Janitorial Wages in New York (2026)

New York's commercial janitors earn a statewide mean and median hourly wage of $19.19 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011 — O*NET LocalWages NY), placing the state among the top five nationally for this occupation. The New York City, Long Island, and Westchester minimum wage rose to $17.00/hr on January 1, 2026 under NY Labor Law §652, while upstate New York rates reach $15.50/hr — a $1.50/hr geographic differential that meaningfully separates downstate from upstate cleaning contract economics. SEIU 32BJ's master agreements set wage floors in NYC office towers that regularly exceed $20–$25/hr, driving the striking 90th-percentile figure of $29.97/hr in the NYC MSA.

Statewide Wage Overview (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011)

The statewide mean equals the median at $19.19/hr, driven by the outsized weight of New York City in the state's cleaning employment base. New York employs approximately 130,000–140,000 janitors statewide, with an estimated 55–60% concentrated in the NYC metro region. The mean/median equivalence at a relatively high figure reflects the compressive effect of NYC union-scale wages pulling the full distribution upward, even as upstate markets trade at a significant discount.

Wage Percentile Distribution (BLS OEWS May 2024)

The 10th percentile at $15.85/hr is now below the NYC minimum wage of $17.00/hr — reflecting pre-2026 survey timing or upstate workers. By 2026, no worker in NYC, Long Island, or Westchester can legally earn less than $17.00/hr. The extraordinary 90th percentile of $29.57/hr represents senior union cleaners and supervisors in SEIU 32BJ-covered Manhattan towers. The $4.74/hr jump from 75th to 90th reflects the concentrated union premium at the top end of the distribution.

Submarket Variation: High and Low Metro Areas

New York–Newark–Jersey City NY-NJ MSA dominates at a median $19.40/hr (10th: $16.23, 25th: $17.35, 75th: $24.26, 90th: $29.97) — the highest-volume and highest-wage metro in the state. SEIU 32BJ pattern bargaining sets de facto wage floors for all commercial office cleaning in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the close-in New Jersey office markets. Ithaca, anchored by Cornell University, reaches median $17.91/hr. Upstate markets cluster near the minimum wage: Elmira (median $16.17/hr), Binghamton ($16.68/hr), and Watertown–Fort Drum ($17.25/hr) all show medians barely above the $15.50/hr upstate minimum — confirming that the state minimum wage is the primary wage-setting mechanism outside the NYC metro.

State Minimum Wage 2026 and Scheduled Increases

• New York City, Long Island & Westchester County: $17.00/hr effective January 1, 2026 (NY Labor Law §652; NY.gov minimum wage)
• Rest of New York State (upstate): $15.50/hr effective January 1, 2026
• Future increases: Both rates are adjusted annually for CPI. The NYC/LI/Westchester rate will continue to increase each January 1; the upstate rate tracks separately at a lower baseline.
• Tipped employees: New York allows a tip credit for tipped workers only (restaurants, hospitality) — not applicable to commercial janitors. Janitorial workers receive the full minimum wage.
• Fast food: Fast food workers in NYC have a separate $17.00/hr floor (no premium above general minimum for 2026); not applicable to commercial cleaning contractors.

Workers' Compensation — Class 9030 Rate (New York)

New York uses class code 9030 (Building Service Contractor) rather than NCCI's standard 9014. The NYCIRB (New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board) sets loss costs independently. The class 9030 loss cost effective October 1, 2025 is 3.268 per $100 payroll — among the highest in the nation for commercial janitorial work (NYCIRB Classification Digest). Applied to an $19.19/hr mean wage ($39,915 annual), the annual WC premium at 1.0 experience mod runs approximately $1,304 per worker, or roughly $0.63/hr on a full-time equivalent basis. Loaded labor cost calculation: $19.19/hr base + FICA/FUTA $1.53 + WC ~$0.63 + benefits + overhead = $32–$42/hr total loaded for non-union accounts; SEIU 32BJ union contracts add health, welfare, and pension contributions of $7–$10/hr, pushing union-covered total loaded to $42–$55/hr.

Union Presence — SEIU 32BJ

SEIU 32BJ is the nation's largest property services union, representing approximately 175,000 members in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. metro regions. The 2024 NY RAB Contractors CBA (effective January 2024 through early 2027) covers commercial office building cleaners in New York City proper. The Tri-State Master Agreement (January 1, 2024–December 31, 2027) extends pattern bargaining to the broader tri-state region. Under these agreements, benefit fund contributions (health and welfare) in 2026 are set at approximately $1,440/month per eligible employee; pension fund contributions also step up annually. Wage step rates for general cleaners in covered NYC buildings run from approximately $19.40/hr (2024 base) with annual $0.50–$0.75/hr increases. Union density in Midtown Manhattan Class A office towers is estimated at 70–85%. Upstate New York (Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Syracuse) is largely non-union in commercial cleaning; wages in these markets are set by the market rate and state minimum wage rather than pattern bargaining.

Local Minimum Wage Premiums

• New York City: $17.00/hr effective January 1, 2026 (part of the NYC/LI/Westchester tier under NY Labor Law §652)
• Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk Counties): $17.00/hr effective January 1, 2026 (same NYC tier)
• Westchester County: $17.00/hr effective January 1, 2026 (same NYC tier)
• No separate NYC surcharge above the statewide downstate tier — unlike some other states, New York's tiered minimum is set at the state level, not as a city ordinance on top of the state rate.

What Contractors Should Bid Against

Loaded labor range: Non-union accounts outside NYC (upstate: Buffalo, Rochester, Albany) price at $24–$30/hr total loaded. NYC-area non-union accounts in smaller commercial buildings (under 50,000 sq ft) run $30–$38/hr. SEIU 32BJ union-covered Manhattan office towers require budgeting $42–$55/hr total loaded — the highest in the batch outside specialized California markets.

Key bid pitfalls:

• Dual minimum wage tiers: A single New York state contract covering both NYC and upstate locations requires two different wage calculations. Use $17.00/hr for any work in NYC, Long Island, or Westchester; $15.50/hr for upstate.
• SEIU 32BJ pattern bargaining: Even non-union contractors winning office building accounts in Manhattan face market pressure to price at union-scale wages to retain labor. Budget at least $19–$20/hr base for any Manhattan cleaning account.
• High WC burden: Class 9030 at 3.268 loss cost is roughly 35–40% above the national NCCI average. Factor this into loaded rate calculations — it represents a meaningful cost disadvantage vs. bidding in other states.
• NYC Earned Safe and Sick Time Act: New York City workers accrue up to 56 hours (7 days) of paid safe/sick leave annually — more than the 40-hour state standard. Include this in labor burden for NYC accounts.

Cross-References

• OSHA Janitorial Requirements — New York (NY PESH)
• Workers' Comp for Janitorial Contractors — New York (Class 9030)
• Janitorial Contractor Licensing — New York

Primary Sources

• O*NET Local Wages — New York, SOC 37-2011 (BLS OEWS May 2024)
• New York State Minimum Wage (NYC $17.00, upstate $15.50 — Jan 2026)
• NYCIRB Classification Digest — Class 9030 Loss Cost 3.268
• SEIU 32BJ Contract Page (NY RAB CBA 2024–2027)
• DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws

Authored by the Opora Editorial Team.