• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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.

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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)
175,730	0.9 %	$ 14.26	$ 29,660	0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 10.61	$ 11.98	$ 13.97	$ 15.98	$ 17.79
Annual Wage (2)	$ 22,060	$ 24,910	$ 29,060	$ 33,240	$ 37,010

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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	86,070	34.99	$ 14.17	$ 29,460
Traveler Accommodation	35,430	2.10	$ 14.17	$ 29,470
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	19,360	1.44	$ 13.47	$ 28,010
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	6,830	0.12	$ 16.86	$ 35,070
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	4,520	0.51	$ 14.38	$ 29,900

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	86,070	34.99	$ 14.17	$ 29,460
Traveler Accommodation	35,430	2.10	$ 14.17	$ 29,470
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	19,360	1.44	$ 13.47	$ 28,010
Rooming and Boarding Houses	60	0.56	$ 12.90	$ 26,830
Rental and leasing services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only)	1,680	0.52	$ 13.87	$ 28,840

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)	950	0.05	$ 20.46	$ 42,560
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	1,190	0.06	$ 18.46	$ 38,390
Offices of Dentists	210	0.02	$ 18.35	$ 38,180
Other Food Manufacturing	40	0.01	$ 18.10	$ 37,650
Amusement Parks and Arcades	220	0.11	$ 18.03	$ 37,490

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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)
Texas	15,630	1.20	1.01	$ 12.44	$ 25,880
California	13,990	0.79	0.67	$ 17.28	$ 35,930
Florida	13,570	1.47	1.24	$ 13.01	$ 27,070
New York	12,320	1.35	1.14	$ 16.64	$ 34,600
Ohio	7,230	1.35	1.13	$ 13.18	$ 27,410

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	1,630	2.74	2.31	$ 16.40	$ 34,110
Montana	1,080	2.21	1.86	$ 14.25	$ 29,650
Nevada	2,790	1.98	1.66	$ 14.50	$ 30,150
Rhode Island	950	1.98	1.66	$ 14.86	$ 30,900
Alaska	580	1.90	1.60	$ 16.76	$ 34,850

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	290	0.42	0.35	$ 18.58	$ 38,650
California	13,990	0.79	0.67	$ 17.28	$ 35,930
Washington	2,640	0.78	0.65	$ 17.23	$ 35,830
Alaska	580	1.90	1.60	$ 16.76	$ 34,850
New York	12,320	1.35	1.14	$ 16.64	$ 34,600

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	12,700	1.38	1.16	$ 16.92	$ 35,190
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	4,960	0.81	0.68	$ 17.19	$ 35,760
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	4,510	1.02	0.86	$ 15.35	$ 31,920
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	4,390	1.67	1.41	$ 12.75	$ 26,530
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,810	1.00	0.84	$ 12.74	$ 26,490
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	3,790	1.40	1.18	$ 16.36	$ 34,030
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	3,330	1.09	0.92	$ 12.63	$ 26,260
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	3,010	1.11	0.93	$ 13.02	$ 27,090
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	2,770	0.91	0.77	$ 15.37	$ 31,970
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	2,440	1.31	1.10	$ 14.58	$ 30,320

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	390	5.27	4.44	$ 17.18	$ 35,730
Twin Falls, ID	210	4.46	3.76	$ 14.48	$ 30,110
New Bedford, MA	230	3.51	2.96	$ 15.14	$ 31,490
Flagstaff, AZ	210	3.41	2.87	$ 15.67	$ 32,600
Morgantown, WV	190	3.02	2.54	$ 12.49	$ 25,970
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	520	2.87	2.42	$ 12.40	$ 25,790
Pittsfield, MA	100	2.73	2.30	$ 15.36	$ 31,940
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC	470	2.71	2.28	$ 12.60	$ 26,220
Grand Junction, CO	170	2.66	2.24	$ 14.96	$ 31,120
Pine Bluff, AR	80	2.61	2.20	$ 13.39	$ 27,850