Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 32.8% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.

Key Statistics

22,630
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$39,818
Average Salary

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers workforce.

Employment Over Time

22,630 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.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 21,080 employees, $39,906 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 7,250 employees, $38,754 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,310 employees, $39,767 avg wage
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 2,030 employees, $39,997 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,830 employees, $37,879 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,320 employees, $38,854 avg wage
  • San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,250 employees, $45,271 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,110 employees, $43,818 avg wage
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 850 employees, $45,451 avg wage
  • Fresno MSA: 490 employees, $37,653 avg wage
  • Stockton-Lodi MSA: 370 employees, $38,197 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 22,630 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 22,630 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.