Janitorial wages — Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area
The Lehigh Valley’s labor market sits in a Northeast wage corridor with a logistics and manufacturing floor. E-commerce warehouses (Amazon, FedEx, UPS) have absorbed entry-level labor at $17–$21/hr since 2018, compressing BSC recruiting depth. Healthcare (LVHN, St. Luke’s UHN) generates the most above-median cleaning demand. The NJ portion of the MSA adds New Jersey’s higher minimum wage for accounts in Warren County.
BLS Wage Data: What Janitors Earn in Allentown-Bethlehem
Per BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area tables (May 2024), the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MSA places janitorial mean hourly wages (SOC 37-2011) in the $16.50–$19/hr range, consistent with the Pennsylvania-east Northeast band. The national mean of $17.43/hr sits near the lower end of this metro’s range. The metro employs approximately 8,000–11,000 janitors across healthcare, logistics, commercial office, and education.
| Percentile | Est. Hourly Wage | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $13.00–$14.50 | Part-time retail and strip commercial |
| 25th | $15.00–$16.50 | Light commercial, suburban office parks |
| 50th (median) | $16.50–$18.50 | Full-time commercial office and healthcare-adjacent |
| 75th | $20.00–$23.00 | Hospital EVS, logistics facility leads, government |
| 90th | $24.00–$27.00 | Senior hospital and federal SCA |
Wage Drivers: What Shapes Lehigh Valley Labor Costs
BEA Regional Price Parities place Allentown near 100–104 nationally, per BEA Regional Price Parities. Logistics expansion pushed entry-level wages to a practical floor of $15–$17/hr above Pennsylvania’s $7.25 statutory minimum. Healthcare (LVHN, St. Luke’s) is the largest above-median employer. Pennsylvania unemployment tracked 3.5–4.5% through 2024 per BLS LAUS.
Loaded Labor Cost: What Employers Actually Pay
Burden breakdown at $17.50/hr: FICA 7.65% ($1.34) + PA SUTA ~3% ($0.53) + workers’ comp $2.00–$3.20/$100 per Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry + GL ($0.40/hr) + health ($2.50–$3.75/hr) + PTO ($0.45/hr). $17.50 × 1.31 = $22.93 loaded; supervision adds $0.42–$0.60 = $23.35–$23.53 all-in. NJ-side accounts carry NJ’s higher minimum and WC rates. Use the cleaning bid benchmarks tool to verify rates by county.
State Minimum Wage and Local Premiums
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is $7.25/hr (matching the federal floor), per Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Minimum Wage. New Jersey’s minimum wage reached $15.13/hr for most employers in 2024, per New Jersey DOL, Minimum Wage. Accounts in Warren County, NJ operate under New Jersey law. Tipped exemptions do not apply to janitorial work.
Union Landscape and Collective Bargaining
SEIU 32BJ has limited coverage in the Lehigh Valley compared to Philadelphia or New Jersey. Some Class A Allentown towers may be under 32BJ agreement; most suburban Bethlehem and Easton commercial work is non-union. Hospital EVS at LVHN and St. Luke’s may involve SEIU Healthcare organizing activity. See SEIU 32BJ for current Pennsylvania coverage details.
Workers’ Compensation Rates for NAICS 561720
Pennsylvania workers’ comp for NAICS 561720 runs approximately $2.00–$3.20 per $100 payroll. Pennsylvania operates a competitive state workers’ comp market with mandatory coverage. Details at Pennsylvania DLI, Workers’ Compensation. NJ-side accounts require NJ WC coverage separately.
Prevailing Wage and Service Contract Act Implications
Federal facilities in the MSA require Service Contract Act compliance. Wage determinations are at SAM.gov Wage Determinations; SCA janitor rates for the Lehigh Valley typically run $18–$22/hr. Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Act applies to public works contracts; janitorial on state or municipal buildings may be covered. See DOL Service Contract Act.
Total Compensation: Benefits, Turnover, and Hiring Cost
Per BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, benefits represent 28–32% of total compensation. Pennsylvania mandates unemployment insurance and WC but no state paid sick leave (though Allentown and Bethlehem cities have not enacted local ordinances). Per ISSA benchmarks, janitorial turnover runs 75–200% annually. Replacing one Lehigh Valley janitor costs roughly $2,000–$3,800 per event at current wage levels.
Logistics Competition Has Permanently Raised the Hiring Floor
Amazon and FedEx distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley recruited aggressively at $17–$21/hr starting wages through 2020–2022. That established a reference wage in the local labor market that a $14/hr janitorial position cannot overcome in recruitment. BSCs who built their Allentown-Bethlehem account pricing on 2019 labor cost assumptions are now chronically understaffed or absorbing wage increases that were not in original bids. Any new contract in this market should use a $16–$18/hr wage assumption for entry-level commercial accounts, with a plan to compete against logistics employers at the hiring stage rather than relying on applicants who could not get a warehouse job.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area Estimates (May 2024)
- Pennsylvania DLI, Minimum Wage
- New Jersey DOL, Minimum Wage
- Pennsylvania DLI, Workers’ Compensation
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- BEA Regional Price Parities
See the bid template guide for the Allentown-Bethlehem MSA for scope-of-work tables and pricing benchmarks. Build your cost model with the Opora bid generator. For healthcare facility cleaning, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Stress-test bids with the bid stress test.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026