Commercial Cleaning & FM recruiters serving Portland.
Janitors and cleaners are scarcer in Portland than in most of the country, 15% fewer per job, so the roughly 14,620 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 920 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 Portland.
BLS counts about 15,960 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Portland metro, the largest group being janitors and cleaners (about 14,620). Relative to the size of the local economy, janitors and cleaners are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.85). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Cleaning & FM hub.
Cleaning Team Member / Janitor
Portland: 14,620 employed · $41,170 median, 10th-highest of 112 metros
Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor
Portland: 1,340 employed · $59,300 median, 16th-highest of 111 metros
Site Manager / Account Manager
Portland: 1,570 employed · $123,280 median, 27th-highest of 110 metros
Regional Operations Manager
Portland: 21,070 employed · $121,050 median, 17th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Manager
Portland: 1,130 employed · $118,190 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Coordinator
Portland: 13,510 employed · $55,360 median, 9th-highest of 111 metros
Building Engineer
Portland: 5,880 employed · $112,480 median, 4th-highest of 112 metros
Healthcare Cleaning Specialist
Data Center / Cleanroom Cleaner
VP of Operations
Portland: 690 employed · $375,810 median, 3rd-highest of 98 metros
What Commercial Cleaning & FM roles earn in Portland.
Janitors and cleaners in Portland earn a median $41,170, 12% over the $36,840 national figure, and 10th of 112 metros. Pay runs $35,530 at the tenth percentile to $58,720 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, at $59,300 against $49,100 nationally.
| Role | Portland median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Team Member / Janitor · Healthcare Cleaning Specialist · Data Center / Cleanroom CleanerJanitors and Cleaners (37-2011) | $41,170 | $35,530–$58,720 | $36,840 | +12% | 14,620 |
| Cleaning Team Lead / SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011) | $59,300 | $45,190–$74,600 | $49,100 | +21% | 1,340 |
| Site Manager / Account ManagerAdministrative Services Managers (11-3012) | $123,280 | $77,680–$188,660 | $114,130 | +8% | 1,570 |
| Regional Operations ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $121,050 | $62,140–$280,300 | $105,770 | +14% | 21,070 |
| Facilities ManagerFacilities Managers (11-3013) | $118,190 | $75,590–$182,270 | $106,660 | +11% | 1,130 |
| Facilities CoordinatorSecretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6014) | $55,360 | $40,640–$72,750 | $47,540 | +16% | 13,510 |
| Building EngineerFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $112,480 | $71,750–$159,920 | $79,920 | +41% | 5,880 |
| VP of OperationsChief Executives (11-1011) | $375,810 | $191,880–$772,850 | $213,990 | +76% | 690 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland 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 Portland's commercial cleaning & FM market has changed since 2018.
The number of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Portland rose from 753 in 2018 to 920 in 2023, up 22%, ahead of the 14% national rise. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Portland, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: business locations | 753 | 920 | +22% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: employment | 6,927 | – | – |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: average annual pay | $25,380 | – | – |
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
Portland runs 15% 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 Portland's commercial cleaning market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Portland ranks 29th for headcount, 9th for median pay and 77th for concentration for janitors and building cleaners. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
What this means for hiring:For commercial cleaning employers in Portland, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Portland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
We have not closed a commercial cleaning & facilities maintenance search in Portland yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Portland than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Site SuperintendentTwenty years of construction and six as a superintendent, placed onto Portland-Vancouver jobsites in two weeks.
- Lead Fire Alarm TechnicianSeven weeks for an NFPA-licensed lead fire alarm technician - the right length for a life-safety role.
Nearby markets competing for Portland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Seattle, about 145 miles away, with roughly 26,820 janitors and cleaners (1.8 times Portland's 14,620). Seattle pays the most nearby, a $46,490 median, 13% above Portland. That is the number any Portland offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Seattle has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
What else is competing for Portland crews.
Not commercial cleaning & FM work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Portland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- PDX terminal program, Port of PortlandMulti-hundred-million, phasedMain terminal complete; phased work ongoing
The mass-timber main terminal is finished, but concourse and airfield phases continue. Specialty timber, glazing, and MEP crews with live-airport experience.
- OHSU campus expansionPhased capital programVista Pavilion opening; further phases through 2029
Academic medical construction on a constrained hillside site. Med-gas plumbers, ICRA-trained mechanical crews, and superintendents who can run vertical work with near-zero laydown space.
- Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (I-5 Columbia River)$13.6B total program cost (as of Jan 2026 estimate; up from $5.5-7.5B in Dec 2022), including a $1.49B federal investmentDesign and early construction through the 2030s
Replaces the I-5 Columbia River crossing with a seismically resilient multimodal structure carrying light rail and bus rapid transit. The largest bi-state heavy civil program in the Northwest - marine, structural, and systems trades on a decade-long horizon.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Portland market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial cleaning & FM, and what kills offers in Portland.
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 Portland.
What do janitors and cleaners earn in Portland?
BLS puts the Portland median for janitors and cleaners at $41,170 a year, 12% above the $36,840 national median. That ranks 10th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $35,530 and $58,720, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire janitors and cleaners in Portland?
Yes. Portland has 15% fewer janitors and cleaners per job than the country as a whole, roughly 14,620 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. With 22% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial cleaning & FM roles pay the most in Portland?
Of the roles we recruit for, VP of Operations pays the most in Portland, a $375,810 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor at $59,300, 84% below it. Cleaning Team Member / Janitor is the lowest-paid field role at $41,170. Relative to national pay, VP of Operations is the strongest-paying role here (76% above).
How many janitorial and commercial cleaning companies operate in Portland?
BLS counted 920 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Portland in 2023. Up from 753 in 2018, a 22% 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 Portland for janitors and cleaners?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Seattle (145 miles, about 26,820, $46,490 median) and Spokane (290 miles, about 4,090, $40,070 median). Seattle has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Seattle pays 13% more, which is where Portland employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With janitors and cleaners this scarce in Portland, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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