Also called: Janitors and Cleaners
Janitors and Cleaners build coordination, time management and social perceptiveness skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Dishwashers (78%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dishwashers | 78% | $34,810 | −6% | None |
| 2 | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | 77% | $34,890 | −5% | None |
| 3 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 77% | $40,240 | +9% | None |
| 4 | Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 77% | $49,450 | +34% | None |
| 5 | Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | 76% | $35,830 | −3% | None |
| 6 | Recycling and Reclamation Workers | 73% | $40,240Pay for the broader BLS group “Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand” | Not compared | None |
| 7 | Tapers | 72% | $68,270 | +85% | None |
| 8 | Aircraft Service Attendants | 72% | $40,450 | +10% | None |
| 9 | Transportation Security Screeners | 71% | $66,770 | +81% | None |
| 10 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 71% | $68,840 | +87% | None |
Compared with Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, median $36,840. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as janitors and cleaners (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
78% skill match · $34,810 · −6% pay
Operation and Control · Quality Control Analysis · Operations Monitoring
77% skill match · $34,890 · −5% pay
Operation and Control · Operations Analysis · Operations Monitoring
77% skill match · $40,240 · +9% pay
Operation and Control · Management of Material Resources · Operations Monitoring
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Dishwashers (78% skill match, median $34,810), Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (77% skill match, median $34,890) and Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand (77% skill match, median $40,240), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 21 pay more than janitors and cleaners at the median. The biggest increases: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (+151%, $92,460), Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers (+87%, $68,840) and Tapers (+85%, $68,270).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.