Lead janitor vs cleaner

The differences between lead janitors and cleaners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead janitor has an average salary of $30,888, which is higher than the $28,075 average annual salary of a cleaner.

The top three skills for a lead janitor include commercial cleaning, cleanliness and routine maintenance. The most important skills for a cleaner are commercial cleaning, building floors, and ventilation.

Lead janitor vs cleaner overview

	Lead Janitor	Cleaner
Yearly salary	$30,888	$28,075
Hourly rate	$14.85	$13.50
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	17,818	74,355
Job satisfaction	5	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Lead janitor vs cleaner salary

Lead janitors and cleaners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lead Janitor	Cleaner
Average salary	$30,888	$28,075
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $42,000	Between $21,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Wegmans Food Markets	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Technology	Education

Differences between lead janitor and cleaner education

There are a few differences between a lead janitor and a cleaner in terms of educational background:

	Lead Janitor	Cleaner
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lead janitor vs cleaner demographics

Here are the differences between lead janitors' and cleaners' demographics:

	Lead Janitor	Cleaner
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6%	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between lead janitor and cleaner duties and responsibilities

Lead janitor example responsibilities.

Clean restrooms, clean mirrors and sinks, wash toilets and urinals.
Complete payroll hours for fellow employees.
Used numerous cleaning supplies and machines, including floor scrubbers
Maintain cleanliness and sanitation in to ensure the safety of staff and students.
Record and submit payroll, bookkeeping and financial audits of payroll and invoices.
Maintain floors, stripping, waxing and buffing with automatic scrubbers at various locations.

Cleaner example responsibilities.

Operate a forklift for logistic, to manage and relocate BMW's fixture material.
Remove snow from sidewalks, using snow blowers, and/or snow shovels, and spread snow melting chemicals.
Use of various equipment used for methods of cleaning areas in the school such sweepers and snow blowers.
Maintain church building and grounds by handling general maintenance including electrical and plumbing and providing custodial services
Complete weekly order for PPE.
Clean Toyota after trucks build.

Lead janitor vs cleaner skills

Common lead janitor skills

Commercial Cleaning, 24%
Cleanliness, 9%
Routine Maintenance, 9%
Glass Partitions, 7%
Ladders, 7%
OSHA, 7%

Common cleaner skills

Commercial Cleaning, 8%
Building Floors, 8%
Ventilation, 8%
Cleanliness, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Work Ethic, 6%

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Building and Grounds Maintenance Industry
Lead Janitor
Lead Janitor vs Cleaner

Updated January 8, 2025

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