Georgia's janitorial workforce earns a statewide mean hourly wage of $16.38 and a median of $15.93/hr (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011). With no effective state minimum wage law (the nominal $5.15/hr state rate is preempted by FLSA's $7.25/hr for virtually all employers), Georgia's market wages far exceed the legal floor, driven primarily by the Atlanta metropolitan economy which houses over 65% of the state's cleaning workforce.
What employers should plan for
- Floor: $7.25/hr federal minimum (FLSA); Georgia's $5.15/hr state minimum applies only to employers with fewer than 6 employees not covered by FLSA — an effectively negligible category for commercial cleaning contractors.
- Local floors: No Georgia city or county has enacted a local minimum wage ordinance. Atlanta and other municipalities have living wage requirements for city contractors, but these are procurement rules rather than general employer mandates.
- Loaded labor rate: Commercial cleaning bids in Georgia run approximately $25–$33/hr total loaded cost. Atlanta bids start higher at $28–$35/hr given the competitive labor market. Workers' comp adds ~$1.79/$100 payroll.
- Workers' comp class 9014 base rate approximately $1.79/$100 payroll (Georgia NCCI jurisdiction) — moderate to low compared to coastal states.
High-wage metros vs. low-wage metros
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA dominates at a median $17.00/hr (10th: $12.55, 75th: $18.33, 90th: $21.55) — driven by a dense corporate real estate market, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport facility contracts, and large healthcare systems. Savannah comes in second at median $15.02/hr, bolstered by the Port of Savannah logistics complex and growing industrial base. At the low end, Albany MSA (median $14.19/hr) and Macon-Bibb County ($14.60/hr) reflect Southwest/Central Georgia's thinner commercial market density.
Wage percentile distribution (BLS OEWS 2024)
- 10th percentile: $10.97/hr
- 25th percentile: $13.66/hr
- Median (50th): $15.93/hr
- 75th percentile: $17.76/hr
- 90th percentile: $20.96/hr
The wide lower tail — 10th percentile at $10.97/hr — reflects the large share of part-time, occasional, and lower-skill facility cleaning positions in rural Georgia markets. The $10.00/hr spread from 10th to 90th is among the widest in the Southeast, reflecting Georgia's pronounced economic geography.
Union presence
Georgia is a right-to-work state with private-sector union density approximately 3–4% statewide. SEIU 32BJ does not maintain a Georgia office or engage in commercial cleaning pattern bargaining. UNITE HERE has a small presence in Atlanta hotel housekeeping (unrelated to commercial cleaners). A small number of custodial workers at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and public universities are covered by AFSCME contracts. The vast majority of commercial cleaning in Georgia is entirely non-union.
What this means for bid math
Georgia offers a favorable cost structure outside Atlanta: rural and secondary city markets can be priced at $20–$25/hr total loaded, while Atlanta contracts should budget $28–$35/hr. The Atlanta/non-Atlanta wage gap ($17.00 vs. $14–$15/hr median) is significant enough to warrant location-specific pricing for multi-site statewide contracts. Workers' comp at ~$1.79/$100 is below national average. No union wage floor complications to navigate.
Primary sources
- BLS OEWS May 2024 — Georgia
- O*NET Local Wages — Georgia (BLS 2024 data)
- DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws
- Commercial Cleaning Licensing in Georgia →
- OSHA Compliance for Janitorial in Georgia →
- Workers' Comp Class 9014 in Georgia →