Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment pay in the United States

Goes furthest in North Dakota
·Transportation and Material Moving·
380k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$17.23/hr median
380,430 employed
+4% to 2035
25% AI exposure
No formal educational credential
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment. Use such materials as water, cleaning agents, brushes, cloths, and hoses.

Where the money actually goes furthest

District of Columbia pays the highest headline figure at $42,710. Adjusted for what things cost there it is worth $38,862 — less than North Dakota, where $37,290 is worth $41,917.

Pay by state

54 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
North Dakota$17.93/hr$37,290$41,917$37,2901,330
Kansas$17.96/hr$37,370$41,489$35,5736,410
Nebraska$17.87/hr$37,160$41,243$36,1184,570
Iowa$17.27/hr$35,920$40,929$35,1094,190
Vermont$19.01/hr$39,530$40,353$38,440620
Arkansas$16.81/hr$34,970$40,223$33,7825,140
South Dakota$16.85/hr$35,050$39,564$35,0501,510
Alaska$19.33/hr$40,210$39,282$40,210620
District of Columbia$20.53/hr$42,710$38,862$41,223350
Maine$18.00/hr$37,440$38,578$36,1151,150
Montana$17.55/hr$36,510$38,573$35,4701,490
Colorado$19.04/hr$39,610$38,437$38,5476,750
Kentucky$16.57/hr$34,470$38,232$33,2175,580
Missouri$16.67/hr$34,670$38,174$33,8979,150
Minnesota$18.07/hr$37,580$38,105$36,3494,460
Tennessee$16.80/hr$34,950$38,042$34,9508,420
Ohio$16.94/hr$35,230$37,975$34,97713,750
Delaware$18.00/hr$37,440$37,511$35,9281,280
Wisconsin$16.96/hr$35,280$37,492$34,4417,040
Washington$19.26/hr$40,070$37,445$40,0708,270
Indiana$16.80/hr$34,940$37,437$33,9217,520
Idaho$17.13/hr$35,640$37,323$34,5242,840
Oregon$18.30/hr$38,070$36,832$35,2805,550
Wyoming$16.29/hr$33,890$36,562$33,890720
Massachusetts$18.57/hr$38,630$36,526$36,6985,100
South Carolina$16.46/hr$34,230$36,512$33,6905,720
Rhode Island$17.95/hr$37,340$36,507$36,335780
New York$18.94/hr$39,390$36,499$37,82820,390
Illinois$17.27/hr$35,930$35,944$34,28816,350
New Hampshire$17.99/hr$37,420$35,922$37,4201,030
Pennsylvania$16.66/hr$34,650$35,512$33,58611,710
North Carolina$16.09/hr$33,470$35,481$32,58913,820
Utah$16.78/hr$34,900$35,302$33,3124,580
Michigan$16.29/hr$33,890$35,221$32,68710,320
Arizona$17.02/hr$35,410$35,170$34,8896,260
Oklahoma$14.85/hr$30,880$35,154$29,9035,080
Maryland$17.49/hr$36,390$34,670$34,8426,010
Connecticut$17.25/hr$35,870$34,620$34,5053,480
California$18.23/hr$37,920$34,248$37,24246,030
Nevada$16.46/hr$34,230$34,236$34,2303,790
Hawaii$18.06/hr$37,560$34,160$36,0771,180
New Jersey$17.83/hr$37,090$34,086$36,4749,930
Virginia$16.56/hr$34,450$34,075$33,2158,860
Alabama$14.11/hr$29,360$33,055$28,0826,440
Mississippi$13.77/hr$28,640$32,938$27,4812,790
New Mexico$14.57/hr$30,310$32,870$29,8891,820
West Virginia$14.13/hr$29,390$32,837$28,5771,260
Florida$16.05/hr$33,380$32,279$33,38024,920
Georgia$14.72/hr$30,610$31,789$29,64412,180
Louisiana$13.27/hr$27,600$31,288$27,1474,140
Texas$14.16/hr$29,450$30,342$29,45037,750
Virgin Islands$13.60/hr$28,290Not publishedNot published30
Guam$10.57/hr$21,980Not publishedNot published140
Puerto Rico$10.52/hr$21,890Not publishedNot published1,310

National median for comparison: $35,830. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$35,830/year

$17.23/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$21,330$49,200

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

25%Low exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods disagree — treat any single figure for this job with caution.

Method 1 — ability mix39%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content12%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by +4% between 2025 and 2035, with about 51,500 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Rinse objects and place them on drying racks or use cloth, squeegees, or air compressors to dry surfaces.
  • Apply paints, dyes, polishes, reconditioners, waxes, or masking materials to vehicles to preserve, protect, or restore color or condition.
  • Clean and polish vehicle windows.
  • Drive vehicles to or from workshops or customers' workplaces or homes.
  • Scrub, scrape, or spray machine parts, equipment, or vehicles, using scrapers, brushes, clothes, cleaners, disinfectants, insecticides, acid, abrasives, vacuums, or hoses.
  • Clean the plastic work inside cars, using paintbrushes.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

Where cleaners of vehicles and equipment move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by Tiger Lily.