Janitorial Wages in Wisconsin (2026)

Wisconsin's janitorial workforce earns a statewide mean and median hourly wage of $17.24 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011) — the second-highest in this batch after Vermont — driven primarily by Milwaukee's Chicago-influenced labor market and Madison's high-wage university and tech economy. Despite holding at the federal floor of $7.25/hr (unchanged since 2009), Wisconsin's market wages have grown substantially above the legal minimum, creating a $9.99/hr floor-to-median gap that is the widest in this batch.

What employers should plan for

• Floor: $7.25/hr federal (Wisconsin Stat. §104.02; DWD last set the rate in 2009 matching the federal floor; no independent state minimum wage increase since). Wisconsin law preempts local minimum wage ordinances (Wis. Stat. §104.001), meaning Milwaukee, Madison, and other cities cannot set higher local rates for private employers.
• Local floors: Wisconsin preempts local minimum wage ordinances. No Wisconsin city or county may enact a rate above the state/federal floor for private employers — confirmed by the 2017 Act 327 preemption. Madison and Milwaukee have no municipal minimum wage applicable to private employers.
• Loaded labor rate: Commercial cleaning bids in Wisconsin run approximately $26–$34/hr total loaded cost. Milwaukee institutional and Class A office bids should budget $29–$37/hr given the SEIU Local 1 union influence and tighter labor market. Wisconsin's workers' comp costs are moderate to slightly elevated.
• Workers' comp class 9014 — Wisconsin operates under the Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau (WCRB), an independent rating bureau (not NCCI). Estimated base rate approximately $2.20–$2.80/$100 payroll for commercial janitorial contractors (WCRB-filed rates for class 9014 apply; verify current rate via WCRB rate download).

High-wage metros vs. low-wage metros

Milwaukee-Waukesha MSA leads the state as Wisconsin's largest and most commercially dense metro, with estimated SOC 37-2011 janitor wages of $17.50–$18.50/hr driven by Chicago metro labor market spillover, SEIU Local 1 union contracts in Class A buildings, and the healthcare-heavy economy (Aurora, Advocate Health, Froedtert). Madison MSA (University of Wisconsin flagship, state government, Epic Systems, American Family Insurance) is estimated similarly at $17.00–$18.00/hr, with strong institutional demand from UW campus operations. At the lower end, Fond du Lac MSA provides precise 2023 BLS data: SOC 37-2011 median $15.86/hr and mean $16.64/hr — reflecting a manufacturing-dominated market with limited premium commercial office demand. Green Bay MSA is estimated at $15.50–$16.50/hr, anchored by food processing (Schreiber Foods, Sargento, Bellin Health) rather than high-wage commercial real estate.

Wage percentile distribution (BLS OEWS 2024)

• 10th percentile: $13.55/hr
• 25th percentile: $14.79/hr
• Median (50th): $17.24/hr
• 75th percentile: $19.18/hr
• 90th percentile: $22.35/hr

Wisconsin's distribution shows a notable $2.45/hr jump from the 25th ($14.79) to the median ($17.24), reflecting the bifurcation between secondary-city market rates and Milwaukee/Madison institutional wages. The 10th percentile at $13.55/hr is well above the federal minimum — confirming market forces rather than the $7.25 legal floor drive Wisconsin wages at all percentiles. The 90th percentile at $22.35/hr reflects premium union-scale cleaning in Milwaukee Class A buildings.

Union presence

Wisconsin's labor history is defined by the 2011 Act 10 controversy, which eliminated most public-sector collective bargaining rights. However, private-sector union density has remained relatively stable at approximately 7–8%. SEIU Local 1 (headquartered in Chicago; covers Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio) maintains an active Milwaukee commercial cleaning presence, organizing building service workers in downtown Milwaukee office towers and medical centers. Estimated union penetration in Milwaukee Class A commercial office cleaning: 10–20% of buildings. SEIU Local 1's Milwaukee master service agreement covers major properties owned by institutional investors with national building service agreements. Outside Milwaukee, private commercial cleaning in Wisconsin is predominantly non-union.

What this means for bid math

Wisconsin's strong $17.24/hr median combined with SEIU Local 1's Milwaukee presence makes it one of the more complex pricing environments in this batch. Standard commercial contracts outside Milwaukee can be priced at $26–$29/hr total loaded (1.55–1.70× base at $16.50–$17.50/hr). Milwaukee institutional contracts should budget $30–$37/hr — SEIU master service agreement buildings require union-scale rates running $19–$23/hr base plus benefits. Wisconsin's WCRB-filed workers' comp rates (approximately $2.20–$2.80/$100) are above the Tennessee/Virginia benchmarks but below Northeast levels. The $7.25/hr federal floor is operationally irrelevant for this market — no commercial cleaning contract should be priced below $14.00/hr even in the lowest-wage Wisconsin markets.

Primary sources

• O*NET Local Wages — Wisconsin (BLS 2024 data)
• BLS OEWS May 2023 — Fond du Lac, WI MSA (37-2011)
• Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau — Class Code Lookup
• SEIU Local 1 (Wisconsin/Milwaukee)
• DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws