Commercial Cleaning & FM recruiters serving Durham-Chapel Hill.
Janitors and cleaners are scarcer in Durham-Chapel Hill than in most of the country, 36% fewer per job, so the roughly 3,150 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 180 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 Durham-Chapel Hill.
BLS counts about 3,510 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Durham-Chapel Hill metro, the largest group being janitors and cleaners (about 3,150). Relative to the size of the local economy, janitors and cleaners are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.64). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Cleaning & FM hub.
Cleaning Team Member / Janitor
Durham-Chapel Hill: 3,150 employed · $36,590 median, 45th-highest of 112 metros
Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor
Durham-Chapel Hill: 360 employed · $55,990 median, 28th-highest of 111 metros
Site Manager / Account Manager
Durham-Chapel Hill: 960 employed · $107,720 median, 60th-highest of 110 metros
Regional Operations Manager
Durham-Chapel Hill: 3,400 employed · $113,930 median, 28th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Manager
Durham-Chapel Hill: 470 employed · $118,990 median, 15th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Coordinator
Durham-Chapel Hill: 3,120 employed · $47,840 median, 41st-highest of 111 metros
Building Engineer
Durham-Chapel Hill: 1,270 employed · $75,430 median, 84th-highest of 112 metros
Healthcare Cleaning Specialist
Data Center / Cleanroom Cleaner
VP of Operations
Durham-Chapel Hill: 140 employed · $381,330 median, 2nd-highest of 98 metros
What Commercial Cleaning & FM roles earn in Durham-Chapel Hill.
Janitors and cleaners in Durham-Chapel Hill earn a median $36,590, level with the $36,840 national figure, and 45th of 112 metros. Pay runs $28,340 at the tenth percentile to $44,340 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, at $55,990 against $49,100 nationally.
| Role | Durham-Chapel Hill median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Team Member / Janitor · Healthcare Cleaning Specialist · Data Center / Cleanroom CleanerJanitors and Cleaners (37-2011) | $36,590 | $28,340–$44,340 | $36,840 | −1% | 3,150 |
| Cleaning Team Lead / SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011) | $55,990 | $36,680–$76,630 | $49,100 | +14% | 360 |
| Site Manager / Account ManagerAdministrative Services Managers (11-3012) | $107,720 | $71,990–$207,090 | $114,130 | −6% | 960 |
| Regional Operations ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $113,930 | $54,140–$270,290 | $105,770 | +8% | 3,400 |
| Facilities ManagerFacilities Managers (11-3013) | $118,990 | $70,420–$177,170 | $106,660 | +12% | 470 |
| Facilities CoordinatorSecretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6014) | $47,840 | $34,890–$62,550 | $47,540 | +1% | 3,120 |
| Building EngineerFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,430 | $48,690–$101,640 | $79,920 | −6% | 1,270 |
| VP of OperationsChief Executives (11-1011) | $381,330 | $113,920–$765,300 | $213,990 | +78% | 140 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill's commercial cleaning & FM market has changed since 2018.
Durham-Chapel Hill lost janitorial and commercial cleaning companies between 2018 and 2023, from 185 business locations to 180 (down 3%), behind the 14% growth nationally. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 1,997. Average annual pay there went from $19,919 to $28,493 (+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 | 185 | 180 | −3% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: employment | 1,984 | 1,997 | +1% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: average annual pay | $19,919 | $28,493 | +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
Durham-Chapel Hill runs 36% fewer commercial cleaning workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 Durham-Chapel Hill's commercial cleaning market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Durham-Chapel Hill ranks 92nd for headcount, 40th for median pay and 99th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 13,760 | $35,600 | 0.71 | 894 |
| Raleigh | 7,310 | $34,980 | 0.69 | 541 |
| Greensboro | 4,380 | $34,520 | 0.84 | 256 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 3,150 | $36,590 | 0.64 | 180 |
| Winston-Salem | 3,010 | $34,150 | 0.78 | 170 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial cleaning employers in Durham-Chapel Hill, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Durham-Chapel Hill metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Cleaning & FM licensing in North Carolina.
North Carolina has no cleaning or janitorial contractor licence. The general contractor licence under G.S. 87-1 attaches only to constructing, superintending or managing a building, highway, utility, grading or other improvement where the cost of the undertaking is $40,000 or more, and cleaning and janitorial services appear nowhere in the definition or its exemptions. The trap is that figure: a facilities crew that takes on a renovation or improvement package at or above $40,000 needs the licence even though its day-to-day work does not. Separately, G.S. 143-452 requires an annual licence from the North Carolina Pesticide Board to engage in the business of pesticide applicator, so confirm your position with that board before selling disinfection or pest work as a line item. The same state rules apply in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, so candidates licensed there can work in Durham-Chapel Hill without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Durham-Chapel Hill talent.
The closest metro we cover is Raleigh, about 20 miles away, with roughly 7,310 janitors and cleaners (2.3 times Durham-Chapel Hill's 3,150). Durham-Chapel Hill pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($36,590 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Winston-Salem at $34,150. Charlotte has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill | – | 3,150 | $36,590 |
| Raleigh | 21 mi | 7,310 | $34,980 |
| Greensboro | 50 mi | 4,380 | $34,520 |
| Winston-Salem | 75 mi | 3,010 | $34,150 |
| Charlotte | 121 mi | 13,760 | $35,600 |
| Richmond | 134 mi | 9,270 | $34,200 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Durham-Chapel Hill crews.
Not commercial cleaning & FM work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Durham-Chapel Hill in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- AbbVie pharmaceutical manufacturing campus$1.4BConstruction begins 2026, completion by end of 2028
185 acres near Research Triangle Park - small volume parenteral drug manufacturing, next-generation labs, a warehouse, and administrative/wellness facilities. 734 direct jobs over 4 years and 2,000+ construction jobs during buildout.
- Novartis biologics manufacturing investment$771M (across Durham and Wake counties)Multi-year buildout
Two new facilities for biologics manufacturing and sterile packaging, plus an expansion of Novartis' existing Durham facility to add sterile filling of biologics into syringes and vials - about 700 jobs.
- UNC-Chapel Hill Carolina North campus extensionUndisclosedSite prep ahead of a projected summer 2027 groundbreaking
A planned campus extension with initial infrastructure work now underway.
These are the 3 projects we track in Durham-Chapel Hill. The Durham-Chapel Hill market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial cleaning & FM, and what kills offers in Durham-Chapel Hill.
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 Durham-Chapel Hill.
What do janitors and cleaners earn in Durham-Chapel Hill?
BLS puts the Durham-Chapel Hill median for janitors and cleaners at $36,590 a year, about the same as the $36,840 national median. That ranks 45th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $28,340 to $44,340 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other North Carolina metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire janitors and cleaners in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Yes. Durham-Chapel Hill has 36% fewer janitors and cleaners per job than the country as a whole, roughly 3,150 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 180 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies here average about 11 employees per location.
Which commercial cleaning & FM roles pay the most in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Of the roles we recruit for, VP of Operations pays the most in Durham-Chapel Hill, a $381,330 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor at $55,990, 85% below it. Cleaning Team Member / Janitor is the lowest-paid field role at $36,590. Relative to national pay, VP of Operations is the strongest-paying role here (78% above). Building Engineer trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many janitorial and commercial cleaning companies operate in Durham-Chapel Hill?
BLS counted 180 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Durham-Chapel Hill in 2023, employing about 1,997 people between them. Down from 185 in 2018, a 3% decline against 14% growth nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay an average of $28,493, 12% below the $32,388 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Durham-Chapel Hill for janitors and cleaners?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Raleigh (21 miles, about 7,310, $34,980 median), Greensboro (50 miles, about 4,380, $34,520 median) and Winston-Salem (75 miles, about 3,010, $34,150 median). Raleigh has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Durham-Chapel Hill out-pays Greensboro and Winston-Salem, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With janitors and cleaners this scarce in Durham-Chapel Hill, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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