Building cleaner vs sanitation worker

The differences between building cleaners and sanitation workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sanitation worker has an average salary of $33,159, which is higher than the $27,481 average annual salary of a building cleaner.

The top three skills for a building cleaner include polish furniture, clean bathrooms and cleanliness. The most important skills for a sanitation worker are cleanliness, pallet jack, and food safety.

Building cleaner vs sanitation worker overview

	Building Cleaner	Sanitation Worker
Yearly salary	$27,481	$33,159
Hourly rate	$13.21	$15.94
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	48,271	27,943
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 61%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Building cleaner vs sanitation worker salary

Building cleaners and sanitation workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Cleaner	Sanitation Worker
Average salary	$27,481	$33,159
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Robbinsdale Area Schools	Michigan State University
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between building cleaner and sanitation worker education

There are a few differences between a building cleaner and a sanitation worker in terms of educational background:

	Building Cleaner	Sanitation Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Building cleaner vs sanitation worker demographics

Here are the differences between building cleaners' and sanitation workers' demographics:

	Building Cleaner	Sanitation Worker
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 4.8% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 4.9% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between building cleaner and sanitation worker duties and responsibilities

Building cleaner example responsibilities.

Maintain cleanliness of all floors in apartment building, sweeping and mopping.
Respond appropriately to the physical, emotional and developmental needs of patients.
Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operate sterilizers.

Sanitation worker example responsibilities.

Operate a forklift for logistic, to manage and relocate BMW's fixture material.
Use power equipment such as floor sweepers, vacuums, scrubbers, mops, power washers.
Maintain cleanliness of entire facility according to OSHA and FDA regulations
Drive heavy equipment with CDL'S.
Train on (loto) lockout tag out
Landscape work including edging, mulching and mowing.

Building cleaner vs sanitation worker skills

Common building cleaner skills

Polish Furniture, 14%
Clean Bathrooms, 13%
Cleanliness, 13%
Clean Windows, 11%
Hot Water, 7%
Bathroom Fixtures, 7%

Common sanitation worker skills

Cleanliness, 14%
Pallet Jack, 13%
Food Safety, 11%
Safety Standards, 9%
Production Equipment, 5%
Safety Procedures, 4%

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Building Cleaner vs Sanitation Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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