Janitorial Wages in Texas (2026)

Texas janitors earn a statewide mean and median hourly wage of $15.02 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011 — O*NET LocalWages TX), placing it below the national median of $17.27/hr but well above the federal minimum wage floor of $7.25/hr — which governs because Texas has enacted no state minimum wage statute. With approximately 195,000–210,000 janitors, Texas has one of the three largest janitorial workforces in the nation, driven by its massive commercial real estate markets in Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. The $7.77/hr gap between the legal floor and the market median is the widest in this batch, confirming that Texas market wages are entirely market-driven without statutory compression.

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

The statewide mean equals the median at $15.02/hr — a perfectly symmetric distribution reflecting the broad, relatively unstructured Texas labor market. The Texas janitorial workforce is dominated by the three large urban metros (DFW, Houston, and Austin combined represent 60–65% of employment), which pull the statewide figure upward from the low-wage border markets. The lack of union pattern bargaining and the federal-floor minimum wage mean Texas wages are more directly responsive to labor market supply/demand conditions than any other state in this batch.

Wage Percentile Distribution (BLS OEWS May 2024)

Texas shows the widest lower-distribution spread in this batch: the 10th percentile at $10.99/hr is $3.77 above the federal minimum, confirming that even the bottom of the Texas market pays meaningfully more than the legal floor. The $8.87/hr spread from 10th to 90th reflects the dramatic geographic and sector diversity — from Laredo border markets to Austin tech-campus cleaning. The 90th percentile capping at $19.86/hr reflects the near-absence of union premium contracts that push eastern state 90th percentiles to $28–$30/hr.

Submarket Variation: High and Low Metro Areas

Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA leads the state at a median $17.33/hr (10th: $11.89, 25th: $14.21, 75th: $18.37, 90th: $21.33), driven by the tech sector explosion — Amazon, Tesla, Apple, and dozens of major tech employers have created a tight labor market for all service occupations including commercial cleaning. Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington follows at median $16.61/hr (90th: $21.31/hr), reflecting the nation's third-largest corporate real estate market. Midland ($16.37/hr) and Odessa ($16.32/hr) show energy-sector wage premiums. At the low end, Laredo MSA (median $12.88/hr) and El Paso MSA ($13.70/hr) reflect the border-region wage environment, where proximity to Mexican labor markets suppresses cleaning wages to roughly $1.14–$2.14/hr above the federal minimum. Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, despite being Texas's largest metro, comes in below average at median $14.59/hr — reflecting the high volume of large commercial buildings staffed by non-union, cost-competitive contractors.

State Minimum Wage 2026 and Scheduled Increases

• Texas minimum wage: $7.25/hr — the federal rate, by operation of Tex. Labor Code §62.051. Texas has not enacted any state minimum wage statute above the federal floor and has no scheduled increases.
• Local ordinance preemption: Texas Labor Code §62.0515 expressly preempts any city or county from setting a minimum wage above the state/federal rate. No Texas city may enact a local minimum wage — the $7.25/hr federal floor applies uniformly statewide regardless of local economic conditions.
• Tipped employees: The federal tip credit applies in Texas — employers may pay tipped workers $2.13/hr cash minimum as long as tips bring total hourly compensation to $7.25/hr. Not applicable to commercial janitors (who are not legally classified as tipped employees).
• No scheduled changes: Without a state minimum wage statute, Texas wages will remain at the federal $7.25/hr floor absent federal action. No increase is currently scheduled at either state or federal level as of Q2 2026.

Workers' Compensation — Class 9014 Rate (Texas)

Texas uses NCCI class code 9014 (Janitorial Services by Contractors — No Window Cleaning Above Ground Level). Texas is unusual nationally in that workers' compensation insurance is not mandatory for private employers under Texas Labor Code §406.002 — employers may choose to be non-subscribers, accepting full tort liability. However, the vast majority of commercial cleaning contractors carry WC voluntarily or are required to do so under contract terms. The NCCI class 9014 loss cost in Texas is estimated at approximately $1.60–$2.20/$100 payroll — below the national NCCI average of $2.43/$100 — reflecting Texas's relatively favorable claim experience. Loaded labor cost at $15.02/hr base: add FICA/FUTA ~$1.20, WC ~$0.30–$0.40/hr, general liability, benefits, and overhead — total loaded typically runs $22–$28/hr for standard non-union commercial cleaning. Austin and DFW accounts with tighter labor markets run $26–$32/hr loaded.

Union Presence — SEIU Texas / SEIU 32BJ Capital Area

SEIU 32BJ maintains a limited but active presence in Texas through its Capital Area designation covering the Dallas–Fort Worth market. The Dallas organizing effort has focused primarily on downtown Dallas Class A office towers and has achieved union contracts covering an estimated 3,000–5,000 workers in the DFW market — representing roughly 5–10% of commercial office building cleaning in downtown Dallas. The Houston market is substantially non-union in commercial cleaning; while SEIU has conducted organizing campaigns in Houston, penetration remains very low (estimated under 3%). San Antonio and Austin commercial cleaning are effectively non-union. No major IUOE or building trades locals represent commercial janitors in Texas. Texas's right-to-work status, local preemption of union security clauses, and the structure of the Texas commercial real estate market make large-scale organizing difficult.

Local Minimum Wage Premiums

Texas preempts all local minimum wage ordinances under Tex. Labor Code §62.0515. No Texas city may set a minimum wage above the federal rate. This applies to Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and all other Texas jurisdictions. Unlike every other state in this batch, contractors in Texas face a single uniform floor of $7.25/hr statewide — the market rate (not the minimum wage) is the binding constraint for competitive bidding.

What Contractors Should Bid Against

Loaded labor range: Standard commercial cleaning accounts statewide typically price at $22–$28/hr total loaded. Austin and DFW Class A office accounts run $26–$32/hr. Border-region accounts (Laredo, El Paso) may be priced as low as $18–$22/hr total loaded, making them among the lowest-cost markets in the nation for commercial cleaning services.

Key bid pitfalls:

• No OT compression: Texas follows FLSA — only weekly OT over 40 hours is required, not daily OT (unlike California). This makes split-shift and multi-site scheduling more flexible and cost-effective than California operations.
• WC non-subscriber risk: Some Texas cleaning contractors operate as WC non-subscribers to reduce premiums. Non-subscribers cannot assert the exclusive remedy defense and face full tort liability for worker injuries — a significant risk management issue for mid-size and larger contractors.
• Labor market volatility in Austin: Austin's tech-driven labor market creates meaningful wage volatility. The Austin median has risen from ~$14/hr in 2020 to $17.33/hr in 2024 — a 24% increase in four years. Budget annual wage escalation of 3–5% for Austin-area multi-year contracts.
• Immigration enforcement: Texas has historically been subject to federal I-9 and E-Verify enforcement actions in the commercial cleaning sector. Ensure all employees are I-9 verified and consider E-Verify enrollment as a risk management measure.

Cross-References

• OSHA Janitorial Requirements — Texas
• Workers' Comp for Janitorial Contractors — Texas (Class 9014; Non-Subscriber Option)
• Janitorial Contractor Licensing — Texas

Primary Sources

• O*NET Local Wages — Texas, SOC 37-2011 (BLS OEWS May 2024)
• DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws (Texas = federal $7.25/hr)
• Texas Workforce Commission — Texas Payday Law
• Texas Department of Insurance — Workers' Comp Rate Guide

Authored by the Opora Editorial Team.