One of the most underappreciated jobs is that of a janitor. They may function in the background, but if they didn’t exist, we’d surely notice.
Janitors keep our buildings, work in, study in, shop in, and recuperate clean and safe.
Some janitors labor outside as well, mowing lawns, cleaning sidewalks, and shoveling snow, in addition to keeping buildings clean and organized on the inside.
Some janitors may also keep an eye on the heating and cooling systems to make sure they’re working correctly.
Custodians, cleaners, custodial support technicians, cleaning technicians, and environmental services technicians are among the job names used by janitors.
They clean the interiors and, in some instances, the exteriors of establishments.
With all this, you might ask, how much do janitors make and where do they get paid most?
According to Zippia, the hospitality industry is the highest-paying industry for Janitors. To find out more details about their salaries, keep reading.
Summary
| Guide | How Much Do Janitors Make? |
|---|---|
| Average Income | $36,000 per year |
| Highest Income | $40,000 per year |
| Qualification | Not needed |
| Training | Not needed |
Who Are Janitors?
A janitor cleans a building’s inside, exterior, or both. Custodians are another term for janitors.
Janitors operate primarily in office buildings, schools, hospitals, and other significant structures that must be kept clean and hygienic.
They may collaborate closely with the office or building’s administrative personnel to keep track of anything that spills on the floor and needs cleaning right away, as well as fundamental maintenance concerns and buying supplies.
Janitors provide essential maintenance such as light bulb replacements and floor waxing.
Some janitors may be in charge of cleaning the outside of the building, such as shoveling snow or raking leaves.
Janitors frequently access the building’s keys and ensure that all doors are properly secured or unlocked.
How Much Do Janitors Make?
Janitors’ salaries are not that high compared to the average salary of all professions in the United States.
According to Indeed, janitors earn an average of around $36,000 annually.
However, this number generally depends on your years of experience as you gain more when you have more experience, but the pay does not go too high with your experience like with other professions, you see a total around $1,000 or $2,000 annual increase in your salary, but that’s mostly it.
There is not much place for salary growth in the janitor salaries.
1. How Much Do Janitors Make in an Hour?
Janitors make a minimum of $7.45 an hour and a maximum of $18.03 an hour.
2. How Much Do Janitors Make In a Month?
Janitors make a minimum of $1,292 a month and a maximum of $3,125 a month.
3. How Much Do Janitors Make In a Year?
Janitors make a minimum of $15,500 a year and a maximum of $37,500 a year.
Highest Salary Of Janitors In 2023
With the highest salary of janitors, there is an extraordinary case.
According to Zippia, a janitor has earned six figures ($275,000) annually thanks to the overtime he had in their company.
This is the highest salary recorded for a janitor. However, this number does not really represent the reality as the majority of janitors get around $40,000 annually as the highest salary.
This number comes as your experience reaches the level of a decade.
Once you have more than this, you generally get more than $40,000 annually in every place you work at.
Is Being A Janitor Good Or Bad?
Whether being a janitor is good or bad solely depends on you and your likings because some people like to be a janitor as they like to interact with different people on a daily basis or they just like to clean stuff.
However, the pay is not that good, and you might need to work a second job to provide for your family if you have one, and it requires some good hard and soft skills to maintain your job.
So, it is not a good thing to be a janitor most of the time, but if you like it, it is up to your choice.
Pros and Cons of Being A Janitor
Pros
- A degree is not required
- Flexibility
- Demand
- Physical fitness
- Important part of society
Cons
- Poor work-life balance
- Low pay
How To Become A Janitor?
Here’s how you can become a Janitor:
- A janitor occupation does not require formal training. However, some high school classes, such as shop classes, might benefit from on-the-job repairs.
- If you are going to deal with dangerous items or heavy equipment operators, such as forklift operators, then you may need to have the necessary certification.
- You can also obtain additional credentials via organizations like the Building Service Contractors Association International, which can help you stand out as a more competitive job prospect.
- Once you get the necessary training, you can start applying for an open Janitor position or join a company that offers such services.
How Many Hours Does Janitor Work?
A Janitor can work part-time or full-time depending on the company they are working for or at.
Part-time janitors work 4 hours a day, whereas full-time Janitors work 8 hours a day. So on average, Janitors work for 20-40 hours a week.
What is the Starting Pay of a Janitor?
Janitors are an essential part of society as they maintain the day-to-day cleanliness of buildings, offices, hospitals, etc.
But the starting pay of a Janitor is $7.45 an hour or $15,500 a year, and even after years of experience, a Janitor can expect to make a maximum of $37,500 a year which is quite less.
Janitor Training Programs
Private institutions or governmental bodies offer no official janitor training programs.
Learning to be a janitor, if you do not have any experience with it, happens on the job, or some companies will provide training on the site where you learn as you go.
The janitors who are starting off for the first time without prior experience will get training on the job from senior janitors who will teach them how to use essential machines like wet-dry vacuums and floor buffers.
In addition, the seniors will also teach the juniors how to do minor plumbing and electrical repairs.
However, considering that cleaning places do not require extensive practice, you will learn to do other stuff like plumbing or electrical issues, as we have mentioned.
Also Read: How Much Do Dispatchers Make?
A Day in the Life of a School Janitor
Conclusion
To conclude, being a janitor is actually not easy because you need to clean places and have experience with plumbing, electrical issues, sometimes gardening, and so on.
You also need to possess solid and soft skills for you to get by with your co-workers, people who are working in the area you are cleaning, and also to be physically strong to maintain hours of cleaning in a day.
In addition to all this, pay is not the best, so it is highly debatable to be a janitor.
FAQ’s
How much do janitors make when they work in a big corporate?
Salaries of janitors generally do not change too much depending on the company’s size, but it rather depends on your experience and how good you are with your soft skills.
How much do janitors make if they are working at a governmental body?
Governmental bodies, historically, offer average salaries to many people working in their buildings, including janitors.
So, depending on your experience, if you do not have more than ten years of experience, you will probably get around the average salary of a janitor.
How much do janitors make when they first start off?
The new janitors start from the bottom of their salaries, lower than the average.
Shefali Jain is a Content Writer & Editor at USWorkforce.org
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes. In her time at the organization, she has written and edited content on a range of topics, including employment law, human resources, and business management.
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