Commercial Cleaning & FM recruiters serving Chattanooga.
At a $31,760 median, janitors and cleaners in Chattanooga earn 14% less than nationally; about 4,140 work in the metro. BLS counts 114 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 Chattanooga.
BLS counts about 4,530 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Chattanooga metro, the largest group being janitors and cleaners (about 4,140). Relative to the size of the local economy, janitors and cleaners are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.08). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Cleaning & FM hub.
Cleaning Team Member / Janitor
Chattanooga: 4,140 employed · $31,760 median, 99th-highest of 112 metros
Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor
Chattanooga: 390 employed · $47,000 median, 68th-highest of 111 metros
Site Manager / Account Manager
Chattanooga: 670 employed · $130,540 median, 12th-highest of 110 metros
Regional Operations Manager
Chattanooga: 4,690 employed · $102,920 median, 57th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Manager
Chattanooga: 210 employed · $103,570 median, 59th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Coordinator
Chattanooga: 2,470 employed · $41,990 median, 101st-highest of 111 metros
Building Engineer
Chattanooga: 1,430 employed · $75,090 median, 86th-highest of 112 metros
Healthcare Cleaning Specialist
Data Center / Cleanroom Cleaner
VP of Operations
Chattanooga: 440 employed · $209,990 median, 55th-highest of 98 metros
What Commercial Cleaning & FM roles earn in Chattanooga.
Janitors and cleaners in Chattanooga earn a median $31,760, 14% under the $36,840 national figure, and 99th of 112 metros. Pay runs $27,970 at the tenth percentile to $42,080 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, at $47,000 against $49,100 nationally.
| Role | Chattanooga median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Team Member / Janitor · Healthcare Cleaning Specialist · Data Center / Cleanroom CleanerJanitors and Cleaners (37-2011) | $31,760 | $27,970–$42,080 | $36,840 | −14% | 4,140 |
| Cleaning Team Lead / SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011) | $47,000 | $27,580–$75,710 | $49,100 | −4% | 390 |
| Site Manager / Account ManagerAdministrative Services Managers (11-3012) | $130,540 | $73,520–$201,030 | $114,130 | +14% | 670 |
| Regional Operations ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $102,920 | $48,370–$226,950 | $105,770 | −3% | 4,690 |
| Facilities ManagerFacilities Managers (11-3013) | $103,570 | $65,490–$156,520 | $106,660 | −3% | 210 |
| Facilities CoordinatorSecretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6014) | $41,990 | $27,350–$60,400 | $47,540 | −12% | 2,470 |
| Building EngineerFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,090 | $48,910–$102,230 | $79,920 | −6% | 1,430 |
| VP of OperationsChief Executives (11-1011) | $209,990 | $68,220–$481,650 | $213,990 | −2% | 440 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga's commercial cleaning & FM market has changed since 2018.
The number of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Chattanooga rose from 99 in 2018 to 114 in 2023, up 15%, close to the 14% national change. Headcount at those firms went down 29%, to about 2,223 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $22,227 to $30,206 (+36%), in step with the 36% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: business locations | 99 | 114 | +15% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: employment | 3,139 | 2,223 | −29% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: average annual pay | $22,227 | $30,206 | +36% |
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
Chattanooga runs 8% more commercial cleaning workers per job than the country as a whole — above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Chattanooga's commercial cleaning market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Chattanooga ranks 79th for headcount, 88th for median pay and 23rd for concentration for janitors and building cleaners.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | 9,940 | $36,130 | 0.64 | 500 |
| Memphis | 8,070 | $32,580 | 0.93 | 293 |
| Knoxville | 7,150 | $31,200 | 1.18 | 179 |
| Chattanooga | 4,140 | $31,760 | 1.08 | 114 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial cleaning employers in Chattanooga, 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, Chattanooga metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Cleaning & FM licensing in Tennessee.
Tennessee does not license commercial cleaning or janitorial employers: none of the regulatory boards administered by the Department of Commerce and Insurance covers cleaning, janitorial work or building services. Two neighbours on that list are the real traps - Contractors and Home Improvement, which bites once a facilities crew takes on construction or improvement work, and Alarm System Contractors, which bites if the crew installs or services alarms. Pest and pesticide work is chartered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture instead, and whether its licensing reaches general-use disinfectants applied for hire was not settled from a primary source, so ask that department before selling disinfection as a service. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, so candidates licensed there can work in Chattanooga without re-qualifying. The Chattanooga metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Chattanooga talent.
The closest metro we cover is Huntsville, about 75 miles away, with roughly 2,850 janitors and cleaners (0.7 times Chattanooga's 4,140). Nashville pays the most nearby, a $36,130 median, 14% above Chattanooga. That is the number any Chattanooga 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | – | 4,140 | $31,760 |
| Huntsville | 76 mi | 2,850 | $33,600 |
| Knoxville | 101 mi | 7,150 | $31,200 |
| Atlanta | 104 mi | 30,900 | $35,940 |
| Nashville | 113 mi | 9,940 | $36,130 |
| Birmingham | 135 mi | 5,760 | $33,370 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Chattanooga crews.
Not commercial cleaning & FM work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Chattanooga in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Parkridge Medical Center expansion$98MCompleting 2026
A new patient tower with intensive care and medical-surgical rooms.
- Volkswagen Chattanooga plant$4.3B invested since 2011Ongoing production transition
Volkswagen's sole US assembly facility, 4,000+ employees, reached a 1-million-vehicle milestone in 2026 and is pivoting from ID.4 electric vehicle assembly to the second-generation Atlas as its primary production mandate.
- Erlanger East Hospital expansion$122MConstruction begins summer 2026, opening fall 2028
A new three-story, 52,000 sq ft building on Gunbarrel Road adding 22 patient beds, a cardiac catheterization lab, an electrophysiology lab, and an interventional radiology lab, plus 100 new jobs.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Chattanooga market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial cleaning & FM, and what kills offers in Chattanooga.
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 Chattanooga.
What do janitors and cleaners earn in Chattanooga?
BLS puts the Chattanooga median for janitors and cleaners at $31,760 a year, 14% below the $36,840 national median. That ranks 99th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $27,970 to $42,080 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Tennessee, Nashville pays more, at $36,130.
Is it hard to hire janitors and cleaners in Chattanooga?
It is about average. Janitors and cleaners are as common in Chattanooga as they are nationally (location quotient 1.08), with about 4,140 in the metro. The 114 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies here average about 20 employees per location. With 15% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial cleaning & FM roles pay the most in Chattanooga?
Of the roles we recruit for, VP of Operations pays the most in Chattanooga, a $209,990 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor at $47,000, 78% below it. Cleaning Team Member / Janitor is the lowest-paid field role at $31,760. Relative to national pay, Site Manager / Account Manager is the strongest-paying role here (14% above). Cleaning Team Member / Janitor trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many janitorial and commercial cleaning companies operate in Chattanooga?
BLS counted 114 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Chattanooga in 2023, employing about 2,223 people between them. Up from 99 in 2018, a 15% increase against 14% growth nationally. That averages 20 people per location. They pay an average of $30,206, 7% below the $32,388 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Chattanooga for janitors and cleaners?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Huntsville (76 miles, about 2,850, $33,600 median), Knoxville (101 miles, about 7,150, $31,200 median) and Atlanta (104 miles, about 30,900, $35,940 median). Knoxville has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Huntsville pays 6% more, which is where Chattanooga employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
114 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Chattanooga are drawing on the same 4,140 janitors and cleaners. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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