Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers Salary: $39,818 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 195,360 laundry and dry-cleaning workers nationally earn a mean of $39,818. Employment in the series shown rose about 33% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.6% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about laundry and dry-cleaning workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a laundry and dry-cleaning workers?
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-6011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 195,360 workers.
What does a laundry and dry-cleaning workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a laundry and dry-cleaning workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $33,800 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $39,818 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,252 |
| 25th percentile | $36,268 |
| Median (50th) | $37,694 |
| 75th percentile | $41,142 |
| 90th percentile | $46,908 |
What education do you need?
For Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Active Listening, Time Management, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, English Language, Public Safety and Security. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is laundry and dry-cleaning workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 3.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 6.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 195,360.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do laundry and dry-cleaning workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 195,360 | 19.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 189,240 | 19.0% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 96,930 | 9.7% |
| Personal and Laundry Services | 96,370 | 9.7% |
| Drycleaning and Laundry Services | 95,730 | 9.6% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 41,560 | 4.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
195,360 Workforce in 2023
The Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$39,818 Average Wage
In 2023, Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers earned an average of $39,818.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Salary distribution for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
0.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
91,476 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 3.2%
94,404 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 6.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 22,630 employees, $38,810 avg wage
- TX: 16,250 employees, $30,530 avg wage
- FL: 13,940 employees, $31,730 avg wage
- NY: 13,270 employees, $37,130 avg wage
- IL: 7,830 employees, $35,210 avg wage
- OH: 6,670 employees, $31,880 avg wage
- PA: 6,000 employees, $33,470 avg wage
- MI: 5,700 employees, $34,210 avg wage
- TN: 5,650 employees, $32,280 avg wage
- NC: 5,530 employees, $30,730 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 13,550 employees, $37,350 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 9,280 employees, $38,040 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 5,920 employees, $35,930 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,610 employees, $31,420 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 4,410 employees, $32,070 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 3,510 employees, $30,580 avg wage
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 3,490 employees, $34,810 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 3,300 employees, $36,210 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 2,850 employees, $35,670 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,720 employees, $37,860 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers in 2023 was 195,360 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Skills
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Active Listening, Time Management, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers include Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Speech Recognition, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
Daily Activities
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.
About
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
The average yearly wage for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers was $39,818 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-6011 - Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers reports an average salary of $39,818.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 195,360 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.