Building custodian vs sanitation worker

The differences between building custodians 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 $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 sanitation worker are cleanliness, pallet jack, and food safety.

Building custodian vs sanitation worker overview

	Building Custodian	Sanitation Worker
Yearly salary	$28,125	$33,159
Hourly rate	$13.52	$15.94
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	36,128	27,943
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 61%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Building custodian vs sanitation worker salary

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

	Building Custodian	Sanitation Worker
Average salary	$28,125	$33,159
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $36,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Lawrence, MA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Michigan State University
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between building custodian and sanitation worker education

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

	Building Custodian	Sanitation Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Building custodian vs sanitation worker demographics

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

	Building Custodian	Sanitation Worker
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
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, 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 custodian and sanitation worker 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.

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 custodian vs sanitation worker skills

Common building custodian skills

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

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 and Grounds Maintenance Industry
Building Custodian
Building Custodian vs Sanitation Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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