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Janitor vs maintenance person

The differences between janitors and maintenance people can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a maintenance person has an average salary of $33,656, which is higher than the $27,954 average annual salary of a janitor.

The top three skills for a janitor include building floors, cleanliness and patients. The most important skills for a maintenance person are cleanliness, HVAC, and delivery truck.

Janitor vs maintenance person overview

JanitorMaintenance Person
Yearly salary$27,954$33,656
Hourly rate$13.44$16.18
Growth rate4%5%
Number of jobs57,146122,946
Job satisfaction3.67-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 56%High School Diploma, 46%
Average age4947
Years of experience-4

What does a janitor do?

Janitors are primarily responsible for maintaining the sanitation and cleanliness of the workspace. They are in charge of sweeping and mopping floors, wiping surfaces, and ensuring that the area they are assigned to is properly sanitized. They manage the inventory of supplies and ensure that they would never run out of cleaning supplies by properly tracking the usage of each material. Some skilled janitors are also responsible for doing minor repairs to different office equipment and fixtures. They also help in company event setups and cleanups, as well as in liaising tasks that the office might need.

What does a maintenance person do?

The duties of a maintenance person depend on one's line of work or place of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections within an establishment, performing necessary repairs and corrective measures on wirings or machines, installing devices, and responding to any inquiries or concerns. Moreover, there are also instances where they have to clean their work areas, organize their tools and equipment, and diagnose issues. Should there be any problems, it is essential to report to the manager or supervisor right away.

Janitor vs maintenance person salary

Janitors and maintenance people have different pay scales, as shown below.

JanitorMaintenance Person
Average salary$27,954$33,656
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $35,000Between $25,000 And $44,000
Highest paying CityLexington, MASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsAlaska
Best paying companyArgonne National LaboratoryIDEX
Best paying industryHospitalityTechnology

Differences between janitor and maintenance person education

There are a few differences between a janitor and a maintenance person in terms of educational background:

JanitorMaintenance Person
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 56%High School Diploma, 46%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Janitor vs maintenance person demographics

Here are the differences between janitors' and maintenance people' demographics:

JanitorMaintenance Person
Average age4947
Gender ratioMale, 63.1% Female, 36.9%Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 4.4% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 4.6% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage5%2%

Differences between janitor and maintenance person duties and responsibilities

Janitor example responsibilities.

  • Clean private residents entire home, floors, windows, using soapy water and other cleaners, sponges, and squeegees.
  • Use of floor extractors machine to strip, scrub, wax, and buff floors.
  • Wash windows and mirrors, tables and counter tops using window cleaner and cloths or paper, sponges, squeegees.
  • Organize supplies such as broom, mop, sponges, cleaning supplies, etc.
  • Used solvent, such as carbon dioxide, rags, brushes, pads, and sponges.
  • Dust and vacuums shred rooms and personal cubicle areas.
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Maintenance person example responsibilities.

  • Conduct operation procedures and manage cleanliness.
  • Assist management in achieving and maintaining outstanding interior and exterior restaurant cleanliness and maintaining restaurant equipment.
  • Demonstrate and enforce knowledge of OSHA standards and safety requirements relate to the installation of electrical systems.
  • Process and respond to maintenance requests, and escalate specialized requests to electrical, plumbing, and HVAC technicians.
  • Coordinate projects include laminate work, framing, trim work, and sheetrock.
  • Maintain the entire grounds (mowing in the summer to plowing in the winter).
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Janitor vs maintenance person skills

Common janitor skills
  • Building Floors, 12%
  • Cleanliness, 12%
  • Patients, 9%
  • Window Sills, 6%
  • Commercial Cleaning, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
Common maintenance person skills
  • Cleanliness, 39%
  • HVAC, 33%
  • Delivery Truck, 11%
  • Fryers, 9%
  • Light Bulbs, 7%
  • Plumbing, 0%

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