SalaryExplorer

SOC 53-7061 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment — State College

State College, PA · 10 metro areas compared

$34,230 /year
$16.46per hour
110jobs in area
−4.5%vs US median

The median wage here is $34,230 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $35,830.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $35,83010TH$22,15025TH$27,500MEDIAN$34,23075TH$37,72090TH$44,490

How pay has moved

$37,095$19,9052019202020212022202320242025$34,230
$22,770 in 2019 to $34,230 in 2025, +50.3% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.9%
Openings per year
56,200
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

7.4% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for State College, PA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage here is $34,230 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $35,830. Half of workers earn between $27,500 and $37,720. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $22,150 and the ninetieth at $44,490.

The area has 110 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.64 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Gettysburg leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $40,230. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 211th of 237 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · State College, PA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$22,150−38.2%
25th$27,500−23.2%
Median (50th)$34,230−4.5%
75th$37,720+5.3%
90th$44,490+24.2%
Mean$33,400−6.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Pennsylvania

Median annual wage for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Gettysburg$40,230150
2York$36,660390
3Lebanon$36,150130
4Philadelphia$35,1605,680
5Lancaster$34,510780
6Altoona$34,480170
7Chambersburg$34,200150
8Allentown$34,120780
9Harrisburg$33,530680
10Erie$33,370250

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in State College run 3.2% below the national average, so the median of $34,230 goes as far as $35,362 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 1.3% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$34,230as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$35,362US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $34,230 a year, 4.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $22,150 to $44,490 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 110 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Gettysburg, at $40,230.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment in State College, PA?

The median annual wage is $34,230, or $16.46 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $35,830, so pay in State College, PA is 4.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in State College, PA earns more than $44,490 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $22,150 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Gettysburg, at $40,230 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 110 jobs in this occupation in State College, PA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.