Lead janitor vs sanitation worker

The differences between lead janitors 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 $30,888 average annual salary of a lead janitor.

The top three skills for a lead janitor include commercial cleaning, cleanliness and routine maintenance. The most important skills for a sanitation worker are cleanliness, pallet jack, and food safety.

Lead janitor vs sanitation worker overview

	Lead Janitor	Sanitation Worker
Yearly salary	$30,888	$33,159
Hourly rate	$14.85	$15.94
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	17,818	27,943
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 61%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Lead janitor vs sanitation worker salary

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

	Lead Janitor	Sanitation Worker
Average salary	$30,888	$33,159
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Wegmans Food Markets	Michigan State University
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between lead janitor and sanitation worker education

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

	Lead Janitor	Sanitation Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lead janitor vs sanitation worker demographics

Here are the differences between lead janitors' and sanitation workers' demographics:

	Lead Janitor	Sanitation Worker
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
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, 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%

Differences between lead janitor and sanitation worker 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.

Sanitation worker example responsibilities.

Operate a forklift for logistic, to manage and relocate BMW's fixture material.
Use power equipment such as floor sweepers, vacuums, scrubbers, mops, power washers.
Maintain cleanliness of entire facility according to OSHA and FDA regulations
Drive heavy equipment with CDL'S.
Train on (loto) lockout tag out
Landscape work including edging, mulching and mowing.

Lead janitor vs sanitation worker skills

Common lead janitor skills

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

Common sanitation worker skills

Cleanliness, 14%
Pallet Jack, 13%
Food Safety, 11%
Safety Standards, 9%
Production Equipment, 5%
Safety Procedures, 4%

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Lead Janitor vs Sanitation Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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