# Cleaning industry statistics: size, firms, wages and growth (sourced)

> The key cleaning industry statistics: US janitorial employers (NAICS 561720) took in $72.6 billion in 2022 across 68,108 establishments with 1.15 million employees, up 46% in receipts from 2017 (Census Economic Census). Another 1.10 million janitorial businesses had no employees in 2023 and earned $22.8 billion between them (Census Nonemployer Statistics). Janitors earned a median $17.71 an hour in 2025, and about half of new employer establishments survive five years.

Published 2026-10-29, updated 2026-10-31 by Broombook · Start your cleaning business · 10 min read  
Canonical page: https://broombook.com/guides/cleaning-industry-statistics

## Key takeaways

- Janitorial services (NAICS 561720): $72.6B receipts, 68,108 establishments, 1,148,248 employees in 2022 (Economic Census).
- Receipts grew 46.2% from 2017 to 2022 while employment grew 5.8%, so receipts per employee rose from $45,796 to $63,237.
- Solo and no-employee janitorial businesses: 1,095,927 in 2023, averaging $20,785 in receipts each (Nonemployer Statistics).
- Janitors and cleaners: median $17.71 an hour ($36,840 a year) in 2025, 2,432,600 jobs, projected 1% to 2% growth over 2025 to 2035 (BLS data via O*NET).
- Carpet and upholstery cleaning employers took in $4.16B in 2022; other services to buildings (exterior cleaning, pools, chimneys, ducts) $13.97B.
- On average 49.2% of new employer establishments survive five years and 33.9% survive ten (SBA Office of Advocacy, 1994 to 2022 average).

## How big is the US cleaning industry?

US cleaning employers in the three contract-cleaning industries took in about $90.7 billion in 2022: $72.6 billion in janitorial services, $4.2 billion in carpet and upholstery cleaning, and $14.0 billion in other services to buildings and dwellings. Businesses with no employees added roughly $27.5 billion more in 2022, for a cleaning services market of roughly $118 billion in sales that year.

These figures come from the Census Bureau’s 2022 Economic Census (employer businesses) and 2022 Nonemployer Statistics (businesses with no paid employees). The Census groups cleaning contractors under NAICS subsector 5617, Services to Buildings and Dwellings, which also includes pest control and landscaping; the three cleaning industries are shown separately below. All figures are from the Bureau’s [2022 Economic Census sector 56 file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/2022/sector56/EC2256BASIC.zip) unless noted.

| Industry (NAICS), 2022 | Firms | Establishments | Receipts | Annual payroll | Employees |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Janitorial services (561720) | 63,999 | 68,108 | $72.61B | $31.41B | 1,148,248 |
| Carpet and upholstery cleaning (561740) | 6,695 | 6,876 | $4.16B | $1.56B | 42,426 |
| Other services to buildings and dwellings (561790) | 17,444 | 17,646 | $13.97B | $4.06B | 94,604 |
| All services to buildings and dwellings (5617, includes pest control and landscaping) | 216,555 | 225,819 | $226.04B | $81.53B | 2,240,906 |

The [2022 NAICS manual](https://www.census.gov/naics/reference_files_tools/2022_NAICS_Manual.pdf) defines janitorial services (561720) as establishments primarily engaged in cleaning building interiors, interiors of transportation equipment, and windows, and lists custodial, housekeeping, maid and washroom sanitation services as examples. That means residential maid services and commercial janitorial contractors sit in the same Census industry. Carpet cleaning is its own code, window cleaning stays in 561720, and building exterior cleaning, pool cleaning, chimney sweeping and duct cleaning fall under 561790.

What this means for an owner: the janitorial code is large and fragmented. The average janitorial establishment had receipts of about $1.07 million and 16.9 employees in 2022, but that average hides a few national contractors with thousands of staff and tens of thousands of companies with a handful of cleaners.

## How many cleaning businesses have no employees?

In 2023 there were 1,095,927 janitorial businesses with no paid employees, and they reported $22.8 billion in receipts, an average of $20,785 each. There are about 16 no-employee janitorial businesses for every one with payroll.

