GA · BLS OEWS May 2024 OEWS

Janitorial wages — Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA metropolitan area

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 OEWS  |  SOC codes: 37-2011 (Janitors) and 37-1011 (Supervisors)  |  Last reviewed: June 2, 2026

Metro Atlanta employs roughly 27,000 janitors and building cleaners across Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Cherokee counties. BLS OEWS May 2023 data puts the median hourly wage for SOC 37-2011 at $15.39, mean $15.95, annual mean $33,170. The national median for May 2024 is $17.27/hr per the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, placing Atlanta roughly 11 percent below the national benchmark — a gap explained by Georgia's right-to-work environment and the absence of any citywide living-wage mandate for private employers. Entry-level overnight office porters typically start at $13–$14/hr; experienced day-porter leads at Class-A Buckhead towers earn $18–$20/hr. Specialty floor-care crews at Data Center Alley campuses in Alpharetta command $20–$24/hr.

Hartsfield-Jackson: The Region's Largest Single Cleaning Contract

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — the world's busiest airport by passenger volume — anchors metro Atlanta's janitorial market. ABM Industries has held the primary janitorial contract at ATL for nearly three decades, deploying approximately 700 workers across 3 million square feet — domestic terminal, five concourses, gate hold rooms, and jet bridges. ABM's airport cleaning positions start at $15.76/hr. Aramark and C&W Services operate major office portfolios in Buckhead and Midtown, while GDI Services and Pritchard Industries handle suburban Class-B inventory.

Georgia Right-to-Work and the Non-Union Wage Structure

Georgia's right-to-work statute (O.C.G.A. § 34-6-25) prohibits mandatory union membership. SEIU Local 32BJ has a limited presence in federal building cleaning, but the dense SEIU Local 1 network that defines Midwest metros is largely absent from private-sector Atlanta BSCs. The result is a fragmented, bid-driven wage structure: contractors routinely undercut each other for LEED-certified towers along the Beltline and in Sandy Springs, suppressing wages 10–15 percent below comparable right-to-work metros. Tier-1 downtown and airport accounts require $17–$19/hr to attract and retain experienced staff.

E-Verify: A Mandatory Compliance Cost

Georgia's Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act (O.C.G.A. § 13-10-90 et seq.) requires all private employers with 11 or more employees to use E-Verify for new hires. For public-sector contracts — MARTA, Atlanta city facilities, state buildings — E-Verify participation is mandatory regardless of headcount, and bids must include a signed, notarized Contractor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91. This compliance overhead adds approximately $0.15–$0.25/hr in indirect cost per employee when amortized across onboarding.

MARTA and the Transit Authority Cleaning Market

MARTA issues multiple separate janitorial solicitations — its headquarters complex, maintenance facilities and garages, and police precincts. In early 2024, MARTA awarded a $2.48 million janitorial contract to Imagann Facility Support Services. MARTA contracts carry Service Contract Act wage determinations for certain covered positions, which may set floor rates above the prevailing commercial market. Bidders must hold at least five years of commercial janitorial experience and comply with Georgia's E-Verify affidavit requirement per the MARTA IFB B50809.

Industry Mix and Demand Drivers

Atlanta's cleaning demand spans five distinct segments. Corporate headquarters (Delta, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, UPS) create a large Class-A office base in Buckhead, Midtown, and Perimeter. The Georgia World Congress Center district generates event-driven surge demand. Data Center Alley in Duluth and Alpharetta requires specialty crews with security clearances. Suburban logistics and light-manufacturing campuses along I-85 in Gwinnett create steady lower-rate demand. Hartsfield-Jackson generates 24/7 high-intensity operations distinct from all other account types.

The Wage-Affordability Gap

The MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates a single Atlanta adult needs $26.36/hr — 71 percent above the $15.39 median janitorial wage. HUD Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Fulton County runs approximately $1,700–$1,900/month in 2024, consuming roughly 55 percent of a full-time janitorial worker's gross monthly income. This mismatch contributes to annual turnover estimates of 60–80 percent on overnight shifts, elevating training costs across the metro's BSC sector.

Submarket Variation

Wage rates vary materially by Atlanta submarket. The Hartsfield-Jackson corridor (College Park, East Point) commands the highest wages driven by ABM's airport contract and TSA background-check standards. Downtown and Buckhead Class-A towers run $16–$19/hr for experienced porters. The Central Perimeter (Sandy Springs) occupies a middle tier at $15.50–$17.50/hr. Suburban Gwinnett, Cherokee, and Henry Counties — serving distribution and flex-industrial — run $13.50–$15.50/hr. BSC operators with accounts across multiple submarkets must manage differentiated pay structures to control both cost and turnover.

Enforcement and Compliance Environment

Georgia does not have a standalone wage-theft statute with private rights of action comparable to California or New York, relying on federal FLSA enforcement. DOL Wage and Hour Division investigations in the Atlanta region have periodically targeted janitorial contractors for off-the-clock work violations — particularly uncompensated pre-shift duties. Georgia's state law preempts local minimum-wage ordinances, meaning the $7.25 federal floor remains the statutory baseline for private employers, though de facto market rates well exceed it.

Top Employers and Market Structure

ABM Industries dominates airport and major institutional accounts. Aramark, C&W Services, and Allied Universal Janitorial compete for corporate headquarters and mixed-use portfolios. Regional firms including Pritchard Industries (Southeast division), Marsden Services, and Imagann Facility Support Services compete aggressively on mid-market bids. In Atlanta, wage-setting is driven less by union scale and more by what competitors pay to retain workers at specific accounts — making on-the-ground intelligence about competitor wages a more reliable guide than MSA-wide averages.

Primary sources

Data vintage: BLS OEWS May 2024 OEWS. Page last reviewed: June 2, 2026. Primary source: BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area Data. Spot an error? Contact us.