Cleaning and Grounds Maintenance Jobs: Every Major Occupation’s Pay, Ranked (May 2025 BLS Data)
- The median annual wage for building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations was $37,680 in May 2025, below the $50,980 median for all U.S. jobs.
- The group employed about 4,548,260 people nationwide.
- Its best-paid occupation with at least 10,000 jobs was First-Line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers ($58,430); the lowest-paid was maids and housekeeping cleaners ($35,510).
BLS sorts every job in the country into 22 major occupational groups. This one, “Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations” (SOC 37-0000), covers the occupations below. All pay and job counts come from the BLS OEWS national data, May 2025; the typical entry education for each job comes from BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35. Use the tables to see where your job sits in its field and which nearby jobs pay more.
Highest-paying jobs in the group
Occupations with at least 10,000 U.S. jobs, ranked by median annual wage:
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Hourly median | U.S. jobs | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers | $58,430 | $28.09 | 130,760 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Tree Trimmers and Pruners | $50,960 | $24.50 | 55,160 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers | $49,100 | $23.61 | 178,760 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation | $46,340 | $22.28 | 27,050 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Pest Control Workers | $45,250 | $21.75 | 102,620 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $39,150 | $18.82 | 952,640 | No formal educational credential |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $36,840 | $17.71 | 2,209,760 | No formal educational credential |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $35,510 | $17.07 | 860,670 | No formal educational credential |
Lowest-paying jobs in the group
| Occupation | Median annual wage | U.S. jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $35,510 | 860,670 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $36,840 | 2,209,760 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $39,150 | 952,640 |
| Pest Control Workers | $45,250 | 102,620 |
| Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation | $46,340 | 27,050 |
The most common jobs in the group
These are the occupations most people in this field actually hold:
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 2,209,760 | $28,640 | $36,840 | $50,270 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | 952,640 | $31,150 | $39,150 | $56,730 |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 860,670 | $27,640 | $35,510 | $48,570 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers | 178,760 | $35,520 | $49,100 | $76,430 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers | 130,760 | $40,560 | $58,430 | $85,650 |
| Pest Control Workers | 102,620 | $34,680 | $45,250 | $61,890 |
| Tree Trimmers and Pruners | 55,160 | $37,940 | $50,960 | $80,310 |
| Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation | 27,050 | $35,570 | $46,340 | $61,420 |
Where building and grounds cleaning and maintenance jobs pay the most
States with the highest median wage for the whole group (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| State | Group median wage | Jobs in the group |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $46,840 | 32,910 |
| Massachusetts | $46,610 | 104,310 |
| Washington | $45,760 | 96,610 |
| California | $44,250 | 509,190 |
| New York | $43,850 | 312,210 |
The lowest group medians were in Mississippi ($28,910), Louisiana ($29,510), Arkansas ($30,570). Part of the gap reflects living costs and part reflects which jobs in the group are common in each state.
No bachelor’s degree? The best-paid job in this group with a typical entry requirement below a four-year degree was First-Line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers, at a median of $58,430 (high school diploma or equivalent typically needed).
How to use this for a raise or a move
- Benchmark inside your field. Find your occupation in the tables and compare your pay with its median and with the 10th and 90th percentiles.
- Look one step over. The best-paid jobs in a group often use the same skills as the common ones. A certificate or license can move you up a row.
- Location matters. The state table shows how much the same kind of work pays in different places.
- Base pay only. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Published October 29, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point: the state where building and grounds cleaning and maintenance jobs make up the largest share of local employment is Hawaii, with a location quotient of 1.79 (32,910 jobs at a group median of $46,840). A location quotient above 1 means the group is a bigger share of the state’s jobs than it is nationally. Source: BLS OEWS state data, May 2025; location quotients are explained in the BLS OEWS overview.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk