School janitor vs custodian

The differences between school janitors and custodians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school janitor has an average salary of $30,824, which is higher than the $30,176 average annual salary of a custodian.

The top three skills for a school janitor include building floors, commercial cleaning and clean classrooms. The most important skills for a custodian are cleanliness, work ethic, and customer service.

School janitor vs custodian overview

	School Janitor	Custodian
Yearly salary	$30,824	$30,176
Hourly rate	$14.82	$14.51
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	74,188	47,364
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

School janitor vs custodian salary

School janitors and custodians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	School Janitor	Custodian
Average salary	$30,824	$30,176
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between school janitor and custodian education

There are a few differences between a school janitor and a custodian in terms of educational background:

	School Janitor	Custodian
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

School janitor vs custodian demographics

Here are the differences between school janitors' and custodians' demographics:

	School Janitor	Custodian
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 67.4% Female, 32.6%	Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between school janitor and custodian duties and responsibilities

School janitor example responsibilities.

Mow and trim lawns and shrubbery, using mowers and hand and power trimmers, clear debris from grounds.
Disinfect toilets and urinals plus restock paper materials.
Maintain working facilities-use floor scrubbers to clean assign areas-Polished floors-cleane bathrooms and take out garbage to maintain a clean environment
Mow and trim lawns and shrubbery, using mowers and hand and power trimmers, and clear debris from grounds.

Custodian example responsibilities.

Operate janitorial equipment including: vacuum cleaners, floor scrubbers, carpet cleaners, presser washers, leaf blowers, etc.
Fill in for custodians when they need off, clean schools, mow grass, salt lots.
Rake leaves, cut and water grass.
Clean windows, glass partitions, or mirrors, with sponges, or squeegees.
Strip and wax floors, clean windows, replace burnt-out light bulbs and ballasts.
Clean and perform preventative maintenance on all mechanical equipment (HVAC & ventilation systems).

School janitor vs custodian skills

Common school janitor skills

Building Floors, 34%
Commercial Cleaning, 16%
Clean Classrooms, 8%
Urinals, 8%
Class Rooms, 6%
Clean Restrooms, 5%

Common custodian skills

Cleanliness, 13%
Work Ethic, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Building Floors, 6%
Minor Maintenance, 5%
Ladders, 3%

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School Janitor vs Custodian

Updated January 8, 2025

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