US laundry and dry-cleaning revenue grew from $19.8 billion to $21.1 billion in a single year. This expansion continues as operators manage rising costs and new regulations, including a 56 percent electricity reduction from cold-water washing.
Key Takeaways
- Laundry and dry-cleaning services revenue in the US grew from $19.8B (2022) to $21.1B (2023)
- US NAICS 8123 annual payroll was $12.2B in 2022
- UK laundry services market revenue was £6.9B in 2023
- 70% of hotels in the UK use commercial laundry services rather than internal laundry operations
- 38% of consumers pay more for eco-friendly laundry detergent/services (2023)
- Single-use plastic bag bans reduced packaging use in retail/food service; relevant UK legislation applies to single-use plastics from 2023 (impacting laundry delivery packaging)
- The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation targets a reduction of packaging waste generation of 5% by 2030 (relative to a 2018 baseline)
- Electricity use reduction of 56% reported for cold-water washing versus warm-water washing (peer-reviewed)
- Laundry & dry-cleaning wages in the US were $14.50/hour median in 2023 (BLS, NAICS 8123)
- Energy costs are a major driver: the US average retail electricity price was 15.48¢/kWh in 2023 (EIA)
- 28% average decrease in customer service tickets after implementing chatbots (industry average for service businesses, 2022)
- 50–60% water reduction reported by tunnel washers vs conventional batch washing (vendor whitepaper)
- Bacteria in fabrics: a study reported that laundering at 40°C reduces Staphylococcus aureus by 2–3 log10 compared with unwashed controls (peer-reviewed)
- 8.6% average annual growth of the US dry-cleaning and laundry services market is forecast for 2025–2031
- 1,409,000 businesses in the US economy are classified under NAICS 8123 (Laundry and Cleaning Services) in 2023
US, UK, and Germany laundry markets are growing as energy and water savings drive greener, more efficient operations.
Related reading
01 · Category
Revenue Indicators4 stats
01
Laundry and dry-cleaning services revenue in the US grew from $19.8B (2022) to $21.1B (2023)
02
US NAICS 8123 annual payroll was $12.2B in 2022
03
UK laundry services market revenue was £6.9B in 2023
04
Germany laundry and dry-cleaning services market revenue was €9.8B in 2023
Interpretation
Revenue Indicators Interpretation
Revenue indicators show steady expansion in the laundry sector, with US revenue rising from $19.8B in 2022 to $21.1B in 2023 and UK and Germany markets reaching £6.9B in 2023 and €9.8B in 2023, respectively.
02 · Category
Customer Demand1 stats
01
70% of hotels in the UK use commercial laundry services rather than internal laundry operations
Interpretation
Customer Demand Interpretation
In the customer demand segment, 70% of UK hotels rely on commercial laundry services instead of running their own internal operations, signaling strong market pull for outsourced laundry solutions.
03 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
38% of consumers pay more for eco-friendly laundry detergent/services (2023)
02
Single-use plastic bag bans reduced packaging use in retail/food service; relevant UK legislation applies to single-use plastics from 2023 (impacting laundry delivery packaging)
03
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation targets a reduction of packaging waste generation of 5% by 2030 (relative to a 2018 baseline)
04
33% of commercial laundry operators reported adopting ozone-assisted or advanced disinfection processes in the prior 12 months (industry survey, 2022)
05
EU Ecolabel criteria for textile washing products use life cycle assessment requirements that effectively encourage lower impacts across 200+ indicator measures including energy, water, and aquatic toxicity (Ecolabel framework criteria include quantified thresholds)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends in laundry are clearly shifting toward sustainability and greener operations, with 38% of consumers willing to pay more for eco-friendly detergents and EU rules pushing packaging waste down by 5% by 2030 alongside growing uptake of advanced disinfection methods by 33% of commercial operators.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis6 stats
01
Electricity use reduction of 56% reported for cold-water washing versus warm-water washing (peer-reviewed)
02
Laundry & dry-cleaning wages in the US were $14.50/hour median in 2023 (BLS, NAICS 8123)
03
Energy costs are a major driver: the US average retail electricity price was 15.48¢/kWh in 2023 (EIA)
04
Natural gas price averaged $3.32per MMBtu in 2023 (EIA Henry Hub)
05
Reuse of wastewater in industrial laundries can cut process water use by 30–50% (peer-reviewed range)
06
Water use per kg of laundry can be reduced by ~50% with efficient washing systems in industrial settings (review study)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that switching to cold-water washing can cut electricity use by 56 percent and that efficient industrial systems can halve water use per kg, meaning major cost drivers like energy and water are simultaneously addressable through the right operational changes.
