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The differences between industrial 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 $28,367 average annual salary of an industrial cleaner.
The top three skills for an industrial cleaner include industrial cleaning, building floors and safety procedures. The most important skills for a sanitation worker are cleanliness, pallet jack, and food safety.
| Industrial Cleaner | Sanitation Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $28,367 | $33,159 |
| Hourly rate | $13.64 | $15.94 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 79,374 | 27,943 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 61% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Although often seen as insignificant and overlooked, cleaners are a major part of any industry. An industrial cleaner generally ensures that a work environment is conducive for the staff working in the building. They typically clean bathrooms, floors, tiles, carpets, desks, and other specific areas using various cleaning equipment, such as mops and vacuum cleaners. They are also tasked with the prompt removal and disposal of wastebaskets. Cleaning tasks might have to be repeated several times during the day, depending on organizational instructions.
A sanitation worker is employed to carry out valuable community tasks like garbage collection, hauling, and disposal. Sanitation workers take responsibility for the cleanliness and maintenance of the community. They ride or drive garbage trucks to collect trash from businesses and residents every day. They may work within companies as well following their respective corporate policies. One can become a sanitation worker if they have a college degree, high school degree, or any relevant job experience.
Industrial cleaners and sanitation workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Cleaner | Sanitation Worker | |
| Average salary | $28,367 | $33,159 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $26,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Star Tribune | Michigan State University |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Government |
There are a few differences between an industrial cleaner and a sanitation worker in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Cleaner | Sanitation Worker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between industrial cleaners' and sanitation workers' demographics:
| Industrial Cleaner | Sanitation Worker | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 4.8% White, 62.8% 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% |