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Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners: Career Profile
Perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.
What Tasks Do Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Do?
The core tasks performed by maids and housekeeping cleaners span:
- Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
- Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts.
- Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.
- Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas.
- Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.
- Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.
- Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers.
- Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective maids and housekeeping cleaners rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Bed Maker
- Bunk House Worker
- Butler
- Cabin Cleaner
- Chambermaid
- Charwoman
- Cleaner
- Cleaning Maid
Job Outlook
There are about 252,120 maids and housekeeping cleaners working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +8.0% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $40,871 |
| Hourly median | $19.65 |
| 10th percentile | $27,834 |
| 25th percentile | $34,352 |
| 75th percentile | $47,389 |
| 90th percentile | $53,908 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | $51,530 |
| Nevada | $44,920 |
| New York | $42,890 |
| California | $40,200 |
| Washington | $39,410 |
| District of Columbia | $38,990 |
| Massachusetts | $38,150 |
| Colorado | $37,240 |
| Vermont | $37,140 |
| Alaska | $37,070 |
| New Jersey | $36,670 |
| Minnesota | $36,630 |
| Maine | $36,450 |
| New Hampshire | $36,200 |
| Oregon | $35,970 |
| Rhode Island | $35,780 |
| Illinois | $35,600 |
| Connecticut | $35,400 |
| Arizona | $35,400 |
| Utah | $34,660 |
| Idaho | $34,540 |
| North Dakota | $34,140 |
| Maryland | $34,100 |
| Wisconsin | $34,080 |
| Montana | $34,020 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,580 |
| Michigan | $33,550 |
| Virginia | $32,620 |
| Florida | $31,830 |
| Nebraska | $31,440 |
| Delaware | $31,200 |
| Missouri | $31,200 |
| Iowa | $31,090 |
| Indiana | $30,740 |
| North Carolina | $30,380 |
| Wyoming | $30,240 |
| Tennessee | $30,100 |
| Kansas | $30,020 |
| Ohio | $29,820 |
| New Mexico | $29,760 |
| Texas | $29,500 |
| Kentucky | $29,470 |
| South Carolina | $29,290 |
| South Dakota | $28,950 |
| Georgia | $28,760 |
| Virgin Islands | $28,620 |
| West Virginia | $27,710 |
| Oklahoma | $27,410 |
| Arkansas | $27,250 |
| Alabama | $27,160 |
| Louisiana | $25,380 |
| Mississippi | $24,460 |
| Guam | $22,040 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,080 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for maids and housekeeping cleaners vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $41,140 | 20.0% | 1.42 |
| Middle Atlantic | $38,210 | 12.7% | 0.83 |
| New England | $36,954 | 4.2% | 0.92 |
| Rocky Mountains | $35,308 | 4.6% | 1.24 |
| Great Lakes | $32,911 | 12.0% | 0.84 |
| Plains States | $32,302 | 6.8% | 1.01 |
| Southwest | $30,615 | 12.2% | 1.00 |
| Southeast | $30,087 | 27.1% | 1.15 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu, HI | HI | $55,800 | 6,440 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | HI | $51,240 | 2,390 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | NV | $45,850 | 20,240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $45,670 | 13,510 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $45,640 | 5,130 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $43,940 | 1,010 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $43,090 | 42,610 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $42,860 | 9,390 |
Which Industries Hire Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
The bulk of maids and housekeeping cleaners are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and Food Services | 436,460 | $34,150 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 226,480 | $35,610 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 129,650 | $34,070 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 22,600 | $36,350 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 10,790 | $34,260 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 9,780 | $35,780 |
| Educational Services | 4,530 | $35,740 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3,000 | $37,120 |
Below are examples of industries where maids and housekeeping cleaners work:
Tools and Technology
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of maids and housekeeping cleaners is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Standing
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body
- Spend Time Walking or Running
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How to Become Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Entry-level maids and housekeeping cleaners positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Food Preparation Workers (Supplemental)
- Fast Food and Counter Workers (Primary-Long)
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant (Supplemental)
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers (Primary-Short)
- Dishwashers (Primary-Short)
- First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (Primary-Long)
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (Primary-Short)
- Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants (Primary-Short)
References
This profile draws on 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: 37-2012.00 (Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners).
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