Commercial Cleaning & FM recruiters serving Charleston.
About 5,210 janitors and cleaners work in the Charleston metro, at a $35,240 median. BLS counts 219 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 Charleston.
BLS counts about 5,850 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Charleston metro, the largest group being janitors and cleaners (about 5,210). Relative to the size of the local economy, janitors and cleaners are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.93). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Cleaning & FM hub.
Cleaning Team Member / Janitor
Charleston: 5,210 employed · $35,240 median, 69th-highest of 112 metros
Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor
Charleston: 640 employed · $47,340 median, 63rd-highest of 111 metros
Site Manager / Account Manager
Charleston: $125,730 median, 20th-highest of 110 metros
Regional Operations Manager
Charleston: 6,000 employed · $109,260 median, 37th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Manager
Charleston: 300 employed · $106,300 median, 50th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Coordinator
Charleston: 4,420 employed · $47,750 median, 45th-highest of 111 metros
Building Engineer
Charleston: 2,560 employed · $77,470 median, 68th-highest of 112 metros
Healthcare Cleaning Specialist
Data Center / Cleanroom Cleaner
VP of Operations
Charleston: 290 employed · $197,220 median, 67th-highest of 98 metros
What Commercial Cleaning & FM roles earn in Charleston.
Janitors and cleaners in Charleston earn a median $35,240, 4% under the $36,840 national figure, and 69th of 112 metros. Pay runs $27,170 at the tenth percentile to $44,080 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, at $47,340 against $49,100 nationally.
| Role | Charleston median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Team Member / Janitor · Healthcare Cleaning Specialist · Data Center / Cleanroom CleanerJanitors and Cleaners (37-2011) | $35,240 | $27,170–$44,080 | $36,840 | −4% | 5,210 |
| Cleaning Team Lead / SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011) | $47,340 | $35,630–$72,590 | $49,100 | −4% | 640 |
| Site Manager / Account ManagerAdministrative Services Managers (11-3012) | $125,730 | $75,940–$217,010 | $114,130 | +10% | – |
| Regional Operations ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $109,260 | $60,070–$228,790 | $105,770 | +3% | 6,000 |
| Facilities ManagerFacilities Managers (11-3013) | $106,300 | $75,580–$177,740 | $106,660 | 0% | 300 |
| Facilities CoordinatorSecretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6014) | $47,750 | $30,280–$62,820 | $47,540 | 0% | 4,420 |
| Building EngineerFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $77,470 | $56,770–$106,960 | $79,920 | −3% | 2,560 |
| VP of OperationsChief Executives (11-1011) | $197,220 | $99,320–$398,230 | $213,990 | −8% | 290 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Charleston 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 Charleston's commercial cleaning & FM market has changed since 2018.
The number of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Charleston rose from 209 in 2018 to 219 in 2023, up 5%, behind the 14% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 16%, to about 3,049 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $17,987 to $31,413 (+75%), 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 | 209 | 219 | +5% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: employment | 3,635 | 3,049 | −16% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: average annual pay | $17,987 | $31,413 | +75% |
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
Charleston runs 7% 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 Charleston's commercial cleaning market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Charleston ranks 69th for headcount, 62nd for median pay and 55th for concentration for janitors and building cleaners.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 6,250 | $31,180 | 1.01 | 203 |
| Columbia | 5,320 | $32,170 | 0.95 | 250 |
| Charleston | 5,210 | $35,240 | 0.93 | 219 |
| Myrtle Beach | 1,790 | $30,250 | 0.86 | 147 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial cleaning employers in Charleston, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Charleston metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Cleaning & FM licensing in South Carolina.
South Carolina's pesticide licensing does not reach janitorial disinfecting, which makes it one of the more permissive states for this work. Under S.C. Code 46-13-20 a commercial applicator is a person engaged in the business of using or supervising the use of a restricted use pesticide on another's property, and 46-13-60(3)(a) ties the licence requirement to restricted use pesticides only, so general-use disinfectants fall outside it. The chapter defines disinfectant separately and makes microorganisms pests only where the Director declares them so after notice and a hearing, so no janitorial exemption is needed and none appears. The trap is product choice: pick up any restricted use pesticide, or hold your company out as doing pest control, and the commercial applicator licence and pest control business licence requirements apply. South Carolina has no janitorial or property-service registry. The same state rules apply in Greenville, Columbia and Myrtle Beach, so candidates licensed there can work in Charleston without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: South Carolina Department of Pesticide Regulation. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Charleston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Myrtle Beach, about 85 miles away, with roughly 1,790 janitors and cleaners (0.3 times Charleston's 5,210). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $30,250 in Myrtle Beach to $35,600 in Charlotte, against $35,240 here. Charlotte has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | – | 5,210 | $35,240 |
| Myrtle Beach | 87 mi | 1,790 | $30,250 |
| Columbia | 106 mi | 5,320 | $32,170 |
| Augusta | 128 mi | 3,350 | $30,630 |
| Charlotte | 177 mi | 13,760 | $35,600 |
| Jacksonville | 197 mi | 8,450 | $35,450 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Charleston crews.
Not commercial cleaning & FM work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Charleston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- U.S. Coast Guard Base Charleston modernization$440M+ across three contracts (including a $230M design-build contract for a new engineering complex, personnel housing, and parking structure)Latest contract targets 2030 completion
A multi-year infrastructure expansion: Pier Mike recapitalization, a new medical/dental facility, and now a 90,000 sq ft engineering complex plus a 120,000 sq ft multifunctional building - all built by Brasfield & Gorrie.
- Port of Charleston terminal expansionsMultiple concurrent projectsRo-ro terminal operational 2027, full completion 2028; Leatherman Berth 2 under construction
North Charleston Terminal expansion (3.4M TEU capacity via the former WestRock site), Leatherman Terminal's second berth (toward 2.4M TEU at full buildout), and a new ro-ro terminal doubling vehicle throughput to 500,000+ annually - sustained port-facility construction across three separate terminals.
- Boeing South Carolina final assembly building expansion$1B+Ramping to 10 airplanes/month in 2026
A new 1.2 million sq ft final assembly building in North Charleston - aerospace-grade electrical, mechanical, and fabrication demand at a scale unmatched elsewhere in the metro.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Charleston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial cleaning & FM, and what kills offers in Charleston.
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 Charleston.
What do janitors and cleaners earn in Charleston?
BLS puts the Charleston median for janitors and cleaners at $35,240 a year, 4% below the $36,840 national median. That ranks 69th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $27,170 to $44,080 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other South Carolina metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire janitors and cleaners in Charleston?
It is about average. Janitors and cleaners are as common in Charleston as they are nationally (location quotient 0.93), with about 5,210 in the metro. The 219 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies here average about 14 employees per location.
Which commercial cleaning & FM roles pay the most in Charleston?
Of the roles we recruit for, VP of Operations pays the most in Charleston, a $197,220 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor at $47,340, 76% below it. Cleaning Team Member / Janitor is the lowest-paid field role at $35,240. Relative to national pay, Site Manager / Account Manager is the strongest-paying role here (10% above). VP of Operations trails national pay the most (8% below).
How many janitorial and commercial cleaning companies operate in Charleston?
BLS counted 219 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Charleston in 2023, employing about 3,049 people between them. Up from 209 in 2018, a 5% increase against 14% growth nationally. That averages 14 people per location. They pay an average of $31,413, 3% below the $32,388 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Charleston for janitors and cleaners?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Myrtle Beach (87 miles, about 1,790, $30,250 median), Columbia (106 miles, about 5,320, $32,170 median) and Augusta (128 miles, about 3,350, $30,630 median). Charleston out-pays Myrtle Beach, Columbia and Augusta, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
219 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Charleston are drawing on the same 5,210 janitors and cleaners. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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