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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
157,400 1.3 % $ 13.38 $ 27,830 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 9.97 $ 11.08 $ 13.63 $ 14.34 $ 17.45
Annual Wage (2) $ 20,740 $ 23,040 $ 28,350 $ 29,820 $ 36,300


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 79,230 34.32 $ 13.29 $ 27,630
Traveler Accommodation 25,570 1.86 $ 13.00 $ 27,030
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 18,920 1.34 $ 12.70 $ 26,420
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 6,920 0.12 $ 15.58 $ 32,400
Employment Services 4,540 0.13 $ 12.48 $ 25,970

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 79,230 34.32 $ 13.29 $ 27,630
Traveler Accommodation 25,570 1.86 $ 13.00 $ 27,030
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 18,920 1.34 $ 12.70 $ 26,420
Rooming and Boarding Houses 60 0.67 $ 12.15 $ 25,280
Facilities Support Services 930 0.56 $ 12.36 $ 25,710

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) 980 0.05 $ 18.83 $ 39,160
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 1,270 0.06 $ 18.02 $ 37,470
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 200 0.04 $ 16.45 $ 34,220
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 270 0.01 $ 15.79 $ 32,850
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 240 0.09 $ 15.76 $ 32,780


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.



Map of employment of laundry and dry-cleaning workers by state, May 2021


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 12,340 0.75 0.67 $ 16.32 $ 33,950
Texas 11,920 0.98 0.87 $ 12.02 $ 24,990
Florida 11,740 1.36 1.22 $ 12.13 $ 25,230
New York 10,970 1.26 1.13 $ 15.53 $ 32,300
Ohio 6,210 1.19 1.07 $ 12.46 $ 25,920


Map of location quotient of laundry and dry-cleaning workers by state, May 2021


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)
Rhode Island 1,020 2.24 2.00 $ 14.26 $ 29,650
Hawaii 1,180 2.15 1.92 $ 14.95 $ 31,100
Alaska 610 2.08 1.86 $ 14.65 $ 30,470
Wyoming 480 1.84 1.65 $ 12.89 $ 26,810
Montana 820 1.74 1.56 $ 13.18 $ 27,420


Map of annual mean wages of laundry and dry-cleaning workers by state, May 2021


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)
California 12,340 0.75 0.67 $ 16.32 $ 33,950
District of Columbia 170 0.25 0.23 $ 16.27 $ 33,830
Washington 2,430 0.76 0.68 $ 16.24 $ 33,790
Vermont 290 1.01 0.90 $ 15.55 $ 32,340
New York 10,970 1.26 1.13 $ 15.53 $ 32,300



Map of employment of laundry and dry-cleaning workers by area, May 2021


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 11,540 1.33 1.19 $ 15.46 $ 32,160
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 4,680 0.82 0.73 $ 16.10 $ 33,490
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 4,460 1.05 0.94 $ 14.05 $ 29,220
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,660 1.49 1.34 $ 12.12 $ 25,210
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 3,100 1.20 1.07 $ 15.20 $ 31,620
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,960 0.82 0.74 $ 12.11 $ 25,190
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,560 0.88 0.79 $ 12.23 $ 25,440
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,440 0.83 0.74 $ 14.74 $ 30,650
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,240 0.84 0.76 $ 13.85 $ 28,810
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 2,180 1.73 1.55 $ 13.61 $ 28,320


Map of location quotient of laundry and dry-cleaning workers by area, May 2021


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)
Twin Falls, ID 200 4.37 3.92 $ 13.49 $ 28,060
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 260 4.00 3.58 $ 15.77 $ 32,810
Pueblo, CO 230 3.73 3.34 $ 13.53 $ 28,150
Flagstaff, AZ 210 3.68 3.29 $ 15.28 $ 31,770
Morgantown, WV 210 3.34 2.99 $ 11.31 $ 23,520
New Bedford, MA 190 3.15 2.82 $ 14.25 $ 29,650
Grand Junction, CO 180 2.89 2.59 $ 14.23 $ 29,590
Pine Bluff, AR 80 2.81 2.52 $ 12.42 $ 25,820
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 470 2.67 2.39 $ 11.78 $ 24,500
Ocean City, NJ 100 2.66 2.38 $ 13.75 $ 28,590


Map of annual mean wages of laundry and dry-cleaning workers by area, May 2021


Top paying metropolitan areas for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,500 0.67 0.60 $ 18.63 $ 38,740
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 450 0.43 0.38 $ 18.41 $ 38,290
Santa Rosa, CA 140 0.75 0.67 $ 17.16 $ 35,690
Napa, CA 60 0.89 0.80 $ 17.14 $ 35,640
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,340 0.70 0.63 $ 16.93 $ 35,220
Salinas, CA 170 1.02 0.91 $ 16.36 $ 34,020
Boulder, CO 90 0.49 0.44 $ 16.32 $ 33,950
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 60 0.49 0.44 $ 16.25 $ 33,810
Fresno, CA 340 0.90 0.80 $ 16.13 $ 33,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 4,680 0.82 0.73 $ 16.10 $ 33,490

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 640 1.71 1.53 $ 11.37 $ 23,650
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 450 1.44 1.29 $ 11.96 $ 24,870
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 380 3.26 2.92 $ 15.91 $ 33,100
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area 380 3.43 3.07 $ 14.30 $ 29,740
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 370 2.77 2.48 $ 11.27 $ 23,440

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area 380 3.43 3.07 $ 14.30 $ 29,740
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 380 3.26 2.92 $ 15.91 $ 33,100
Northeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 290 3.22 2.88 $ 11.09 $ 23,070
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 370 2.77 2.48 $ 11.27 $ 23,440
Northeast South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 250 2.67 2.39 $ 9.87 $ 20,530

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 90 1.59 1.42 $ 16.05 $ 33,390
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 80 0.82 0.74 $ 15.96 $ 33,190
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 380 3.26 2.92 $ 15.91 $ 33,100
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 130 1.35 1.21 $ 15.78 $ 32,830
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 60 1.03 0.92 $ 15.68 $ 32,610


About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022