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How much do self-employed cleaners make?

Cleaning and janitorial services. Census data for 2024. Figures are revenue before costs, not income.

Cleaner mopping a pale floor with a blue microfibre mop

Businesses

1,173,265

Revenue per firm

$21,483

Under $25,000

78.5%

Sole proprietors

97.7%

Census code 56172, "Janitorial Services", covers house cleaning, office and building cleaning, and window cleaning businesses.

In 2024, 1,173,265 US businesses with no paid employees were classified under this code. Between them they reported $25.2 billion in revenue, an average of $21,483 per firm, 63% below the $58,194 average for all businesses with no employees.

What stands out

Cleaning has more businesses with no employees than all but three trades here, and one of the lowest averages. 78.5% of firms reported under $25,000, against 60.4% of all nonemployers, and only 2.7% reached $100,000.

97.7% are sole proprietors, one of the highest shares on this list. The small number of cleaning firms set up as partnerships or corporations averaged $118,303, about six times the $19,250 averaged by sole proprietors.

Florida holds 1.5 times its national share of these firms, Alabama 1.4 and Mississippi 1.3. Among states with at least 500 cleaning firms, the District of Columbia (0.44) and Minnesota (0.67) have the lowest relative concentrations.

What a typical firm brings in

The average hides a wide spread. 40.2% of firms reported under $10,000 (all industries: 37.3%), 78.5% under $25,000 (all: 60.4%) and 92.5% under $50,000. 2.7% reached $100,000 or more (all: 13.3%). The middle firm falls in the "$10,000 to $24,999" bracket.

Share of 1,173,265 US firms in each revenue bracket, 2024. Shares use the national firm total and are rounded to one decimal; a band shown as 0% can hold a small number of firms, and bands without a published count are left out. Source: Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics.
  • Under $5,00021%
  • $5,000 to $9,99919.2%
  • $10,000 to $24,99938.2%
  • $25,000 to $49,99914%
  • $50,000 to $99,9994.8%
  • $100,000 to $249,9992.2%
  • $250,000 to $499,9990.5%
  • $500,000 to $999,9990.1%
  • $1 million to $2.5 million0%

How much is left after costs

The IRS Table 1 row nearest this trade, "Administrative and support services", does not match the scope of this Census category, so no matching profit figure is shown here.

How it varies by state

Florida has the most firms, at 187,520. Among the 51 states (including DC) with at least 500 firms, revenue per firm is highest in Massachusetts ($35,335) and lowest in West Virginia ($14,409). The Census assigns each business to a state by its mailing address, which may not be where the work is done. These data do not explain state differences or show take-home pay.

Alabama19,975$17,511-18%
Alaska1,617$20,738-3%
Arizona21,684$26,163+22%
Arkansas10,928$17,009-21%
California115,877$24,308+13%
Colorado19,444$27,479+28%
Connecticut8,898$24,988+16%
Delaware2,500$26,376+23%
District of Columbia1,063$17,826-17%
Florida187,520$21,558+0%
Georgia57,835$21,800+1%
Hawaii4,559$33,169+54%
Idaho5,380$18,917-12%
Illinois37,251$20,675-4%
Indiana17,380$18,755-13%
Iowa7,051$18,872-12%
Kansas7,347$19,740-8%
Kentucky15,065$17,015-21%
Louisiana20,005$16,457-23%
Maine4,616$19,776-8%
Maryland19,188$25,215+17%
Massachusetts17,653$35,335+64%
Michigan30,973$18,913-12%
Minnesota11,440$22,613+5%
Mississippi13,041$15,507-28%
Missouri16,777$19,123-11%
Montana3,594$21,620+1%
Nebraska4,983$18,835-12%
Nevada11,769$20,113-6%
New Hampshire3,264$28,219+31%
New Jersey26,998$23,544+10%
New Mexico4,896$19,167-11%
New York55,995$18,135-16%
North Carolina39,571$21,775+1%
North Dakota2,079$18,546-14%
Ohio31,457$20,031-7%
Oklahoma13,505$18,515-14%
Oregon9,034$23,257+8%
Pennsylvania29,151$20,901-3%
Rhode Island2,905$23,594+10%
South Carolina20,688$22,375+4%
South Dakota2,481$16,725-22%
Tennessee29,898$20,984-2%
Texas138,175$19,173-11%
Utah8,609$26,650+24%
Vermont2,358$23,131+8%
Virginia25,675$23,258+8%
Washington15,352$27,792+29%
West Virginia3,283$14,409-33%
Wisconsin10,584$22,985+7%
Wyoming1,894$18,709-13%

* Fewer than 500 firms, so the average is less stable. Click a column heading to sort. Receipts are modified by the Census Bureau to protect privacy.

Frequently asked questions

How much do self-employed cleaners make?

Census data for 2024 show 1,173,265 US businesses with no paid employees in this trade, reporting an average of $21,483 in revenue each. 78.5% took in under $25,000, against 60.4% of all businesses with no employees. Revenue is what the business takes in before costs, so it is not the owner's income.

Which state has the highest revenue per firm for self-employed cleaners?

Among the 51 states (including DC) with at least 500 firms, Massachusetts had the highest average revenue per firm, at $35,335, and West Virginia the lowest, at $14,409. States are assigned by business mailing address, and these figures do not show take-home pay.

Sources and method

Other trades