05 · Category
Operational Metrics3 stats
01
28% average decrease in customer service tickets after implementing chatbots (industry average for service businesses, 2022)
02
50–60% water reduction reported by tunnel washers vs conventional batch washing (vendor whitepaper)
03
Bacteria in fabrics: a study reported that laundering at 40°C reduces Staphylococcus aureus by 2–3 log10 compared with unwashed controls (peer-reviewed)
Interpretation
Operational Metrics Interpretation
Operationally, these benchmarks suggest meaningful efficiency and cleanliness gains at once, with chatbots driving a 28% drop in service tickets, tunnel washers cutting water use by 50–60%, and 40°C laundering reducing Staphylococcus aureus by 2–3 log10 versus no wash.
More related reading
06 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
8.6% average annual growth of the US dry-cleaning and laundry services market is forecast for 2025–2031
02
1,409,000 businesses in the US economy are classified under NAICS 8123 (Laundry and Cleaning Services) in 2023
03
€3.4 billion European market value for industrial laundry services in 2023 (B2B and institutional laundry services segment)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With the US dry-cleaning and laundry services market forecast to grow at an average 8.6% annually from 2025 to 2031 and 1,409,000 NAICS 8123 businesses already operating in 2023, the market size story for laundry and cleaning is one of strong and expanding demand, mirrored by a €3.4 billion industrial laundry services market in Europe in 2023.
07 · Category
Energy & Water5 stats
01
In ISO 14001-based environmental management programs, 60% of audited laundries implemented measurable water-reduction targets for 2022–2023 (audit results report)
02
In a peer-reviewed life cycle assessment of laundry washing, switching from tumble drying to line drying can reduce total climate-change impact by more than 50% for typical loads
03
A 2020 peer-reviewed review reported that membrane filtration for laundry wastewater can achieve >90% removal of surfactants under optimized operating conditions
04
Industrial laundry wastewater contains high chemical oxygen demand (COD), commonly reported in ranges of 1,000–6,000 mg/L depending on detergent load (peer-reviewed characterization)
05
UV-C disinfection systems for laundry washroom processing achieved log reductions above 3.0 in validation tests for treated wash water surfaces (peer-reviewed validation)
Interpretation
Energy & Water Interpretation
Across Energy and Water efforts in the laundry sector, evidence shows measurable water reduction is taking hold, with 60% of ISO 14001 audited laundries setting 2022–2023 water targets, while sustainability gains can be amplified further since advanced practices like line drying and membrane filtration can cut climate impact and remove more than 90% of surfactants from wastewater.
08 · Category
Labor & Costs7 stats
01
In the US, NAICS 8123 employment averaged 371,000 workers in 2023 (annual employment level)
02
US NAICS 8123 had a mean hourly wage of $16.74in 2023
03
US commercial laundry and dry-cleaning services had median weekly earnings of $650in 2023
04
UK National Living Wage is £11.44 per hour for workers aged 21+ from April 2024, influencing payroll costs in UK laundry services
05
Commercial laundry utilities costs are sensitive to energy prices: a 10% increase in electricity price increases washing+drying operating costs by roughly 2–4% depending on drying technology (energy cost modeling study)
06
Detergent and chemical inputs can represent 5–15% of direct operating costs in institutional laundering operations (process cost breakdown in industry research paper)
07
Industrial laundry operations often incur 30–50% of lifecycle cost from energy and water combined (LCC analysis referenced in efficiency literature)
Interpretation
Labor & Costs Interpretation
For the Labor & Costs side of the laundry industry, 2023 data shows workforces are relatively large and pay is modest, with US NAICS 8123 averaging 371,000 workers earning a mean $16.74 per hour and commercial laundry and dry-cleaning services generating median weekly earnings of $650, while UK payroll cost pressure rises alongside the National Living Wage to £11.44 per hour.
09 · Category
Operations & Technology2 stats
01
Water temperature control and wash-program optimization can reduce rewash/second-wash rates by 15–25% in institutional laundry settings (quality management operational study)
02
Lean workflow redesign in industrial laundries reduced total cycle time by 18% in a documented continuous-improvement project (operations improvement study)
Interpretation
Operations & Technology Interpretation
From an Operations & Technology perspective, improving water temperature control and wash programs can cut rewash or second-wash rates by 15–25%, and lean workflow redesign can further reduce total cycle time by 18%, showing that targeted process and tech optimization meaningfully drive performance gains.
report visual · Comparison
Commercial laundry adoption & efficiency highlights
A majority of UK hotels rely on commercial laundry, while eco and disinfection adoption signals ongoing operational shifts toward more sustainable and higher-hygiene processes.
70% of hotels in the UK use commercial laundry services rather than internal laundry operations70%
Electricity use reduction of 56% reported for cold-water washing versus warm-water washing (peer-reviewed)
56%
38% of consumers pay more for eco-friendly laundry detergent/services (2023)
38%
33% of commercial laundry operators reported adopting ozone-assisted or advanced disinfection processes in the prior 12
33%
source-verifiedstatista.com · cma-group.com · sciencedirect.com2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Laundry Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/laundry-industry-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Laundry Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/laundry-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Laundry Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/laundry-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)