Building custodian vs custodian

The differences between building custodians and custodians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a custodian has an average salary of $30,176, which is higher than the $28,125 average annual salary of a building custodian.

The top three skills for a building custodian include GRASS, building floors and ladders. The most important skills for a custodian are cleanliness, work ethic, and customer service.

Building custodian vs custodian overview

	Building Custodian	Custodian
Yearly salary	$28,125	$30,176
Hourly rate	$13.52	$14.51
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	36,128	47,364
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Building custodian vs custodian salary

Building custodians and custodians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Custodian	Custodian
Average salary	$28,125	$30,176
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $36,000	Between $23,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Lawrence, MA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Government	Education

Differences between building custodian and custodian education

There are a few differences between a building custodian and a custodian in terms of educational background:

	Building Custodian	Custodian
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Building custodian vs custodian demographics

Here are the differences between building custodians' and custodians' demographics:

	Building Custodian	Custodian
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1%	Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between building custodian and custodian duties and responsibilities

Building custodian example responsibilities.

Use of floor scrubbers and carpet machine.s.
Clean all bathrooms including fixtures, urinals, toilets, washbowls and wall tiles.
Sweep all floors, scrub interior and exterior surfaces including underside lips of commodes, urinals and wash basins.
Maintain a positive accountability for cleanliness for a secure government building.
Perform mechanical repairs and services to plumbing, electrical, mechanical systems and large rotating equipment including refrigeration systems.
Perform emergencies work requests, schedule and unschedule maintenance program, emergencies and coordinate special projects as directed.

Custodian example responsibilities.

Operate janitorial equipment including: vacuum cleaners, floor scrubbers, carpet cleaners, presser washers, leaf blowers, etc.
Fill in for custodians when they need off, clean schools, mow grass, salt lots.
Rake leaves, cut and water grass.
Clean windows, glass partitions, or mirrors, with sponges, or squeegees.
Strip and wax floors, clean windows, replace burnt-out light bulbs and ballasts.
Clean and perform preventative maintenance on all mechanical equipment (HVAC & ventilation systems).

Building custodian vs custodian skills

Common building custodian skills

GRASS, 10%
Building Floors, 9%
Ladders, 6%
Light Fixtures, 6%
Cleanliness, 6%
Building Maintenance, 5%

Common custodian skills

Cleanliness, 13%
Work Ethic, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Building Floors, 6%
Minor Maintenance, 5%
Ladders, 3%

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Building and Grounds Maintenance Industry
Building Custodian
Building Custodian vs Custodian

Updated January 8, 2025

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