Commercial Cleaning & FM recruiters serving Raleigh.
Janitors and cleaners are scarcer in Raleigh than in most of the country, 31% fewer per job, so the roughly 7,310 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 541 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 Raleigh.
BLS counts about 8,170 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Raleigh metro, the largest group being janitors and cleaners (about 7,310). Relative to the size of the local economy, janitors and cleaners are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.69). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Cleaning & FM hub.
Cleaning Team Member / Janitor
Raleigh: 7,310 employed · $34,980 median, 73rd-highest of 112 metros
Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor
Raleigh: 860 employed · $51,020 median, 39th-highest of 111 metros
Site Manager / Account Manager
Raleigh: 1,250 employed · $109,760 median, 52nd-highest of 110 metros
Regional Operations Manager
Raleigh: 9,520 employed · $114,940 median, 26th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Manager
Raleigh: 860 employed · $108,590 median, 44th-highest of 112 metros
Facilities Coordinator
Raleigh: 7,170 employed · $48,500 median, 33rd-highest of 111 metros
Building Engineer
Raleigh: 6,080 employed · $77,690 median, 64th-highest of 112 metros
Healthcare Cleaning Specialist
Data Center / Cleanroom Cleaner
VP of Operations
Raleigh: 360 employed · $286,050 median, 19th-highest of 98 metros
What Commercial Cleaning & FM roles earn in Raleigh.
Janitors and cleaners in Raleigh earn a median $34,980, 5% under the $36,840 national figure, and 73rd of 112 metros. Pay runs $24,090 at the tenth percentile to $44,820 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, at $51,020 against $49,100 nationally.
| Role | Raleigh median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Team Member / Janitor · Healthcare Cleaning Specialist · Data Center / Cleanroom CleanerJanitors and Cleaners (37-2011) | $34,980 | $24,090–$44,820 | $36,840 | −5% | 7,310 |
| Cleaning Team Lead / SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (37-1011) | $51,020 | $36,530–$74,620 | $49,100 | +4% | 860 |
| Site Manager / Account ManagerAdministrative Services Managers (11-3012) | $109,760 | $70,380–$193,370 | $114,130 | −4% | 1,250 |
| Regional Operations ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $114,940 | $56,020–$268,030 | $105,770 | +9% | 9,520 |
| Facilities ManagerFacilities Managers (11-3013) | $108,590 | $56,540–$169,990 | $106,660 | +2% | 860 |
| Facilities CoordinatorSecretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6014) | $48,500 | $35,260–$65,150 | $47,540 | +2% | 7,170 |
| Building EngineerFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $77,690 | $55,570–$120,240 | $79,920 | −3% | 6,080 |
| VP of OperationsChief Executives (11-1011) | $286,050 | $114,160–$664,790 | $213,990 | +34% | 360 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Raleigh 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 Raleigh's commercial cleaning & FM market has changed since 2018.
The number of janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Raleigh rose from 404 in 2018 to 541 in 2023, up 34%, ahead of the 14% national rise. Headcount at those firms went down 9%, to about 5,067 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $21,103 to $29,495 (+40%), 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 | 404 | 541 | +34% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: employment | 5,563 | 5,067 | −9% |
| Janitorial and commercial cleaning companies: average annual pay | $21,103 | $29,495 | +40% |
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
Raleigh runs 31% 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 Raleigh's commercial cleaning market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Raleigh ranks 51st for headcount, 65th for median pay and 98th 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 Raleigh, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Raleigh metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Nearby markets competing for Raleigh talent.
The closest metro we cover is Durham-Chapel Hill, about 20 miles away, with roughly 3,150 janitors and cleaners (0.4 times Raleigh's 7,310). Durham-Chapel Hill pays the most nearby, a $36,590 median, 5% above Raleigh. That is the number any Raleigh offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Charlotte has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | – | 7,310 | $34,980 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 21 mi | 3,150 | $36,590 |
| Greensboro | 68 mi | 4,380 | $34,520 |
| Winston-Salem | 93 mi | 3,010 | $34,150 |
| Charlotte | 130 mi | 13,760 | $35,600 |
| Richmond | 139 mi | 9,270 | $34,200 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Raleigh crews.
Not commercial cleaning & FM work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Raleigh in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Hub RTP$2BPhased, multi-year
100-acre downtown Research Triangle Park district delivering 1.5M+ sq ft of office/lab space plus 1,200 residential units. Conventional commercial and mixed-use construction alongside the region's pharma manufacturing boom.
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport capital program$2.5BRunway opening 2029; terminal work through 2032
New 10,639-ft runway and major terminal expansions - heavy civil, structural, and airport-specific MEP work running for most of the decade.
- Johnson & Johnson Wilson biologics campus$2BMulti-year
Biologics manufacturing campus adding to the region's life-sciences construction pipeline - cleanroom and process-utility work drawing on the same specialized labor pool as Novo Nordisk and Fujifilm.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Raleigh market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial cleaning & FM, and what kills offers in Raleigh.
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 Raleigh.
What do janitors and cleaners earn in Raleigh?
BLS puts the Raleigh median for janitors and cleaners at $34,980 a year, 5% below the $36,840 national median. That ranks 73rd of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $24,090 and $44,820, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within North Carolina, Durham-Chapel Hill pays more, at $36,590.
Is it hard to hire janitors and cleaners in Raleigh?
Yes. Raleigh has 31% fewer janitors and cleaners per job than the country as a whole, roughly 7,310 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 541 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies here average about 9.4 employees per location. With 34% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial cleaning & FM roles pay the most in Raleigh?
Of the roles we recruit for, VP of Operations pays the most in Raleigh, a $286,050 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Cleaning Team Lead / Supervisor at $51,020, 82% below it. Cleaning Team Member / Janitor is the lowest-paid field role at $34,980. Relative to national pay, VP of Operations is the strongest-paying role here (34% above). Cleaning Team Member / Janitor trails national pay the most (5% below).
How many janitorial and commercial cleaning companies operate in Raleigh?
BLS counted 541 janitorial and commercial cleaning companies in Raleigh in 2023, employing about 5,067 people between them. Up from 404 in 2018, a 34% increase against 14% growth nationally. That averages 9.4 people per location. They pay an average of $29,495, 9% below the $32,388 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Raleigh for janitors and cleaners?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Durham-Chapel Hill (21 miles, about 3,150, $36,590 median), Greensboro (68 miles, about 4,380, $34,520 median) and Winston-Salem (93 miles, about 3,010, $34,150 median).
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With janitors and cleaners this scarce in Raleigh, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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