Janitor / Commercial Cleaner

Also called: Custodian, Commercial Cleaner, Environmental Services (EVS) Technician, Building Cleaner

Cleans and cares for offices, hospitals, stores and other buildings, often at night so everything is ready by morning.

A day in the life

You start at 6 p.m. after the office empties: empty trash, vacuum, scrub restrooms and restock supplies. Later you run a floor machine across the lobby, report a leaking pipe, and lock up.

Pay over a career

Starting
$29k
Typical
$37k
High
$50k

BLS OEWS May 2025 (10th / median / 90th percentile, from $13.77 / $17.71 / $24.17 an hour).

Training

No formal education, about 0 years after high school. No education required; trained on the job.

Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.

Outlook

Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). BLS projects +2%, 2025-35; about 2.4 million jobs, with many openings from turnover.

Will it last? Our AI estimate

Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Robot floor scrubbers and vacuums take over big open floors; restrooms, detail work and small repairs stay human.

Could start right away

Age 16+. One way to start: Apply with cleaning companies, hospitals, schools or malls; evening and weekend crews hire often

Start now, in high school

Classes: Building trades CTE class, Chemistry, Health class.

Official data: O*NET occupation 37-2011.

More Operations & Facilities careers

Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.