SalaryExplorer

SOC 53-7061 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment — Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem, NC · 10 metro areas compared

$29,580 /year
$14.22per hour
710jobs in area
−17.4%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Winston-Salem, NC is $29,580 a year, trailing the national median of $35,830 by 17.4%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $35,83010TH$21,63025TH$25,360MEDIAN$29,58075TH$36,86090TH$42,850

How pay has moved

$31,185$21,5552019202020212022202320242025$29,580
$23,890 in 2019 to $29,580 in 2025, +23.8% 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 Winston-Salem, NC.

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

Median pay for this occupation in Winston-Salem, NC is $29,580 a year, trailing the national median of $35,830 by 17.4%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $25,360 and $36,860. The lowest tenth earn under $21,630, while the highest tenth earn more than $42,850.

The area has 710 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.06 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Durham records the highest median at $35,580. Of the 468 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 450th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Winston-Salem, NC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$21,630−39.6%
25th$25,360−29.2%
Median (50th)$29,580−17.4%
75th$36,860+2.9%
90th$42,850+19.6%
Mean$31,210−12.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in North Carolina

Median annual wage for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Durham$35,580330
2Raleigh$35,1902,030
3Asheville$34,540380
4Goldsboro$34,470150
5Hickory$33,930450
6Wilmington$31,950570
7Charlotte$31,2604,220
8Fayetteville$31,230240
9Greensboro$31,2001,090
10Greenville$29,690180

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Winston-Salem run 8.0% below the national average, so the median of $29,580 goes as far as $32,152 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 10.3% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$29,580as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$32,152US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $29,580 a year, 17.4% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $21,630 to $42,850 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 710 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Durham, at $35,580.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment in Winston-Salem, NC?

The median annual wage is $29,580, or $14.22 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 Winston-Salem, NC is 17.4% 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 Winston-Salem, NC earns more than $42,850 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $21,630 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 Durham, at $35,580 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 710 jobs in this occupation in Winston-Salem, NC. 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.