How to read this: BLS does not track window cleaners as their own occupation. These figures cover "Building Cleaning Workers, All Other" (SOC 37-2019), which counts window cleaning work alongside related roles, so read them as the band rather than the exact number.
The average window cleaner in the United States earns $46,420 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $44,040. That works out at about $22.32 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: Massachusetts averages $66,940 and Louisiana $32,510. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a window cleaner actually does for that money
Window cleaners are counted under building cleaning workers, all other, which mixes ground-level residential work with high-rise rope access at very different rates. The high-rise side is a genuinely specialized and well-paid trade, and it is invisible inside this aggregate.
What window cleaners earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $32,370 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $37,440 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $44,040 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $50,410 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $64,030 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Window Cleaning salary by state
BLS published this occupation in only 29 states. Where too few employers report, the figure is suppressed rather than estimated, so those states are simply absent from the table below.
Massachusetts pays the most at $66,940 a year, and Louisiana the least at $32,510. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $66,940 | $60,660 | $32.18 | 160 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $66,360 | $64,480 | $31.91 | 90 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $62,050 | $65,150 | $29.83 | n/a |
| 4 | New York | $59,050 | $61,580 | $28.39 | 1,280 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $57,620 | $52,140 | $27.70 | 750 |
| 6 | Nebraska | $50,640 | $49,740 | $24.35 | n/a |
| 7 | Oregon | $49,840 | $47,310 | $23.96 | 340 |
| 8 | Indiana | $49,250 | $45,340 | $23.68 | 300 |
| 9 | Washington | $49,060 | $46,810 | $23.59 | 360 |
| 10 | Colorado | $48,810 | $47,140 | $23.47 | 690 |
| 11 | Virginia | $48,290 | $51,210 | $23.22 | 130 |
| 12 | California | $47,130 | $45,430 | $22.66 | 2,590 |
| 13 | South Carolina | $44,400 | $45,230 | $21.35 | 220 |
| 14 | Maryland | $44,080 | $43,460 | $21.19 | n/a |
| 15 | New Mexico | $43,630 | $39,780 | $20.98 | 90 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $43,450 | $41,800 | $20.89 | 90 |
| 17 | Michigan | $43,340 | $44,880 | $20.84 | 210 |
| 18 | Florida | $42,470 | $39,870 | $20.42 | 870 |
| 19 | Utah | $42,250 | $39,810 | $20.31 | 230 |
| 20 | Nevada | $42,030 | $42,040 | $20.21 | 790 |
| 21 | Montana | $42,010 | $43,700 | $20.20 | 60 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $41,990 | $42,010 | $20.19 | 60 |
| 23 | Ohio | $41,260 | $47,020 | $19.84 | 210 |
| 24 | Texas | $40,920 | $37,690 | $19.67 | 1,750 |
| 25 | Delaware | $39,870 | $38,100 | $19.17 | n/a |
| 26 | North Carolina | $38,380 | $39,180 | $18.45 | n/a |
| 27 | Georgia | $36,010 | $37,440 | $17.31 | n/a |
| 28 | Tennessee | $35,100 | $34,040 | $16.88 | 220 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $32,510 | $28,260 | $15.63 | 280 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying window cleaners the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $70,340 | $33.82 |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $62,000 | $29.81 |
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $59,410 | $28.56 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh, PA | $55,900 | $26.88 |
| 5 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $55,760 | $26.81 |
| 6 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $54,490 | $26.20 |
| 7 | Boulder, CO | $51,060 | $24.55 |
| 8 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $50,090 | $24.08 |
| 9 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $49,580 | $23.84 |
| 10 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $49,420 | $23.76 |
What moves the number
- No trade license, but high-rise and rope access work is heavily regulated and certification there is both required and well paid.
- Residential work is seasonal in cold climates; commercial storefront routes run year round and are what make the income steady.
- High-rise, rope access and post-construction cleans pay a large multiple of ground-level residential work.
- The bottom ten percent of window cleaners earn under $32,370 and the top ten percent clear $64,030. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed window cleaners on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a window cleaner wage and an owner income opens up.
Window Cleaning salary FAQs
- How much do window cleaners make a year?
- The median window cleaner in the United States earns $44,040 a year and the average is $46,420, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do window cleaners make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $22.32. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays window cleaners the most?
- Massachusetts pays the most at an average of $66,940 a year, followed by New Hampshire at $66,360 and New Jersey at $62,050. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay window cleaners the most?
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH tops the list at an average of $70,340 a year, with New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at $62,000. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can window cleaners earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $64,030. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed window cleaners?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this window cleaning salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Building Cleaning Workers, All Other" (SOC 37-2019). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
