First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers vs Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners: $49K vs $36K Median Pay

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers vs Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners: what changes?

Consider First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers if you want to directly supervise and coordinate work activities of cleaning personnel in hotels, hospitals, offices, and other establishments. Consider Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners if you would rather perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Entry credentials differ: First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers, high school diploma or equivalent; Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, no formal educational credential. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers and Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers

National median pay (2025): $49,100
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Supervise in-house services, such as laundries, maintenance and repair, dry cleaning, or valet services.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 30,800

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers brief

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

National median pay (2025): $35,510
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 175,500

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.6%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners brief

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers is at $49,100, compared with $35,510 for Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners.

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers has the edge on projected growth

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers is at 3.2% projected growth, compared with 0.6% projected growth for Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners.

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners has the edge on annual openings

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is at 175,500 annual openings, compared with 30,800 annual openings for First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers.

59.4/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers

50/ 100

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers vs Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Dimension	First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers	Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Median pay (2025)	$49,100	$35,510
Pay percentile	30.2 percentile	3.6 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.2%	0.6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	30,800	175,500
2025 employment	265,200	1,332,100
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers brief Read Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners brief

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers vs Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers has the edge on projected growth

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers vs Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

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Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners vs Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners vs Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners