Janitorial Wages in Columbus, OH (2026)

Updated Jun 3, 2026 Reviewed by Opora Editorial Team Editorial standards →

The Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area reported a median hourly wage of $16.33 and a mean of $17.15 for Janitors and Cleaners (SOC 37-2011) in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of May 2023, with approximately 14,250 workers in the occupation per BLS OEWS May 2023 data for MSA 18140. By May 2024, the building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupational group averaged $18.32/hr in the Columbus area, per the BLS Columbus OEWS news release. Columbus stands out among Midwest markets for its convergence of three demand-expanding forces: the Ohio State University campus (largest single-site janitorial account in Central Ohio), a growing technology sector anchored by Intel's $28 billion fab investment in Licking County, and a state workers' compensation system that operates differently from every other major metro in the country—Ohio is one of only four states with a monopolistic state WC fund.

BLS Wage Distribution, SOC 37-2011 — Columbus MSA, May 2024 Estimates

Percentile	Hourly Wage (Est.)	Annual Equivalent
10th (entry-level)	$12.50	$26,000
25th	$14.75	$30,680
50th (Median)	$17.15	$35,670
Mean	$18.01	$37,460
75th	$20.50	$42,640
90th	$24.30	$50,540

Source: BLS OEWS May 2023 (MSA 18140) with estimated +5% adjustment to May 2024. May 2023 median $16.33, mean $17.15, employment 14,250. Building and grounds cleaning group mean $18.32 (May 2024). Annual equivalents assume 2,080 hours/year.

Ohio BWC: The Monopolistic State Fund and What It Means for BSCs

Ohio is one of four states (along with Washington, Wyoming, and North Dakota) that requires employers to purchase workers' compensation insurance exclusively through a state-operated fund—the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC). Private WC insurers are not permitted to sell WC policies to Ohio employers; all premiums are paid directly to BWC. This has significant operational implications for building service contractors headquartered outside Ohio. A national BSC operating in multiple states cannot simply add Ohio to its existing multistate WC policy; it must establish a separate BWC account, pay premiums on a retrospective-rating or group-rating basis, and navigate BWC's specific classification and audit processes. For Class Code 9014 (janitorial contractors), BWC publishes its own loss cost rates—approximately $1.20–$1.60/$100 of payroll for well-rated employers in group-rating programs, rising to $2.50–$3.50/$100 for base rates without experience modification. Ohio's system also includes a unique retrospective-rating option that allows employers with favorable loss histories to receive premium rebates, making safety program investment especially valuable for larger Columbus-area BSCs. Employers access BWC at info.bwc.ohio.gov.

Ohio Sales Tax on Cleaning Services and BSC Pricing

Ohio imposes a 5.75% state sales tax on tangible personal property but generally does not tax most services. However, janitorial and building maintenance services are taxable when provided to commercial properties under ORC § 5739.01(B), which defines "service" to include certain real property maintenance services. Ohio's treatment is nuanced: cleaning performed primarily for the benefit of a commercial building owner or tenant (not residential) is subject to the state rate plus local municipality transit and county surtaxes, bringing effective rates to 7.0–8.0% in Columbus (Franklin County rate 7.5%, Licking County 7.25%). BSCs must register with the Ohio Department of Taxation, collect and remit appropriately, and issue valid resale certificates when purchasing cleaning supplies for resale. Failure to collect sales tax is a common audit finding; Columbus-area BSCs have faced assessments from Ohio DOR reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for multi-year periods of uncollected service tax. Build the sales tax line explicitly into your invoice template to avoid disputes with clients who expected an all-in price.

Ohio State University: The Region's Largest Campus Cleaning Account

The Ohio State University's Columbus campus spans approximately 1,700 acres and encompasses over 600 buildings totaling roughly 40 million gross square feet of space—making OSU's Facilities Operations and Development (FOD) division the largest single-site employer of custodial workers in Central Ohio. OSU FOD performs the majority of custodial work with direct-hire university employees, organized under the OAPSE (Ohio Association of Public School Employees) collective bargaining agreement. However, OSU also utilizes community rehabilitation programs through the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Office of Procurement from Community Rehabilitation Programs for certain custodial zones, as evidenced by historical contract awards totaling over $1.5 million annually for specific campus buildings. BSCs seeking to compete for OSU work must be familiar with the OPCRP set-aside preference and demonstrate capacity to employ workers with disabilities. The adjacent OSU Wexner Medical Center—one of the nation's largest academic medical centers—has additional specialized janitorial requirements including biocontainment protocols, sterile processing support, and biohazard handling certification for custodial staff assigned to clinical areas.

Manufacturing and Industrial Cleaning: Honda, Intel, and the Supply Chain

Columbus and its surrounding counties anchor Ohio's advanced manufacturing corridor. Honda's East Liberty and Marysville assembly plants—located 40 miles northwest of Columbus in Union County—employ thousands of production workers and generate significant industrial cleaning demand: floor scrubbing for manufacturing cells, parts-washing areas, locker room and restroom maintenance, and periodic deep-clean shutdowns during production line changeovers. Industrial cleaning contracts at auto assembly plants typically require crews familiar with MSDS-compliant chemical handling, LOTO (lockout/tagout) protocol compliance, and production-schedule flexibility. Intel's $28 billion semiconductor fabrication campus in New Albany (Licking County), announced in 2022 and projected to begin production in the 2026–2027 timeframe, will require cleanroom-grade janitorial service—a highly specialized segment demanding ISO class-5 and class-7 certified cleaning protocols at wage rates of $22–$30/hr for trained cleanroom technicians. Columbus-area BSCs with no cleanroom experience should begin technical training programs now to position for Intel campus subcontracting opportunities.

Growing Tech Sector and New Office Demand

Columbus was designated a federal CHIPS Act semiconductor manufacturing hub in 2022 and has experienced substantial growth in technology sector employment—Amazon, Nationwide Insurance (technology division), and a cluster of fintech startups in the Short North and Franklinton innovation districts have expanded commercial office space demand. The 2024 opening of the Junto Hotel and expansion of the Scioto Mile mixed-use corridor added hospitality and event-venue cleaning demand. New Class A office inventory in the downtown Columbus market has historically been absorbed at Class A commercial cleaning rates of $17–$22/hr for general cleaners, with supervisory and lead technician roles at $22–$28/hr. Columbus's relatively lower cost of living compared to Chicago or Cleveland means BSC labor retention at these rates is more achievable—annual cleaner turnover at well-managed Columbus accounts runs 25–40%, below the 50–80% national average for the sector.

Submarket Variation and Geographic Considerations

Downtown Columbus / Short North: Class A office towers (Huntington Center, PNC Plaza, 41 South High), state government buildings (Ohio Statehouse complex, ODOT, BWC headquarters), and university-adjacent commercial properties drive the highest concentration of demand. Wages for full-time building cleaners here run $16–$22/hr, with state government accounts subject to Ohio prevailing wage considerations on construction but not on ongoing janitorial service.

Polaris / Dublin / Westerville (North Suburbs): Corporate campus market—Abercrombie & Fitch HQ, Cardinal Health headquarters, Big Lots corporate offices, and the Polaris Fashion Place anchor. These campus-style accounts typically involve large square footage with relatively low occupancy density, making them volume-favorable but lower in specialty-service premium. Wages in this submarket run $14–$18/hr.

Licking County (New Albany, Granville): The Intel fab zone is reshaping Licking County labor dynamics; cleaning companies are already competing for logistics facility and semiconductor supply-chain cleaning contracts in anticipation of the fab campus activation, pushing hourly rates upward toward $18–$22/hr for experienced industrial cleaners.

Workers' Compensation and Loaded Labor Calculation for Columbus

For a Columbus-area BSC paying the May 2024 median of approximately $17.15/hr, the fully loaded labor cost calculation runs as follows: Base wage $17.15 + FICA 7.65% ($1.31) + Ohio BWC group rate for 9014 at ~$1.40/$100 ($0.24) + Ohio SUTA at 2.7% for new accounts ($0.46) + OH unemployment liability + benefits + overhead—bringing loaded cost to roughly $24–$29/hr before margin. This is approximately 10–15% below comparable fully loaded labor in Chicago or Minneapolis, giving Columbus-area BSCs a competitive advantage when bidding on multi-site national contracts that include an Ohio component. However, Ohio's monopolistic BWC requires additional administrative overhead to manage separate from national WC programs, partially offsetting the lower rate advantage.

Primary Sources

Primary sources

https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_18140.htm

https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/news-release/occupationalemploymentandwages_columbusoh.htm

https://info.bwc.ohio.gov

https://fod.osu.edu

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.