Cost Guides · Trade Wages
How Much Do Window Cleaners Make? BLS Wage Data
Window cleaners earn $18.64 an hour on average, $38,760 a year, under the BLS code that covers them (May 2025). Owner-operators who bill per window set their own number.
Add SimplyWise as a preferred source
How much do window cleaners make an hour?
One caveat: the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track window cleaners as their own occupation. Window washing falls inside BLS code 37-2011, Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners. That is a broader group, covering general building cleaners too. Every number below describes that classification, not window cleaning alone.
Within it, the national mean wage is $18.64 an hour, $38,760 a year. The median, where half the classification earns more and half earns less, is lower: $17.71 an hour, $36,840 a year. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the mean above the median. The classification counts an estimated 2,209,760 workers nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What is the full pay range for this classification?
A single average hides most of the story. BLS also publishes percentile wages, showing the spread from the lowest-paid tenth of workers to the highest-paid tenth.
| Percentile | Hourly wage | Annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $13.77 | $28,640 |
| 25th percentile | $15.50 | $32,240 |
| Median (50th) | $17.71 | $36,840 |
| Mean (average) | $18.64 | $38,760 |
| 75th percentile | $21.18 | $44,060 |
| 90th percentile | $24.17 | $50,270 |
The 10th-to-90th spread runs from $28,640 to $50,270 a year. Location alone moves pay a lot inside this one classification, as the state table below shows.
Which states pay the most, and which pay the least?
State averages move even more. Here are the six highest-paying and six lowest-paying states in the classification, by mean annual wage.
| State | Mean hourly | Mean annual | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $22.79 | $47,410 | Highest |
| Massachusetts | $21.75 | $45,250 | Highest |
| New York | $21.55 | $44,830 | Highest |
| California | $21.25 | $44,210 | Highest |
| Connecticut | $20.48 | $42,590 | Highest |
| Vermont | $20.35 | $42,320 | Highest |
| South Carolina | $15.73 | $32,720 | Lowest |
| Oklahoma | $15.52 | $32,280 | Lowest |
| Alabama | $15.51 | $32,260 | Lowest |
| Arkansas | $15.21 | $31,640 | Lowest |
| Louisiana | $14.56 | $30,290 | Lowest |
| Mississippi | $14.32 | $29,790 | Lowest |
Washington’s mean pay runs $17,620 a year above Mississippi’s. That is about a 59 percent gap between the top and bottom state averages (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Our own contractor hourly labor rates by trade page tracks pay across more trades from the same BLS release. See how this classification compares to carpenters, roofers, and electricians, or read how much house cleaners make for the residential side of cleaning pay.
Turn a job photo into an itemized bid, free →
How much do window cleaning business owners make?
Every figure above is an employee wage. An owner-operator who bills the customer directly keeps the gap between the job price and costs, a different number BLS does not report.
NJM’s posted rates, last updated September 22, 2026, captured September 26, 2026: $8 per window exterior only, $8 per window interior only. Both sides run $14 to $16 per window, plus $2 per window for tracks, frames, and screens. On a 20-window house at exterior-only service, that is $160 in gross revenue per visit, before drive time, supplies, or overhead. Ten houses a week is $1,600 in gross revenue before any cost comes out. That is revenue, not take-home pay.
How to turn wage data into your own bid
-
Start from the BLS wage floor
Use $17.71 to $18.64 an hour as a labor baseline for hiring. Solo, use it as the value of your own time.
-
Set your own per-window price
Decide exterior-only, interior-only, or both. Add a separate tracks-and-screens line, the way NJM’s schedule does.
-
Estimate job count and route density
Multiply price per window by window count per house. Then multiply by houses per week for gross revenue.
-
Turn the estimate into a bid
Snap a photo in SimplyWise Cost Estimator. Edit the material, labor, and fee lines, then send a branded quote.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator for pricing window cleaning jobs
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job-site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Material, labor, and fee lines are editable, so you can enter your own per-window price and add a tracks-and-screens line. Send a branded quote the client signs to approve. $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
Sources
BLS wage data
- BLS OEWS, May 2025 national estimates, code 37-2011, verified 2026-09-26.
- BLS OEWS, May 2025 state estimates, code 37-2011, verified 2026-09-26.
- SimplyWise, contractor hourly labor rates by trade, cross-check, live 2026-09-26.
Owner-operator pricing
- NJM Roof and Gutter Cleaning, window cleaning cost in Portland, own posted rates, last updated 2026-09-22, captured 2026-09-26.
SimplyWise
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store, 4.8 rating, verified 2026-09-26.
Frequently asked questions about window cleaner pay
The wage
How much do window cleaners make an hour?
Window cleaning falls under BLS code 37-2011, Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners. The mean is $18.64 an hour, the median $17.71 an hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). There is no separate BLS code for window cleaning alone.
What is the median window cleaner salary a year?
Median annual wage: $36,840. Mean: $38,760 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The 10th percentile earns $28,640 a year, the 90th earns $50,270.
The range
Which state pays window cleaners the most?
Washington: $47,410 a year, $22.79 an hour, the highest mean pay among states. Massachusetts, New York, California, Connecticut, and Vermont round out the top six (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How much do window cleaning business owners make?
BLS wage data covers employees, not owner profit. NJM Roof and Gutter Cleaning posts $8 per window exterior-only, single-source and Portland, Oregon metro specific. On a 20-window house that is $160 gross, before fuel, insurance, equipment, and labor. Take-home pay depends on those costs.
Estimating the job
Can I quote a window job from a photo?
Yes. Count the windows on site, then snap a photo. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns it into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Every line stays editable.
Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator work for window cleaning bids?
It builds material, labor, and fee line items, each with unit, quantity, and price per unit, so you can price per window or per pane. Send a branded quote the client signs to approve. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, with a 7-day free trial.
Turn your own per-window price into a bid that holds margin.
Snap a photo and get an itemized estimate with editable lines. Free to try, then $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr after a 7-day trial.