The Census Bureau counts these separately in its Nonemployer Statistics, which are built from tax returns of businesses with receipts of $1,000 or more and no employees. Figures below are from the [2023 US nonemployer file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/nonemp23us.zip), the [2022 file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2022/historical-datasets/nonemp22us.zip) and the [2017 file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/nonemp17us.zip).

| Nonemployer businesses | 2017 | 2022 | 2023 | Average receipts, 2023 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Janitorial services (56172) | 776,682 ($12.39B) | 1,045,769 ($20.85B) | 1,095,927 ($22.78B) | $20,785 |
| Carpet and upholstery cleaning (56174) | 25,994 ($0.85B) | 31,555 ($1.13B) | 33,156 ($1.15B) | $34,808 |
| Other services to buildings (56179) | 101,404 ($3.23B) | 141,015 ($5.55B) | 142,112 ($5.81B) | $40,915 |

Three things stand out. The number of no-employee janitorial businesses grew 41% between 2017 and 2023, far faster than employer establishments (up 13% between the 2017 and 2022 Economic Censuses). Average receipts of about $21,000 say most of these are part-time or side businesses, not full-time companies. And the gap between the two groups is the whole story of the industry: a solo cleaner averages $21,000 a year, an employer establishment averages $1.07 million. The jump from one to the other is hiring, which is why the guide on [how to hire cleaners](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-hire-cleaners) matters more than any marketing tactic.

For context, the SBA Office of Advocacy’s [Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (February 2026)](https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/FINAL_FAQsAboutSmallBusiness_2026_012826.pdf) counts 36,207,130 small businesses in the US, of which 82.3% have no employees. Cleaning is more skewed than the economy as a whole: about 94% of janitorial businesses had no employees in 2022.

## Is the cleaning industry growing?

Yes, in dollars more than in headcount. Janitorial employer receipts grew 46.2% between the 2017 and 2022 Economic Censuses, from $49.7 billion to $72.6 billion, while employment grew only 5.8%, from 1,084,801 to 1,148,248. Part of that is price: payroll per employee rose 33%, from $20,568 to $27,359.

The comparison uses the Bureau’s [2017 sector 56 file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/2017/sector56/EC1756BASIC.zip) and the 2022 file linked above. Both are full censuses of employer businesses, not surveys, so the change is a real count rather than an estimate.

| Janitorial services (561720), employers | 2017 | 2022 | Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Firms | 55,656 | 63,999 | +15.0% |
| Establishments | 60,337 | 68,108 | +12.9% |
| Receipts | $49.68B | $72.61B | +46.2% |
| Annual payroll | $22.31B | $31.41B | +40.8% |
| Employees | 1,084,801 | 1,148,248 | +5.8% |
| Receipts per establishment | $823,000 | $1,066,000 | +29.5% |
| Receipts per employee | $45,796 | $63,237 | +38.1% |
| Payroll as a share of receipts | 44.9% | 43.3% | −1.6 points |

The whole 5617 subsector grew 49.6% in receipts over the same five years ($151.1 billion to $226.0 billion). The 2022 census year sits after the pandemic, when disinfection work, labor shortages and wage increases pushed prices up, so treat the 46% as a five-year jump rather than a steady 8% a year. The cleaning industry trends that owners can act on are the ones visible in the ratios: more revenue per employee and a slightly smaller payroll share, which is what you would expect from higher prices and more equipment per cleaner.

Looking forward, the BLS projections republished by O\*NET expect janitor and cleaner employment to grow slower than average (1% to 2%) between 2025 and 2035, with about 321,800 projected job openings a year, nearly all from people leaving the occupation rather than new positions.

## What do cleaners earn, and how many are there?

Janitors and building cleaners earned a median $17.71 an hour ($36,840 a year) in 2025, across 2,432,600 jobs. Maids and housekeeping cleaners earned a median $17.07 an hour ($35,510 a year) across 1,332,100 jobs. Those are BLS occupational figures as published by O\*NET for [janitors and cleaners (37-2011)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/37-2011.00) and [maids and housekeeping cleaners (37-2012)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/37-2012.00).

| Occupation (BLS data via O\*NET) | Median hourly, 2025 | Median annual, 2025 | Employment, 2025 | Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 | Projected openings per year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids | $17.71 | $36,840 | 2,432,600 | Slower than average (1% to 2%) | 321,800 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners | $17.07 | $35,510 | 1,332,100 | Slower than average (1% to 2%) | 175,500 |

Occupation counts are larger than the industry employee counts above because many janitors work in-house for schools, hospitals, hotels and property owners rather than for a cleaning contractor. The Economic Census counts only employees of cleaning businesses; the BLS counts everyone with the job title.

