Cleaning prices vary dramatically by city. A $15,000/month building in San Francisco is a $9,000/month building in Memphis — same scope, different market. Here's how to price for YOUR city.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes median janitor wages for every major metro area in the country through the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. The spread is enormous:
→ New York City: $21.44/hr median
→ San Francisco: $21.07/hr median
→ Seattle: $20.47/hr median
→ Dallas: $14.53/hr median
→ San Antonio: $13.66/hr median
→ Memphis: $14.10/hr median
That's a 57% gap between the highest and lowest major metro areas. If you price your cleaning jobs using a national average or — worse — a number you heard at a networking event, you could be 20–30% off the mark in either direction.
Your bid price is fundamentally driven by your labor cost, and labor cost is driven by what the local market pays janitors. Here's why:
If you pay below market: You can't hire or retain cleaners. Turnover in janitorial cleaning already exceeds 200% annually (ISSA data). Paying below median makes it worse.
If you pay above market: Great for retention, but your bids need to reflect the higher cost. Otherwise your margins evaporate.
The formula: Your bid price should be the fully-loaded labor cost (local wage × employer burden) multiplied by a service multiplier that covers overhead + profit. Typical multipliers range from 1.8× (budget) to 3.0× (premium).
For example, in Dallas ($14.53/hr × 1.20 burden = $17.44 loaded):
→ Budget service: $17.44 × 1.8 = $31.39/hr billed
→ Standard service: $17.44 × 2.4 = $41.86/hr billed
→ Premium service: $17.44 × 3.0 = $52.32/hr billed
Here are estimated monthly cleaning costs for a standard 10,000 sqft office cleaned 5× per week (based on BLS wages and ISSA production rates):
Highest-cost metros (monthly range):
→ New York: $3,900 – $6,500
→ San Francisco: $3,800 – $6,400
→ Boston: $3,600 – $6,000
→ Seattle: $3,700 – $6,200
Mid-cost metros:
→ Chicago: $3,100 – $5,200
→ Denver: $3,200 – $5,400
→ Portland: $3,300 – $5,500
→ Philadelphia: $3,100 – $5,100
Lower-cost metros:
→ Dallas: $2,600 – $4,400
→ Atlanta: $2,700 – $4,600
→ Memphis: $2,600 – $4,300
→ San Antonio: $2,500 – $4,100
These ranges cover budget to premium service levels. The exact price depends on building type, fixture count, scope, and frequency.
Step 1: Look up the BLS median janitor wage for your metro area. This is your baseline labor cost.
Step 2: Apply the employer burden multiplier (typically 1.20–1.40×) to get your true loaded labor rate.
Step 3: Use ISSA production rates to calculate how many labor hours the job requires.
Step 4: Multiply loaded labor hours by your service multiplier (1.8× budget, 2.4× standard, 3.0× premium).
Step 5: That's your monthly bid price. It's defensible because it's based on published government wage data and industry cleaning standards — not a guess.
This is exactly the methodology used by facility managers and bid consultants. Using BLS data in your proposal also adds credibility — you can cite the specific source to show the client your pricing is market-based.
Use our free price checker tool to see cleaning prices for your metro area. Select from 40 U.S. metros, enter your building size and cleaning frequency, and see budget/standard/premium price ranges — all based on BLS OEWS wage data.
No login required. Government-sourced data.
Try the Price Checker →We've built city-specific startup guides for 188 U.S. cities. Each guide includes local wage data, step-by-step instructions for LLC setup and insurance, and tips for landing your first accounts — all backed by BLS market data for your area.
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