School janitor vs sanitation worker

The differences between school 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 $30,824 average annual salary of a school janitor.

The top three skills for a school janitor include building floors, commercial cleaning and clean classrooms. The most important skills for a sanitation worker are cleanliness, pallet jack, and food safety.

School janitor vs sanitation worker overview

	School Janitor	Sanitation Worker
Yearly salary	$30,824	$33,159
Hourly rate	$14.82	$15.94
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	74,188	27,943
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 61%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

School janitor vs sanitation worker salary

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

	School Janitor	Sanitation Worker
Average salary	$30,824	$33,159
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Michigan State University
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between school janitor and sanitation worker education

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

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

School janitor vs sanitation worker demographics

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

	School Janitor	Sanitation Worker
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 67.4% Female, 32.6%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
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, 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 school janitor and sanitation worker 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.

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.

School janitor vs sanitation worker skills

Common school janitor skills

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

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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School Janitor vs Sanitation Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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