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The differences between janitors and porters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a porter has an average salary of $29,861, 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 porter are excellent guest, dexterity, and customer service.
| Janitor | Porter | |
| Yearly salary | $27,954 | $29,861 |
| Hourly rate | $13.44 | $14.36 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 57,146 | 87,777 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.67 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 56% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A porter is responsible for managing the building's cleanliness and orderliness, together with the cleaning maintenance team. Duties of a porter include ensuring the premises' safety, operating cleaning tools and equipment, and performing basic troubleshooting for defective machines. Other tasks include assisting visitors with their inquiries, leading clients to the appropriate departments, adhering to the highest safety standards and procedures, and answering maintenance calls. A porter must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to ensure daily smooth operations.
Janitors and porters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Janitor | Porter | |
| Average salary | $27,954 | $29,861 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $35,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lexington, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Argonne National Laboratory | Community Housing Innovations |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Retail |
There are a few differences between a janitor and a porter in terms of educational background:
| Janitor | Porter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 56% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between janitors' and porters' demographics:
| Janitor | Porter | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.7% Asian, 4.9% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |