Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for laundry and dry-cleaning workerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Colorado$44,750
- District of Columbia$41,690
- Washington$41,240
- California$39,750
- Oregon$39,460
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Mississippi$27,550
- Louisiana$27,880
- Alabama$28,840
- Arkansas$28,870
- Oklahoma$29,090
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | $44,750 | $37,680 | $22 | +28.2% | 3,370 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $41,690 | $37,790 | $20 | +19.4% | 320 |
| 3 | Washington | $41,240 | $39,590 | $20 | +18.1% | 3,870 |
| 4 | California | $39,750 | $37,790 | $19 | +13.8% | 21,940 |
| 5 | Oregon | $39,460 | $37,800 | $19 | +13% | 1,890 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $39,050 | $35,690 | $19 | +11.8% | 1,730 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $38,590 | $37,580 | $19 | +10.5% | 3,530 |
| 8 | Vermont | $38,570 | $37,300 | $19 | +10.5% | 280 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $38,160 | $37,490 | $18 | +9.3% | 3,700 |
| 10 | Maine | $38,010 | $37,380 | $18 | +8.8% | 820 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $37,940 | $37,470 | $18 | +8.6% | 840 |
| 12 | New York | $37,780 | $35,050 | $18 | +8.2% | 13,020 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $37,750 | $36,860 | $18 | +8.1% | 890 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $37,620 | $37,230 | $18 | +7.7% | 650 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $37,400 | $36,310 | $18 | +7.1% | 1,830 |
| 16 | Nevada | $37,230 | $36,210 | $18 | +6.6% | 4,540 |
| 17 | Montana | $36,730 | $36,250 | $18 | +5.2% | 1,030 |
| 18 | Alaska | $36,650 | $36,050 | $18 | +5% | 750 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $36,460 | $36,050 | $18 | +4.4% | 6,110 |
| 20 | Arizona | $36,380 | $36,500 | $17 | +4.2% | 4,290 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $35,730 | $34,790 | $17 | +2.3% | 1,060 |
| 22 | Illinois | $35,630 | $35,220 | $17 | +2% | 8,550 |
| 23 | Michigan | $35,530 | $35,100 | $17 | +1.7% | 4,970 |
| 24 | Utah | $35,470 | $35,690 | $17 | +1.6% | 1,470 |
| 25 | Maryland | $35,340 | $34,710 | $17 | +1.2% | 3,780 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $35,120 | $35,700 | $17 | +0.6% | 3,310 |
| 27 | Delaware | $34,860 | $33,730 | $17 | -0.2% | 710 |
| 28 | Missouri | $34,370 | $33,870 | $17 | -1.6% | 3,930 |
| 29 | Idaho | $34,330 | $35,140 | $17 | -1.7% | 1,350 |
| 30 | Iowa | $34,170 | $34,050 | $16 | -2.1% | 1,900 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $33,770 | $34,060 | $16 | -3.3% | 6,290 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $33,710 | $32,780 | $16 | -3.5% | 750 |
| 33 | Florida | $33,240 | $32,340 | $16 | -4.8% | 14,150 |
| 34 | Virginia | $32,730 | $32,140 | $16 | -6.3% | 4,900 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $32,660 | $33,220 | $16 | -6.5% | 5,730 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $32,410 | $31,920 | $16 | -7.2% | 5,570 |
| 37 | Ohio | $32,240 | $30,520 | $16 | -7.7% | 6,990 |
| 38 | Indiana | $31,970 | $30,930 | $15 | -8.4% | 3,190 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $31,960 | $30,850 | $15 | -8.5% | 1,320 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $31,530 | $28,630 | $15 | -9.7% | 690 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $31,520 | $30,470 | $15 | -9.7% | 3,160 |
| 42 | Texas | $31,190 | $29,630 | $15 | -10.7% | 17,030 |
| 43 | Kansas | $31,080 | $30,120 | $15 | -11% | 2,160 |
| 44 | Georgia | $30,650 | $30,580 | $15 | -12.2% | 5,150 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $30,280 | $28,970 | $15 | -13.3% | 1,340 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $29,840 | $29,220 | $14 | -14.5% | 2,350 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $29,090 | $28,170 | $14 | -16.7% | 2,680 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $28,870 | $28,460 | $14 | -17.3% | 1,640 |
| 49 | Alabama | $28,840 | $28,370 | $14 | -17.4% | 2,150 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $27,880 | $27,460 | $13 | -20.2% | 2,950 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $27,550 | $27,190 | $13 | -21.1% | 1,420 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 494 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $44,410 | $45,310 | 810 |
| 2 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $43,610 | $43,040 | 2,140 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $43,310 | $44,360 | 2,040 |
| 4 | Napa, CA | $42,600 | $43,190 | 160 |
| 5 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $41,080 | $41,560 | 260 |
| 6 | Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $40,370 | $42,300 | 350 |
| 7 | Bismarck, ND | $39,760 | $39,450 | 170 |
| 8 | Vallejo, CA | $39,680 | $40,690 | 200 |
| 9 | Boulder, CO | $39,430 | $41,240 | 160 |
| 10 | Bellingham, WA | $39,320 | $39,570 | 210 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing laundry and dry-cleaning workerss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $54,020 | $48,670 | 1,110 |
| 2 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, State Government Owned | $50,280 | $52,060 | 120 |
| 3 | State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $48,710 | $46,420 | 1,600 |
| 4 | Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | $44,970 | $47,790 | 880 |
| 5 | Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | $44,970 | $47,790 | 880 |
| 6 | Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | $43,800 | $41,770 | 40 |
| 7 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | $43,410 | $41,560 | 250 |
| 8 | Food Manufacturing | $42,620 | $41,070 | 290 |
| 9 | Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | $42,460 | $41,800 | — |
| 10 | Vocational Rehabilitation Services | $42,090 | $37,260 | 350 |
| 11 | Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS | $40,270 | $42,300 | 3,790 |
| 12 | Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS | $40,270 | $42,300 | 3,790 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do laundry and dry-cleaning workers make in the U.S.?
The median laundry and dry-cleaning workers salary in the United States is $34,890 per year (mean $34,920), and about 80% earn between $27,440 and $43,190.
How much do laundry and dry-cleaning workers make per hour?
Roughly $17 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $34,920 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays laundry and dry-cleaning workers the most?
Colorado has the highest average pay for laundry and dry-cleaning workers at $44,750 per year (median $37,680).
What is the job outlook for laundry and dry-cleaning workers?
Employment is projected to change +5.4% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 31,900 openings per year.