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The differences between custodians and lead custodians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead custodian has an average salary of $32,122, which is higher than the $30,176 average annual salary of a custodian.
The top three skills for a custodian include cleanliness, work ethic and customer service. The most important skills for a lead custodian are cleanliness, floor care, and safety procedures.
| Custodian | Lead Custodian | |
| Yearly salary | $30,176 | $32,122 |
| Hourly rate | $14.51 | $15.44 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 47,364 | 10,075 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A custodian, also referred to as janitor, is responsible for maintaining cleanliness and helping protect all facilities. Custodians make sure everything is clean, neat, in order, and free from clutter and safe. They perform routine maintenance tasks and heavy cleaning duties. They do everyday things to sweep floors, mop, scrub, vacuum, collect and empty trash, dust furniture, walls, and equipment. They mix solutions and chemicals in containers based on proportions for disinfecting windows, mirrors, and other partitions requiring cleaning. Some also do minor building maintenance and light repairs, while others are exposed to biohazardous materials.
A Lead Custodian supervises the custodian division to maintain cleanliness in the office, building, and property at a given time, typically in the morning and evening. They are the ones in charge of performing minor maintenance, furniture, and other office equipment. They also ensure that all assigned tasks to members are completed within the scheduled time and conducts an inventory of all the equipment and supplies. Also, they keep the security surveillance to protect the employees and staff.
Custodians and lead custodians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Custodian | Lead Custodian | |
| Average salary | $30,176 | $32,122 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $39,000 | Between $23,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | City of Roanoke, Virginia - Government |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a custodian and a lead custodian in terms of educational background:
| Custodian | Lead Custodian | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between custodians' and lead custodians' demographics:
| Custodian | Lead Custodian | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6% | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 3.2% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |