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Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment: Career Overview
Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment. Use such materials as water, cleaning agents, brushes, cloths, and hoses.
What Tasks Do Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment Do?
The core tasks performed by cleaners of vehicles and equipment include:
- Rinse objects and place them on drying racks or use cloth, squeegees, or air compressors to dry surfaces.
- Apply paints, dyes, polishes, reconditioners, waxes, or masking materials to vehicles to preserve, protect, or restore color or condition.
- Clean and polish vehicle windows.
- Drive vehicles to or from workshops or customers' workplaces or homes.
- Scrub, scrape, or spray machine parts, equipment, or vehicles, using scrapers, brushes, clothes, cleaners, disinfectants, insecticides, acid, abrasives, vacuums, or hoses.
- Inspect parts, equipment, or vehicles for cleanliness, damage, and compliance with standards or regulations.
- Mix cleaning solutions, abrasive compositions, or other compounds, according to formulas.
- Maintain inventories of supplies.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective cleaners of vehicles and equipment draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Aircraft Cabin Cleaner
- Aircraft Cleaner
- Aircraft Detailer
- Airplane Cleaner
- Apparatus Cleaner
- Apron Cleaner
- Assembly Cleaner
- Automat Car Attendant
Job Outlook
There are roughly 1,241,497 cleaners of vehicles and equipment working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +9.4% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $37,404 |
| Hourly median | $17.98 |
| 10th percentile | $20,993 |
| 25th percentile | $29,198 |
| 75th percentile | $45,609 |
| 90th percentile | $53,814 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $45,510 |
| Washington | $39,630 |
| Colorado | $39,480 |
| New York | $39,270 |
| Kansas | $38,130 |
| New Hampshire | $37,930 |
| Massachusetts | $37,780 |
| Oregon | $37,460 |
| Vermont | $37,390 |
| California | $37,300 |
| Alaska | $36,870 |
| Nebraska | $36,640 |
| Maine | $36,430 |
| Minnesota | $36,380 |
| North Dakota | $36,210 |
| New Jersey | $36,090 |
| Hawaii | $35,960 |
| Maryland | $35,890 |
| Montana | $35,810 |
| Idaho | $35,790 |
| Wisconsin | $35,320 |
| Indiana | $35,280 |
| Arizona | $35,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,960 |
| Virginia | $34,900 |
| Ohio | $34,750 |
| Michigan | $34,640 |
| Connecticut | $34,640 |
| Tennessee | $34,630 |
| Illinois | $34,610 |
| Nevada | $34,570 |
| Rhode Island | $34,340 |
| South Dakota | $34,330 |
| Utah | $34,170 |
| Arkansas | $33,910 |
| Wyoming | $32,220 |
| Kentucky | $32,080 |
| Florida | $31,790 |
| Delaware | $31,620 |
| Missouri | $31,590 |
| Iowa | $31,200 |
| Alabama | $31,180 |
| North Carolina | $30,700 |
| New Mexico | $30,300 |
| Oklahoma | $30,100 |
| Georgia | $29,900 |
| South Carolina | $29,650 |
| Texas | $29,280 |
| Mississippi | $29,130 |
| Louisiana | $27,940 |
| West Virginia | $27,700 |
| Virgin Islands | $27,290 |
| Guam | $21,810 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,750 |
Where Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment Earn the Most
Compensation for cleaners of vehicles and equipment shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $37,372 | 18.2% | 1.08 |
| Middle Atlantic | $37,054 | 13.2% | 0.89 |
| Rocky Mountains | $36,702 | 4.1% | 1.03 |
| New England | $36,557 | 2.8% | 0.60 |
| Plains States | $34,930 | 8.3% | 1.37 |
| Great Lakes | $34,853 | 13.5% | 0.94 |
| Southeast | $31,600 | 26.1% | 1.07 |
| Southwest | $30,152 | 13.5% | 1.09 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Island, NE | NE | $48,960 | 450 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | MO | $48,270 | 350 |
| Decatur, IL | IL | $47,450 | 120 |
| Elkhart-Goshen, IN | IN | $46,810 | 340 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | WA | $45,700 | 190 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $43,730 | 300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $43,400 | 5,200 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $43,380 | 2,020 |
Which Industries Hire Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
The bulk of cleaners of vehicles and equipment are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 155,340 | $32,640 |
| Retail Trade | 86,960 | $34,850 |
| Manufacturing | 30,570 | $41,490 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 26,370 | $36,280 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 26,320 | $37,820 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 24,950 | $39,710 |
| Wholesale Trade | 8,600 | $38,520 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 2,090 | $37,230 |
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment work in the following industries:
Software Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment Use
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of cleaners of vehicles and equipment reflects the following characteristics:
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
Education and Training
Typical cleaners of vehicles and equipment positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Dishwashers (Primary-Long)
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (Primary-Short)
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners (Primary-Short)
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers (Supplemental)
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door (Supplemental)
- Home Appliance Repairers (Primary-Long)
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics (Supplemental)
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery (Primary-Short)
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 53-7061.00 (Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment).
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