Commercial Cleaning & FM recruiters serving Des Moines.
About 5,720 janitors and cleaners work in the Des Moines metro, at a $35,000 median. BLS counts 185 business locations of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Des Moines.
BLS counts about 6,260 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Des Moines metro, the largest group being janitors and cleaners (about 5,720). Relative to the size of the local economy, janitors and cleaners are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 1.00). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Cleaning & FM hub.
Cleaning Team Member / Janitor
Des Moines: 5,720 employed · $35,000 median, 71st-highest of 112 metros
Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor
Des Moines: 540 employed · $47,600 median, 59th-highest of 111 metros
Site Manager / Account Manager
Des Moines: 630 employed · $126,190 median, 19th-highest of 110 metros
Regional Operations Manager
Des Moines: 8,370 employed · $98,780 median, 76th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Manager
Des Moines: 590 employed · $103,860 median, 57th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Coordinator
Des Moines: 3,110 employed · $47,500 median, 47th-highest of 111 metros
Building Engineer
Des Moines: 2,720 employed · $82,090 median, 39th-highest of 112 metros
Healthcare Cleaning Specialist
Data Center / Cleanroom Cleaner
VP of Operations
Des Moines: 1,230 employed · $290,870 median, 16th-highest of 98 metros
What Commercial Cleaning & FM roles earn in Des Moines.
Janitors and cleaners in Des Moines earn a median $35,000, 5% under the $36,840 national figure, and 71st of 112 metros. Pay runs $29,570 at the tenth percentile to $46,850 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, at $47,600 against $49,100 nationally.
| Role | Des Moines median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Team Member / Janitor · Healthcare Cleaning Specialist · Data Center / Cleanroom CleanerJanitors and Cleaners (37-2011) | $35,000 | $29,570–$46,850 | $36,840 | −5% | 5,720 |
| Cleaning Team Lead / SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011) | $47,600 | $36,490–$66,350 | $49,100 | −3% | 540 |
| Site Manager / Account ManagerAdministrative Services Managers (11-3012) | $126,190 | $76,680–$172,400 | $114,130 | +11% | 630 |
| Regional Operations ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $98,780 | $46,950–$208,630 | $105,770 | −7% | 8,370 |
| Facilities ManagerFacilities Managers (11-3013) | $103,860 | $61,740–$143,440 | $106,660 | −3% | 590 |
| Facilities CoordinatorSecretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6014) | $47,500 | $35,490–$63,510 | $47,540 | 0% | 3,110 |
| Building EngineerFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $82,090 | $60,380–$103,990 | $79,920 | +3% | 2,720 |
| VP of OperationsChief Executives (11-1011) | $290,870 | $96,550–$390,260 | $213,990 | +36% | 1,230 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Des Moines 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 Des Moines's commercial cleaning & FM market has changed since 2018.
The number of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Des Moines rose from 175 in 2018 to 185 in 2023, up 6%, behind the 14% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Des Moines, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: business locations | 175 | 185 | +6% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: employment | 3,366 | – | – |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: average annual pay | $21,130 | – | – |
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
Des Moines sits at about the national rate for commercial cleaning — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Des Moines's commercial cleaning market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Des Moines ranks 63rd for headcount, 63rd for median pay and 34th for concentration for janitors and building cleaners.
What this means for hiring:For commercial cleaning employers in Des Moines, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Des Moines metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Nearby markets competing for Des Moines talent.
The closest metro we cover is Omaha, about 125 miles away, with roughly 6,690 janitors and cleaners (1.2 times Des Moines's 5,720). Minneapolis pays the most nearby, a $40,800 median, 17% above Des Moines. That is the number any Des Moines offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Minneapolis has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | – | 5,720 | $35,000 |
| Omaha | 123 mi | 6,690 | $35,620 |
| Kansas City | 180 mi | 12,950 | $36,350 |
| Minneapolis | 234 mi | 26,790 | $40,800 |
| Madison | 238 mi | 6,780 | $39,680 |
| St. Louis | 273 mi | 19,680 | $36,620 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Des Moines crews.
Not commercial cleaning & FM work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Des Moines in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- The Iowa Clinic West Des Moines expansion$12M+Construction proposed for fall 2026, complete summer 2028
A two-story, 27,000 sq ft medical building on 2.42 acres - healthcare-grade MEP work.
- Microsoft "Ruthenium" data center$210M+ (part of $6B+ total Microsoft investment in West Des Moines)Construction starting 2026
A 245,000 sq ft first-phase facility housing computer equipment and large-scale web portal services - the latest addition to Microsoft's five existing West Des Moines data center campuses.
- Microsoft Project Ginger West Data Center$1B+Multi-year buildout
A separate ~188-acre campus planned for approximately 1.8 million sq ft of data center space across multiple buildings.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Des Moines market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial cleaning & FM, and what kills offers in Des Moines.
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 Des Moines.
What do janitors and cleaners earn in Des Moines?
BLS puts the Des Moines median for janitors and cleaners at $35,000 a year, 5% below the $36,840 national median. That ranks 71st of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $29,570 to $46,850 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire janitors and cleaners in Des Moines?
It is about average. Janitors and cleaners are as common in Des Moines as they are nationally (location quotient 1.00), with about 5,720 in the metro.
Which commercial cleaning & FM roles pay the most in Des Moines?
Of the roles we recruit for, VP of Operations pays the most in Des Moines, a $290,870 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor at $47,600, 84% below it. Cleaning Team Member / Janitor is the lowest-paid field role at $35,000. Relative to national pay, VP of Operations is the strongest-paying role here (36% above). Regional Operations Manager trails national pay the most (7% below).
How many janitorial and commercial cleaning companies operate in Des Moines?
BLS counted 185 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Des Moines in 2023. Up from 175 in 2018, a 6% increase against 14% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Des Moines for janitors and cleaners?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Omaha (123 miles, about 6,690, $35,620 median), Kansas City (180 miles, about 12,950, $36,350 median) and Minneapolis (234 miles, about 26,790, $40,800 median). Kansas City has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Minneapolis pays 17% more, which is where Des Moines employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
185 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Des Moines are drawing on the same 5,720 janitors and cleaners. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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