How Much Do Window Cleaners Make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) files window cleaners with janitors and counts employees only, and 5% of that wider group work for themselves. A one-person janitorial services business, window cleaners included, grosses less than the employee median, and that is before supplies, insurance and vehicle costs.
We found no window cleaner who published a full year's income without also selling courses or a paid community, so this page uses official figures and published prices. Below are three figures side by side, a tool that looks up pay by ZIP code, and a calculator for your own jobs.
Which of these you would be depends on whether you draw an hourly wage or price your own jobs.
Employed cleaners in Seattle earn a median of $46,490, against $36,840 nationally
Every US ZIP code is matched to a figure: all 528 BLS areas publish a median for this group, and Census publishes one-person janitorial services receipts for 3,079 counties. The tool says which it shows.
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 37-2011, by area, employees only; Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 56172, by county (Census publishes janitorial services at five digits), published for 3,079 counties, before costs and tax; Census ZIP-to-county file; USDA rural-urban codes. The calculator uses the area's employee pay level for job prices because no agency publishes self-employed pay by area. The lookup runs in your browser. It loads a small file for the first three digits of your ZIP code from this site and sends nothing else.
Massachusetts pays employed cleaners a median of $45,580; Mississippi pays $28,380
The table shows the national figure, the highest and lowest five states by employee median, and other large states. The first column leaves out the self-employed. The second shows what one-person businesses gross before costs.
| State | Employed janitors and cleaners, median a year (BLS May 2025) | One-person janitorial services business, average gross (Census 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $36,840 | $21,483 |
| Highest five | ||
| Massachusetts | $45,580 | $35,335 |
| Washington | $45,520 | $27,792 |
| New York | $41,640 | $18,135 |
| California | $41,090 | $24,308 |
| Vermont | $40,910 | $23,131 |
| Lowest five | ||
| Mississippi | $28,380 | $15,507 |
| Louisiana | $28,930 | $16,457 |
| Arkansas | $29,750 | $17,009 |
| Alabama | $30,620 | $17,511 |
| West Virginia | $30,980 | $14,409 |
| Most people employed in this job | ||
| Texas | $33,010 | $19,173 |
| Florida | $34,490 | $21,558 |
| Illinois | $37,810 | $20,675 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,520 | $20,901 |
| Ohio | $35,900 | $20,031 |
| New Jersey | $37,630 | $23,544 |
First column: BLS OEWS May 2025 state medians for SOC 37-2011, employees only; BLS groups window cleaners with janitors. Second column: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 56172, average gross receipts of businesses with no paid employees. Census receipts are before expenses and cover all janitorial services, not window cleaning alone.
A one-person janitorial services business grosses $21,483, below the $36,840 employee median
Two official surveys cover this work, and they count different people. BLS surveys employees and leaves out the self-employed. Census counts businesses with no employees and reports what they gross, across all janitorial services and before costs. Neither number can be taken from the other.
What owners with crews take home is not public, and we found no trade body figure. The calculator below shows what filling more days would gross.
Work out what a year of window cleaning jobs brings in before tax
Put in your own price, jobs, days and weeks. Nothing in the boxes is a measured figure: every default is an example to change.
- Job income in a year$42,240
- Your share$42,240
- Card fees− $1,267
Checked November 2026. Supplies, insurance and vehicle costs are not deducted, so subtract your own costs. Jobs, days and weeks are examples. With a ZIP code, price follows that area's pay level.
The IRS lists window washers in private homes as a tipped job, entry 407
The IRS list is the firmest fact available on tips in this work. It names window washers in private homes, and it files them under a different job code from the one the pay figures on this page use.
Entry 407 reads "Home cleaning service workers. Perform cleaning duties in private households. House cleaner, pool cleaner, carpet cleaner, window washer 37-2012". That code is Maids and housekeeping cleaners, with a median of $35,510 for employees (BLS, May 2025). BLS pay for window cleaners sits under 37-2011, so the pay code and the tip code differ. Janitors are not on the list, so storefront and office work is not covered by that entry.
Employees and the self-employed can both claim it, and the tips must be voluntary. The deduction phases out above $150,000 of modified adjusted gross income, or $300,000 on a joint return. For the self-employed, it cannot exceed the net income of the business.
The IRS says the report is due by the 10th of the next month.
The Concord, North Carolina technician post mentions tips and commission, but one job post is not a survey.
The lowest-paid tenth of employed cleaners earn under $28,640
BLS reports $28,640 a year at the 10th percentile and $32,240 at the 25th for employed janitors and cleaners. These are the closest official figures for a new window cleaner, and they cover employees only.
BLS gives this as the typical entry requirement for the whole janitors and building cleaners group, which is wider than window cleaners.
The projection covers all janitors and building cleaners, 2,432,600 jobs in 2025.
The Fish Window Cleaning franchisee's post is for full-time work, Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm. Pay is performance-based, and the top of the range is reachable 6 to 8 months after training. This is one franchisee's opening.
We found no state that licenses window cleaning as a trade in the rules we read, but some cities and states regulate parts of the work. St. Paul's Window Cleaning License applies to "the cleaning of outside windows located above the first floor through the use of ladders, scaffolding lifts, or any other similar device". It does not apply to one or two-family dwellings, and it expires one year from issue. Check your city.
The state says: "A small-scale residential or commercial cleaning business does not require a special permit or license from the state". Texas has no general business license, and businesses register with the Secretary of State or a county clerk.
Oregon's labor bureau lists window cleaning services under janitorial services, whose labor contractors need a license. A sole proprietor who works alone and does not recruit, supply or employ workers does not need that license. Residential house-cleaning is not counted as janitorial services.
Measured by us in November 2026. Window cleaning courses and training drew 43 phrasings, plus 15 that name a place; we measured that row and left it off the chart.
Window cleaner pay questions
If you run your own window cleaning route, let customers book and pay online between jobs.
Set up your services and prices once, then share one booking link with every customer.
- A booking page that works as the link in your bio.
- Each service with its own length and price, like a residential window clean, a storefront visit or screen cleaning.
- A deposit at booking, or a card on file for later.
- Tap to Pay on iPhone, to take a card in person.
Sources
Where every number on this page comes from, by publisher and date. Each price list is one company's own page, and the two together are not a survey.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (37-2011), national, state and area, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026-05-15 Employees only; the self-employed are not surveyed. Window cleaners are filed with janitors. Coverage: all 528 BLS areas. The same release gives the 37-2012 median quoted in the tips section.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Janitors and Building Cleaners, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026-11-08 Last modified August 27, 2026. Covers the whole group, which is wider than window cleaners.
- Nonemployer Statistics 2024: Janitorial Services (NAICS 56172), national, state and county, U.S. Census Bureau, 2026-09-29 Gross receipts of businesses with no paid employees, before costs and tax. House, office and window cleaning are counted together. Published for 3,079 counties.
- Occupations that customarily and regularly received tips on or before December 31, 2024, Internal Revenue Service, 2026-11-08 Treasury Tipped Occupation Code entry 407. Janitors (37-2011) are not on the list.
- One Big Beautiful Bill Act: tax deductions for working Americans and seniors (no tax on tips), Internal Revenue Service, 2026-11-09 Qualified tips deductible for 2025 through 2028, up to $25,000; for the self-employed no more than net income from the trade; phases out above $150,000 of modified AGI ($300,000 joint); tips must be voluntary.
- Topic no. 761, Tips: withholding and reporting, Internal Revenue Service, 2026-11-09 Employees who receive $20 or more in cash tips in a calendar month report them to the employer by the 10th of the following month.
- Stripe pricing, standard US card rate, Stripe, 2026-10-25 The card processor kiwilaunch uses; quoted for the 3% card fee in the calculator.
- Window cleaning technician job post, Concord, North Carolina, ED FISH LLC, a Fish Window Cleaning franchisee, 2026-11-09 One franchisee's opening, not company-wide pay.
- Window Cleaning License, St. Paul, Minnesota, City of St. Paul, 2026-11-08 Covers outside windows above the first floor; does not apply to one or two-family dwellings.
- Business permit frequently asked questions, State of Texas, 2026-11-08 States that a small-scale cleaning business needs no special state permit or license.
- Property services and janitorial labor contractors, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, 2026-11-08 Lists window cleaning services under janitorial services and sets out who needs a labor contractor license.
- Commercial window cleaning prices, Conway, Arkansas, American Services AR, 2026-11-08 One company's own published prices. It also states $2 million aggregate general liability coverage.
- Residential window cleaning prices, St Helens, Oregon, NJM Roof Cleaners, 2026-11-08 One company's own published prices.
Not tax, legal or financial advice. Prices, pay and what you keep vary by state and city, licensing rules differ by state, and the tax rules on tips have conditions. A tax professional who knows your situation can answer for you.