Cleaning services span homes, workplaces, and healthcare settings, shaped by labor trends, technology adoption, and what buyers prioritize. As US job roles and wages evolve, so do spending pressures on services labor and the move toward disinfecting solutions. This page also highlights how process tools and equipment—from standardized checklists to microfiber cleaning and UV-C—can support measurable outcomes like less rework and stronger microbial control.
Key Takeaways
- 2.7% share of US private nonfarm employment is in “Building Services” roles (janitorial/cleaning-related), based on BLS occupational employment estimates
- $0.35 per share change does not apply; instead: $36.2 billion global market size for industrial cleaning chemicals in 2023 (IMARC)
- In the US, “Janitors and Cleaners” median annual wage was $33,950 in May 2023 (BLS OEWS)
- 47% of organizations adopted touchless or sensor-enabled hand hygiene to reduce cross-contamination risk during 2020-2021 (peer-reviewed adoption study, 2021)
- 41% of US consumers value “eco-friendly cleaning” when choosing a service provider (American Cleaning Institute consumer research, 2021)
- In the US, the median hourly wage for “Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment” was $16.74 in May 2023 (BLS OEWS)
- In the US, the median hourly wage for “Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners” was $14.33 in May 2023 (BLS OEWS)
- In the US, 4.0% of janitors and cleaners reported working more than 40 hours per week (BLS CPS occupational stats context, 2023)
- 52% of commercial cleaning buyers increased spending on cleaning and disinfecting services in 2020 vs 2019 (ServiceMaster Clean survey, 2021)
- 84% of consumers say they feel more comfortable in a building when it looks clean (American Cleaning Institute consumer survey, 2020)
- 4.6x more Google searches for “disinfecting services” occurred during the early pandemic period vs baseline in 2020 (Google Trends analysis in trade press, 2020)
- 44% reduction in ad-hoc rework when crews used standardized checklists (study based on cleaning operations process control; 2021)
- Microfiber cleaning can reduce chemical use by up to 50% compared with conventional methods in validated cleaning trials (peer-reviewed review)
- UV-C disinfection reduces measurable microbial load by 99.9% (3-log reduction) in multiple surface studies when appropriate dose is applied (peer-reviewed evidence synthesis)
Cleaning services are growing fast as eco and disinfection demand rises, boosting wages and adoption of safer tech.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
2.7% share of US private nonfarm employment is in “Building Services” roles (janitorial/cleaning-related), based on BLS occupational employment estimateshttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes372012.htm
02
$0.35per share change does not apply; instead: $36.2 billion global market size for industrial cleaning chemicals in 2023 (IMARC)https://www.imarcgroup.com/industrial-cleaning-chemicals-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The cleaning services market is sizable and economically meaningful, with global industrial cleaning chemicals reaching $36.2 billion in 2023 and about 2.7% of US private nonfarm employment tied to building services roles like janitorial and cleaning.
02 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
In the US, “Janitors and Cleaners” median annual wage was $33,950in May 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes372011.htm
02
47% of organizations adopted touchless or sensor-enabled hand hygiene to reduce cross-contamination risk during 2020-2021 (peer-reviewed adoption study, 2021)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34102611/
03
41% of US consumers value “eco-friendly cleaning” when choosing a service provider (American Cleaning Institute consumer research, 2021)https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/resources/reports/consumer-eco-friendly-cleaning
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption in the cleaning services space is being driven by practical and consumer minded needs, with 47% of organizations adopting touchless or sensor enabled hand hygiene in 2020 to 2021 and 41% of US consumers prioritizing eco friendly cleaning when selecting a provider.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis8 stats
01
In the US, the median hourly wage for “Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment” was $16.74in May 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes553024.htm
02
In the US, the median hourly wage for “Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners” was $14.33in May 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes359014.htm
03
In the US, 4.0% of janitors and cleaners reported working more than 40 hours per week (BLS CPS occupational stats context, 2023)https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat39.htm
04
US “Employer Costs for Employee Compensation” (ECEC) rose 5.1% for services sector labor cost components in Q1 2024 (BLS ECEC index)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.htm
05
In the US, general cleaning services are included under “Building services” wage/benefit cost drivers; benefit costs per hour increased by $0.39in Q1 2024 (BLS ECEC tables)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t03.htm
06