The Census payroll figure gives the contractor-side picture: janitorial employers paid $31.4 billion to 1,148,248 employees in 2022, an average of $27,359 per employee, which reflects a workforce with many part-time and evening positions. Our guide on [how much house cleaners make](https://broombook.com/guides/how-much-do-house-cleaners-make) breaks down pay by role and region, and the [contractor versus employee](https://broombook.com/guides/independent-contractor-vs-employee-cleaners) guide covers the classification rules that affect those numbers.

## Which states have the most cleaning businesses?

California had the most janitorial establishments in 2022 (6,785), followed by Florida (6,679), Texas (3,894), New York (3,743) and Illinois (2,598). California also had the largest receipts, $10.0 billion, and the highest receipts per employee among the top ten, $78,846.

State rows are from the same 2022 Economic Census file. Receipts per employee is receipts divided by employees and is a rough proxy for local price levels.

| State, janitorial services 2022 | Establishments | Receipts | Employees | Receipts per employee |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| California | 6,785 | $10.00B | 126,854 | $78,846 |
| Florida | 6,679 | $4.18B | 64,966 | $64,307 |
| Texas | 3,894 | $5.60B | 88,364 | $63,421 |
| New York | 3,743 | $6.05B | 77,329 | $78,178 |
| Illinois | 2,598 | $3.70B | 67,237 | $54,980 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,528 | $2.87B | 42,561 | $67,538 |
| North Carolina | 2,311 | $2.04B | 32,917 | $61,823 |
| Virginia | 2,183 | $2.79B | 40,652 | $68,706 |
| Washington | 2,131 | $1.55B | 20,274 | $76,477 |
| Georgia | 2,104 | $2.66B | 44,752 | $59,503 |

Florida is the clearest example of a fragmented market: nearly as many establishments as California with less than half the receipts, so the typical Florida janitorial company is small. New York and Texas show the opposite, fewer and larger. Every state has its own guide on registration, tax and insurance; start from [how to start a cleaning business](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-start-a-cleaning-business) and pick your state.

## How many cleaning businesses survive, and what do they pay for insurance?

There is no cleaning-specific survival series, but the SBA Office of Advocacy reports that, on average from 1994 to 2022, 67.7% of new employer establishments survived at least two years, 49.2% survived five years, 33.9% survived ten and 25.5% survived fifteen. Survival improves with age: 69.5% of establishments that reach five years reach ten.

Those figures are from the [SBA FAQ (February 2026)](https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/FINAL_FAQsAboutSmallBusiness_2026_012826.pdf), which also notes that 1.3 million business establishments opened for the first time in 2023. For what goes wrong in the first two years of a cleaning company specifically, see the companion guide on the [commercial cleaning startup plan](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-start-a-commercial-cleaning-business), which covers the cash-flow gap between paying cleaners and getting paid.

### Insurance costs

Insureon publishes the median premiums paid by cleaning businesses buying through its marketplace ([cleaning business insurance costs](https://www.insureon.com/cleaning-business-insurance/cost), updated October 12, 2026): general liability $59 a month, workers’ compensation $114 a month, janitorial bonds $9 a month, commercial auto $250 a month, a business owner’s policy $81 a month and commercial umbrella $76 a month. These are medians from one broker’s customers, not industry-wide averages, but they are the most transparent numbers published.

### Industry association

ISSA, the industry’s trade association, says it has [more than 11,000 members](https://www.issa.com/about/) including distributors, manufacturers, building service contractors, in-house service providers and residential cleaners. Against roughly 64,000 janitorial employer firms and over a million solo operators, that is a small fraction of the industry, which tells you how little of it is organized.

## How to use cleaning industry statistics in a plan or pitch

Use the Census figures for market size and structure, the BLS figures for wages, and the SBA figures for risk, and always name the year. A lender or landlord reading your plan will trust “$72.6 billion in janitorial receipts in 2022, per the Economic Census” and will not trust an unsourced “the cleaning industry is worth $100 billion and growing 6% a year.”

### Three numbers for a business plan

1. **Market:** janitorial employer receipts of $72.6 billion (2022) plus $22.8 billion from no-employee businesses (2023). For a local plan, divide your state’s receipts by its establishments to get an average company size, then compare with your target.
2. **Labor:** median janitor pay of $17.71 an hour (2025) and a payroll share of receipts of 43.3% (2022) for employer janitorial firms. If your model assumes 30% labor, it is wrong; if it assumes 60%, you have no room for overhead.
3. **Risk:** 49.2% five-year survival for new employer establishments across all industries. Your plan should say what you will do differently in the first two years.

The [cleaning business plan template](https://broombook.com/tools/cleaning-business-plan-template) has a market section built for these three numbers, and the [cleaning business plan guide](https://broombook.com/guides/cleaning-business-plan) explains what else a lender looks for.

### How to cite this page

Every figure above is from a Census zip file, an O\*NET occupation page, an SBA PDF or a company page that you can open from the links. If you reuse the numbers, cite the original agency and the year, not this page. When the 2027 Economic Census is released (fieldwork in 2028), the 2022 figures here will be the baseline to compare against.

### Where Broombook fits

Most of the million-plus solo cleaners above run their schedule from a phone and a notebook. Broombook is booking, scheduling and reminders for recurring service businesses: it is the tool for the step from solo operator to a small company with a few cleaners and a route, not an enterprise janitorial platform. See [pricing](https://broombook.com/pricing) for the plans.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much is the cleaning industry worth in the US?

Cleaning employers took in about $90.7 billion in 2022 ($72.6B janitorial, $4.2B carpet and upholstery, $14.0B other building services) per the 2022 Economic Census, and no-employee cleaning businesses added about $27.5 billion in 2022 per Nonemployer Statistics.

### How many cleaning businesses are there in the US?

In 2022 there were 68,108 janitorial employer establishments (63,999 firms), and in 2023 there were 1,095,927 janitorial businesses with no employees, so roughly 1.16 million janitorial businesses in total, about 94% of them solo or no-employee operations.

### What is the average revenue of a cleaning business?

It depends entirely on whether the business has employees. Janitorial employer establishments averaged about $1.07 million in receipts in 2022; no-employee janitorial businesses averaged $20,785 in 2023.

### How fast is the cleaning industry growing?

Janitorial employer receipts grew 46.2% between the 2017 and 2022 Economic Censuses, while employment grew 5.8%. BLS projects janitor employment to grow 1% to 2% between 2025 and 2035, so the growth is mostly in prices and revenue per worker, not headcount.

### How much do janitors make per hour?

The median was $17.71 an hour ($36,840 a year) in 2025 for janitors and cleaners, and $17.07 an hour ($35,510 a year) for maids and housekeeping cleaners, per BLS data republished by O*NET.

### What percentage of cleaning businesses fail?

There is no cleaning-specific series. Across all industries, the SBA Office of Advocacy reports that an average of 49.2% of new employer establishments survived five years and 33.9% survived ten years (1994 to 2022).

### What NAICS code is a cleaning business?

Most cleaning companies, residential and commercial, use 561720 Janitorial Services. Carpet and upholstery cleaning is 561740, window cleaning is part of 561720, and building exterior, pool, chimney and duct cleaning done as the main service fall under 561790.

## Sources

- [US Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, sector 56 (EC2256BASIC.zip)](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/2022/sector56/EC2256BASIC.zip)
- [US Census Bureau, 2017 Economic Census, sector 56 (EC1756BASIC.zip)](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/2017/sector56/EC1756BASIC.zip)
- [US Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2023, US file (nonemp23us.zip)](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/nonemp23us.zip)
- [O*NET OnLine, Janitors and Cleaners (BLS 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/37-2011.00)
- [SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, February 2026](https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/FINAL_FAQsAboutSmallBusiness_2026_012826.pdf)
- [Insureon, cleaning business insurance costs (median premiums)](https://www.insureon.com/cleaning-business-insurance/cost)

---

Broombook is scheduling, online booking and crew software for residential cleaning businesses. More guides for cleaning business owners: https://broombook.com/guides