Albuquerque, NM

Janitorial Wages in Albuquerque, NM (2026)

Last updated Q2 2026 · Authored by the Opora Editorial Team · Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 + New Mexico Minimum Wage Act (NMSA 1978 § 50-4-22) + Albuquerque city minimum wage (superseded by state $12.00)

Albuquerque sits at the intersection of the Southwest's federal research complex and New Mexico's unique regulatory framework, producing a commercial cleaning market shaped by two forces that don't often appear together: a very large government and research institution demand base (Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, the University of New Mexico) and a state-level regulatory environment that is progressive by Mountain West standards, including New Mexico's Healthy Workplaces Act paid-leave mandate and the state's Gross Receipts Tax structure that affects how cleaning contracts are priced. Wages sit below national averages but above comparable markets in rural New Mexico and much of the Southwest, and the unique research-laboratory demand generates a tier of specialized cleaning employment that commands meaningful premiums above standard commercial rates.

BLS Wage Data for the Albuquerque MSA

The BLS OEWS May 2023 data for Albuquerque, NM records 6,550 janitors and building cleaners (SOC 37-2011) with a median hourly wage of $14.33 and mean hourly wage of $15.68, producing an annual mean of $32,620. Both figures are below national averages, reflecting the smaller market size, limited union presence, and New Mexico's lower overall wage structure. The Swept Janitorial Pay Report places New Mexico's statewide janitorial median at approximately $16.17/hr with a recent +6.5% annual trend, suggesting post-2023 data may show modest improvement. Estimated percentile spread: 10th percentile near $10.50/hr, 25th at $12.00/hr, 75th at approximately $18.50/hr for government-contract and research-facility work, 90th near $22.00/hr for specialized laboratory custodians.

New Mexico Healthy Workplaces Act: Paid Sick Leave for All Employees

New Mexico's Healthy Workplaces Act (HWA), signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in April 2021 and effective July 1, 2022, requires all private-sector employers—regardless of size—to provide paid sick leave at a rate of one hour per 30 hours worked. For janitorial contractors, the HWA means that even part-time and temporary employees who work at least 80 hours in a calendar year must accrue paid sick time: smaller operators (fewer than 10 employees) must allow use of up to 40 hours/year, while larger employers must allow up to 64 hours/year. Accrual carries over year-to-year. This mandate is a direct labor cost addition—estimated at $0.25–$0.50/hr of payroll burden—and represents a meaningful compliance obligation for the many small janitorial firms in Albuquerque's market.

New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax: Pricing Impact on Cleaning Contracts

New Mexico is one of a small number of states that imposes a Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) on janitorial and cleaning services. Under New Mexico's GRT structure, cleaning service revenues are subject to the combined state and local rate, which in Albuquerque runs approximately 8.0–8.8% depending on the specific municipality within Bernalillo County. This tax is technically imposed on the seller (the cleaning company) rather than as a sales tax on the buyer, but is commonly passed through to clients as a line-item addition to invoices. The GRT creates a pricing complexity for Albuquerque cleaning contractors: their effective cost to clients is meaningfully higher than in adjacent Texas or Colorado, where cleaning services are generally not subject to gross receipts or sales tax. Contractors must be transparent about GRT pass-through in their bid proposals.

Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland AFB: Federal Demand

Sandia National Laboratories—operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies under a DOE contract, employing approximately 17,000 people on its Albuquerque campus—requires custodial services in secure and classified laboratory environments. Cleaning contracts for secure federal facilities are covered by the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), under which the DOL sets prevailing wage rates by occupation and geography. The SCA Janitor classification for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County typically sets a prevailing wage floor of $17.50–$20.00/hr (2023–2024 determinations), significantly above the market median. Workers on SCA-covered federal facility contracts also receive fringe benefits—typically a DOL-specified H&W contribution of approximately $5.00/hr—making total compensation for federal custodians substantially above the private commercial market. Kirtland Air Force Base, with approximately 26,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel, generates additional SCA-covered cleaning demand.

University of New Mexico: Institutional Anchor

The University of New Mexico (UNM), with approximately 25,000 enrolled students and a main campus of more than 300 buildings including hospitals, research laboratories, and dormitories, is the state's largest employer. Custodial services for UNM's main campus and health sciences facilities are state contract work, subject to New Mexico's public procurement rules and—for the hospital—Joint Commission (TJC) environmental hygiene standards. UNM directly employs many custodians as state classified employees with PERA (Public Employees Retirement Association) benefits and AFSCME union representation, paying rates of $15–$19/hr depending on classification. This direct-employment model functions as effectively unionized through civil service rules.

MIT Living Wage and Albuquerque's Affordability Context

The MIT Living Wage Calculator for Albuquerque estimates the living wage for a single adult at $22.31/hr—$6.63/hr above the BLS mean wage of $15.68/hr. New Mexico's housing market is more affordable than most Western metros: median two-bedroom apartment rents in Albuquerque run approximately $1,100–$1,350/month as of 2024. At the BLS mean wage, a full-time janitor earns approximately $2,718/month gross, which—after a $1,200 rent payment—leaves modest but functional disposable income. New Mexico's state income tax rate of 4.9% (for most working-class incomes) adds a modest effective burden compared to Texas and Florida's zero-income-tax environments.

Top Employers and Submarket Variation

• ABM Industries — federal facility and commercial accounts in Albuquerque, including some Sandia and Kirtland support work through subcontracting chains.
• Centennial Contractors Enterprises / SOC LLC — federal-facility-specialist BSCs operating under DOE and DoD contracts in the classified sector.
• Aramark — UNM Health Sciences and institutional food/facility services.
• Global Industries (NM regional) — local BSC serving commercial office, retail, and healthcare accounts.
• ServiceMaster Clean franchises — commercial and residential restoration market segments.

Albuquerque's internal wage geography spans from the federally-anchored Kirtland/Sandia corridor (highest wages, SCA-covered) through the downtown commercial core and healthcare sector (mid-range at $14–$18/hr) to the suburban commercial parks of Rio Rancho and the Paseo del Norte corridor (lower wages, primarily non-union at $12–$15/hr). The spread between the top (SCA-covered federal facility work at $20+/hr) and bottom (part-time retail/residential at $11–$12/hr) of the Albuquerque wage distribution is roughly 2:1—typical for a mid-size market without significant union presence but with a substantial federally-anchored employment base.

Primary sources

Review notice

This wage data is maintained by the Opora editorial team and last reviewed in Q2 2026. BLS OEWS data is released annually each spring; state and local minimum wages change at least yearly. Verify current rates with BLS, the relevant state labor department, and any applicable SCA wage determination before relying on a specific bid number. Opora does not provide legal or tax advice.