Commercial Cleaning & FM recruiters serving Birmingham.
Janitors and cleaners are scarcer in Birmingham than in most of the country, 22% fewer per job, so the roughly 5,760 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 201 business locations of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Birmingham.
BLS counts about 6,360 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Birmingham metro, the largest group being janitors and cleaners (about 5,760). Relative to the size of the local economy, janitors and cleaners are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.78). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Cleaning & FM hub.
Cleaning Team Member / Janitor
Birmingham: 5,760 employed · $33,370 median, 89th-highest of 112 metros
Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor
Birmingham: 600 employed · $46,690 median, 76th-highest of 111 metros
Site Manager / Account Manager
Birmingham: 280 employed · $129,380 median, 15th-highest of 110 metros
Regional Operations Manager
Birmingham: 7,950 employed · $123,560 median, 15th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Manager
Birmingham: 250 employed · $114,750 median, 24th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Coordinator
Birmingham: 10,900 employed · $44,580 median, 88th-highest of 111 metros
Building Engineer
Birmingham: 3,720 employed · $71,280 median, 102nd-highest of 112 metros
Healthcare Cleaning Specialist
Data Center / Cleanroom Cleaner
VP of Operations
Birmingham: 190 employed · $167,080 median, 85th-highest of 98 metros
What Commercial Cleaning & FM roles earn in Birmingham.
Janitors and cleaners in Birmingham earn a median $33,370, 9% under the $36,840 national figure, and 89th of 112 metros. Pay runs $25,080 at the tenth percentile to $43,730 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, at $46,690 against $49,100 nationally.
| Role | Birmingham median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Team Member / Janitor · Healthcare Cleaning Specialist · Data Center / Cleanroom CleanerJanitors and Cleaners (37-2011) | $33,370 | $25,080–$43,730 | $36,840 | −9% | 5,760 |
| Cleaning Team Lead / SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011) | $46,690 | $35,180–$73,940 | $49,100 | −5% | 600 |
| Site Manager / Account ManagerAdministrative Services Managers (11-3012) | $129,380 | $48,930–$209,400 | $114,130 | +13% | 280 |
| Regional Operations ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $123,560 | $61,350–$278,780 | $105,770 | +17% | 7,950 |
| Facilities ManagerFacilities Managers (11-3013) | $114,750 | $84,230–$185,390 | $106,660 | +8% | 250 |
| Facilities CoordinatorSecretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6014) | $44,580 | $30,960–$60,380 | $47,540 | −6% | 10,900 |
| Building EngineerFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $71,280 | $48,070–$123,700 | $79,920 | −11% | 3,720 |
| VP of OperationsChief Executives (11-1011) | $167,080 | $64,930–$317,330 | $213,990 | −22% | 190 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Birmingham metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Birmingham's commercial cleaning & FM market has changed since 2018.
The number of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Birmingham rose from 191 in 2018 to 201 in 2023, up 5%, behind the 14% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 29%, to about 2,532 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $17,844 to $25,516 (+43%), faster than the 36% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: business locations | 191 | 201 | +5% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: employment | 3,572 | 2,532 | −29% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: average annual pay | $17,844 | $25,516 | +43% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Commercial Cleaning & FM hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Commercial Cleaning & FM · 2026 Commercial Cleaning & FM Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Commercial Cleaning & FM
Birmingham runs 22% fewer commercial cleaning workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Janitors and Building Cleaners. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Birmingham's commercial cleaning market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Birmingham ranks 62nd for headcount, 79th for median pay and 91st for concentration for janitors and building cleaners. That makes it one of the thinnest commercial cleaning labor markets we recruit in.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 5,760 | $33,370 | 0.78 | 201 |
| Huntsville | 2,850 | $33,600 | 0.75 | 136 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial cleaning employers in Birmingham, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Birmingham metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Cleaning & FM licensing in Alabama.
Alabama has no janitorial or building-service employer registry and no contractor classification for cleaning or custodial work. It also does not reach general-use disinfectants: the pesticide-use permit in Ala. Code 2-27-11(a) attaches only to the purchase and use of restricted-use pesticides, the certification categories in Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-1-13-.07 contain no antimicrobial category, and the separate Professional Services permit covers structural pest control aimed at insects, rodents and wood-destroying organisms rather than surface disinfection. Two things change that: a restricted-use product, or taking on insect or rodent work, requires a commercial applicator permit and a Professional Services licence. The state general contractor licence attaches to construction, maintenance, repair or remediation work of $100,000 or more, which is the figure a facilities crew crosses when it takes on a renovation package. The same state rules apply in Huntsville, so candidates licensed there can work in Birmingham without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Pesticide Management Section. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Birmingham talent.
The closest metro we cover is Huntsville, about 85 miles away, with roughly 2,850 janitors and cleaners (0.5 times Birmingham's 5,760). Nashville pays the most nearby, a $36,130 median, 8% above Birmingham. That is the number any Birmingham offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Atlanta has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | – | 5,760 | $33,370 |
| Huntsville | 84 mi | 2,850 | $33,600 |
| Chattanooga | 135 mi | 4,140 | $31,760 |
| Atlanta | 140 mi | 30,900 | $35,940 |
| Nashville | 183 mi | 9,940 | $36,130 |
| Pensacola | 216 mi | 2,490 | $32,010 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Birmingham crews.
Not commercial cleaning & FM work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Birmingham in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- UAB Biomedical Research and Psychology Building$190MBroke ground June 2024, completing summer 2026
An 8-story, 228,735 sq ft research facility housing wet and dry labs for the Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology. Lab-grade mechanical, electrical, and process-utility construction at a scale most Birmingham contractors rarely see.
- UAB Hospital North Pavilion / emergency department overhaul$73M ($38M North Pavilion permit)Multi-year, phased
Adds 59 new exam rooms and 66,030 sq ft of new construction to boost emergency-care capacity. Hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction.
These are the 2 projects we track in Birmingham. The Birmingham market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial cleaning & FM, and what kills offers in Birmingham.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 5 things that most often end a commercial cleaning & FM offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Commercial Cleaning & FM credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Commercial Cleaning & FM hiring in Birmingham.
What do janitors and cleaners earn in Birmingham?
BLS puts the Birmingham median for janitors and cleaners at $33,370 a year, 9% below the $36,840 national median. That ranks 89th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $25,080 and $43,730, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Alabama metro we cover pays more for this work (Huntsville: $33,600).
Is it hard to hire janitors and cleaners in Birmingham?
Yes. Birmingham has 22% fewer janitors and cleaners per job than the country as a whole, roughly 5,760 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 201 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies here average about 13 employees per location.
Which commercial cleaning & FM roles pay the most in Birmingham?
Of the roles we recruit for, VP of Operations pays the most in Birmingham, a $167,080 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor at $46,690, 72% below it. Cleaning Team Member / Janitor is the lowest-paid field role at $33,370. Relative to national pay, Regional Operations Manager is the strongest-paying role here (17% above). VP of Operations trails national pay the most (22% below).
How many janitorial and commercial cleaning companies operate in Birmingham?
BLS counted 201 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Birmingham in 2023, employing about 2,532 people between them. Up from 191 in 2018, a 5% increase against 14% growth nationally. That averages 13 people per location. They pay an average of $25,516, 21% below the $32,388 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Birmingham for janitors and cleaners?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Huntsville (84 miles, about 2,850, $33,600 median), Chattanooga (135 miles, about 4,140, $31,760 median) and Atlanta (140 miles, about 30,900, $35,940 median). Atlanta has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Atlanta pays 8% more, which is where Birmingham employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With janitors and cleaners this scarce in Birmingham, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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