Occupations · Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 37-2012.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 109% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $43,090 | 42,610 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $41,600 | 34,320 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | $45,850 | 20,240 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $33,210 | 19,840 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $36,520 | 19,800 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $31,630 | 17,440 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $34,090 | 16,750 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $36,180 | 16,610 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $36,810 | 15,560 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $30,010 | 13,940 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $45,670 | 13,510 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $38,850 | 11,050 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
- Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts.
- Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.
- Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operated sterilizers.
- Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas.
- Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.
- Observe precautions required to protect hotel and guest property and report damage, theft, and found articles to supervisors.
- Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.
- Sort, count, and mark clean linens and store them in linen closets.
- Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers.
- Sort clothing and other articles, load washing machines, and iron and fold dried items.
- Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2020-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2020-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 5
No longer listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| domestic cleaner | 9111.1 | exact |
| domestic housekeeper | 5152.2 | close |
| room attendant | 9112.4 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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