765 | +1.3% | 2,292 | -0.4% | $735 |
| West Virginia | 3,378 | 3,282 | +2.9% | 376 | -0.3% | $520 |
| Wisconsin | 22,262 | 22,231 | +0.1% | 1,555 | +5.0% | $540 |
| Wyoming | 1,508 | 1,638 | -7.9% | 256 | +6.7% | $461 |
How we counted
- Source: U.S. Labor Department, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, industry 56172 (janitorial services), privately owned businesses, first quarter of 2026 and 2025.
- Jobs are the average of the three monthly counts and include full- and part-time workers on payroll. Owners with no payroll and self-employed people aren’t counted.
- Locations are individual work sites, not companies. A company with ten sites counts ten times.
- Weekly pay is total pay divided by jobs, so part-time work pulls it down.
- Preliminary: first-quarter 2026 figures can be revised.
Sources
Cite this data
Reporters and bloggers may use these numbers and charts. Please credit StartBusinessByState and link to this page.
Source: StartBusinessByState, “Cleaning Jobs Are Flat, but Pay Rose 3.1% to $664 a Week,” https://startbusinessbystate.com/cleaning-jobs/ (updated October 15, 2026).
FAQ
Are cleaning jobs growing?
Barely. Private janitorial and cleaning jobs were +0.1% versus a year earlier in the first quarter of 2026, about 1,061,671, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
How much do cleaning workers earn?
Average weekly pay was $664 in early 2026, up 3.1%. Many jobs are part-time.
Where are cleaning jobs growing fastest?
North Dakota (+6.3%), South Dakota (+6.1%) and Arkansas (+5.1%).
Which states lost cleaning jobs?
Wyoming (-7.9%), Nebraska (-7.8%) and Vermont (-4.2%).
Where is this data from?
The U.S. Labor Department’s quarterly count of jobs from employer unemployment-insurance tax records, which covers nearly all payroll jobs.
Last updated October 15, 2026 by StartBusinessByState.