Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

51-6011 Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

Operate or tend washing or dry-cleaning machines to wash or dry-clean industrial or household articles, such as cloth garments, suede, leather, furs, blankets, draperies, linens, rugs, and carpets. Includes spotters and dyers of these articles.

National estimates for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
Industry profile for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
Geographic profile for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

National estimates for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
179,890	1.3 %	$ 12.79	$ 26,600	0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 9.20	$ 10.52	$ 12.24	$ 14.44	$ 16.98
Annual Wage (2)	$ 19,130	$ 21,890	$ 25,470	$ 30,030	$ 35,310

Industry profile for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Drycleaning and Laundry Services	91,230	35.83	$ 12.58	$ 26,170
Traveler Accommodation	28,960	1.91	$ 12.81	$ 26,630
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	20,500	1.34	$ 12.23	$ 25,440
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	6,830	0.12	$ 14.65	$ 30,460
Services to Buildings and Dwellings	6,650	0.31	$ 12.60	$ 26,200

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Drycleaning and Laundry Services	91,230	35.83	$ 12.58	$ 26,170
Traveler Accommodation	28,960	1.91	$ 12.81	$ 26,630
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	20,500	1.34	$ 12.23	$ 25,440
Rooming and Boarding Houses	80	0.78	$ 12.69	$ 26,400
Facilities Support Services	1,180	0.73	$ 12.33	$ 25,640

Top paying industries for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	1,000	0.05	$ 18.67	$ 38,840
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	1,330	0.06	$ 17.93	$ 37,300
Other Personal Services	(8)	(8)	$ 16.71	$ 34,750
Warehousing and Storage	(8)	(8)	$ 16.27	$ 33,840
Outpatient Care Centers	70	0.01	$ 16.02	$ 33,330

Geographic profile for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	13,820	0.84	0.65	$ 15.72	$ 32,710
Florida	13,610	1.61	1.25	$ 11.69	$ 24,320
Texas	12,800	1.06	0.82	$ 11.96	$ 24,870
New York	12,550	1.44	1.12	$ 14.98	$ 31,160
Illinois	7,650	1.36	1.05	$ 12.86	$ 26,740

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii	1,510	2.63	2.03	$ 15.82	$ 32,900
Rhode Island	1,130	2.54	1.96	$ 13.90	$ 28,900
Nevada	2,450	1.96	1.52	$ 12.57	$ 26,150
South Dakota	780	1.90	1.47	$ 11.95	$ 24,850
Montana	860	1.89	1.46	$ 12.62	$ 26,250

Top paying states for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia	580	0.85	0.66	$ 17.64	$ 36,680
Washington	3,390	1.06	0.82	$ 15.87	$ 33,010
Hawaii	1,510	2.63	2.03	$ 15.82	$ 32,900
California	13,820	0.84	0.65	$ 15.72	$ 32,710
Alaska	510	1.72	1.33	$ 15.06	$ 31,320

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	13,110	1.48	1.15	$ 14.54	$ 30,250
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	5,750	0.99	0.76	$ 15.32	$ 31,870
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	5,510	1.26	0.98	$ 13.24	$ 27,540
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	4,160	1.66	1.28	$ 11.60	$ 24,120
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	3,400	1.31	1.01	$ 14.50	$ 30,160
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	3,300	1.09	0.85	$ 13.88	$ 28,870
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	3,150	1.20	0.92	$ 11.15	$ 23,180
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,040	0.85	0.66	$ 11.54	$ 23,990
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	2,930	2.46	1.90	$ 12.15	$ 25,260
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	2,410	1.36	1.05	$ 13.16	$ 27,380

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI	360	5.38	4.16	$ 18.63	$ 38,750
Valdosta, GA	250	4.79	3.71	$ 10.52	$ 21,880
Enid, OK	100	4.25	3.29	$ 9.78	$ 20,350
Pueblo, CO	220	3.61	2.79	$ 12.78	$ 26,580
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	240	3.30	2.55	$ 12.44	$ 25,880
Farmington, NM	140	3.27	2.53	$ 10.58	$ 22,010
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC	510	3.27	2.53	$ 10.83	$ 22,520
St. Cloud, MN	320	3.22	2.49	$ 15.55	$ 32,340
Rapid City, SD	200	3.22	2.49	$ 11.70	$ 24,330
Pine Bluff, AR	90	3.07	2.38	$ 11.34	$ 23,590