SalaryExplorer

SOC 37-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners — Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN-GA · 9 metro areas compared

$31,760 /year
$15.27per hour
4,140jobs in area
−13.8%vs US median

The median wage for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Chattanooga, TN is $31,760 per year, 13.8% below the national median of $36,840.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $36,84010TH$27,970MEDIAN$31,76075TH$35,47090TH$42,080

How pay has moved

$34,545$17,8352019202020212022202320242025$31,760
$20,620 in 2019 to $31,760 in 2025, +54% 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
+2.0%
Openings per year
351,300
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.

5.5% 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 Chattanooga, TN-GA.

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 for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Chattanooga, TN is $31,760 per year, 13.8% below the national median of $36,840. Pay ranges from under $27,970 at the tenth percentile to more than $42,080 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $29,080 to $35,470.

Employment stands at 4,140, or 15.4 jobs per thousand held locally. Nashville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $36,130. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 427th of 466 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Chattanooga, TN-GA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$27,970−24.1%
25th$29,080−21.1%
Median (50th)$31,760−13.8%
75th$35,470−3.7%
90th$42,080+14.2%
Mean$33,610−8.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Tennessee

Median annual wage for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Nashville$36,1309,940
2Clarksville$34,9901,170
3Jackson$33,900740
4Morristown$32,820410
5Memphis$32,5808,070
6Knoxville$31,2007,150
7Kingsport$31,0701,540
8Johnson City$30,420950
9Cleveland$29,450—

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Chattanooga run 8.5% below the national average, so the median of $31,760 goes as far as $34,710 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.8% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$31,760as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$34,710US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $31,760 a year, 13.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $27,970 to $42,080 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 4,140 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Nashville, at $36,130.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Chattanooga, TN?

The median annual wage is $31,760, or $15.27 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 $36,840, so pay in Chattanooga, TN is 13.8% 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 Chattanooga, TN earns more than $42,080 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $27,970 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 Nashville, at $36,130 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 4,140 jobs in this occupation in Chattanooga, TN. 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.