In the US, janitorial contractors cite fuel/transportation costs as a cost driver; transportation costs increased 9.6% year-over-year in 2022 (US BEA transportation services price index)https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/?ReqID=19&step=1
07
In the US, industrial/commercial chemicals input prices rose by 4.8% in 2022 vs 2021 (BLS Producer Price Index for chemical inputs)https://www.bls.gov/ppi/tables.htm
08
In the US, PPI for “Cleaning preparations” increased by 7.2% from 2021 to 2022 (BLS PPI series)https://www.bls.gov/ppi/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, US compensation for cleaning roles is rising while labor and operating inputs remain tight, with median wages at $16.74 per hour for vehicle cleaners and $14.33 per hour for maids in May 2023 and the services sector labor cost component up 5.1% in Q1 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
52% of commercial cleaning buyers increased spending on cleaning and disinfecting services in 2020 vs 2019 (ServiceMaster Clean survey, 2021)https://www.servicemasterclean.com/blog/commercial-cleaning-spending-increased-2020/
02
84% of consumers say they feel more comfortable in a building when it looks clean (American Cleaning Institute consumer survey, 2020)https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/resources/reports/consumer-survey-cleanliness
03
4.6x more Google searches for “disinfecting services” occurred during the early pandemic period vs baseline in 2020 (Google Trends analysis in trade press, 2020)https://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/pandemic-disinfecting-search-trends-show-higher-interest--23094
04
29% of facilities reported they have increased use of touchless technologies (hand hygiene dispensers/fixtures) since 2020 (Seefar/industry analysis, 2021)https://www.seefar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Touchless-Technology-Adoption-Report.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends in cleaning services show that demand has clearly accelerated since the early pandemic with 52% of commercial buyers boosting spending on cleaning and disinfecting in 2020 versus 2019, alongside rising consumer preference where 84% feel more comfortable in a clean building.
05 · Category
Performance Metrics11 stats
01
44% reduction in ad-hoc rework when crews used standardized checklists (study based on cleaning operations process control; 2021)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7918306/
02
Microfiber cleaning can reduce chemical use by up to 50% compared with conventional methods in validated cleaning trials (peer-reviewed review)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29545764/
03
UV-C disinfection reduces measurable microbial load by 99.9% (3-log reduction) in multiple surface studies when appropriate dose is applied (peer-reviewed evidence synthesis)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7427587/
04
Hand hygiene compliance improvement to 90% reduced healthcare-associated infections by 20% in a multi-site intervention (peer-reviewed meta-evidence, 2018)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29710100/
05
Using ATP bioluminescence monitoring can detect 95% of cleanliness failures earlier than visual inspection in a comparative validation (peer-reviewed study)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21599839/
06
Electrostatic sprayers can increase disinfectant deposition uniformity by 2.5x versus conventional trigger sprayers in chamber tests (peer-reviewed study)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33789533/
07
Slip resistance risk reduction of 40% was reported after implementing floor-cleaning protocols with microfiber and controlled chemical use (peer-reviewed operational study, 2020)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31974407/
08
Floor cleaning productivity increased by 25% after adopting back-to-back method changes and pre-saturation guidance in controlled trials (industry/academic study, 2019)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0018720819865677
09
Bacterial reduction of 99% on high-touch surfaces after cleaning and disinfection cycles was achieved in a controlled hospital study (2019)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6956020/
10
Total VOC emissions decreased by 30% in cleaning operations when switching from solvent-based to aqueous formulations (peer-reviewed environmental study, 2020)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32253338/
11
In a randomized trial, terminal room cleaning using hydrogen peroxide vapor plus manual cleaning reduced positive cultures by 50% (2016 study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5073810/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics in cleaning show that targeted, evidence-based methods can drive measurable outcomes fast, with results ranging from a 44% reduction in ad hoc rework using standardized checklists to up to a 99.9% microbial load reduction with properly dosed UV-C.
Reference
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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Cleaning Services Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cleaning-services-industry-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Cleaning Services Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cleaning-services-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Cleaning Services Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cleaning-services-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)