Janitorial wages — Dayton-Kettering, OH metropolitan area
Dayton’s janitorial market divides into two tiers: the federal installation tier anchored by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base – one of the largest Air Force installations globally – where SCA compliance is mandatory and rates run materially above commercial; and the commercial tier dominated by healthcare (Premier Health, Kettering Health, Dayton Children’s), universities, and manufacturing-adjacent facilities. BSCs competing only in the commercial tier leave significant federal revenue accessible to operators who invest in SCA compliance infrastructure.
BLS Wage Data: What Janitors Earn in Dayton-Kettering
Per BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area tables (May 2024), the Dayton-Kettering MSA places janitorial mean hourly wages (SOC 37-2011) in the $14.50–$16.50/hr range, within the Midwest band. The national mean of $17.43/hr is roughly 5–15% above Dayton’s median. The metro employs approximately 9,000–13,000 janitors across federal installations, healthcare, manufacturing, and commercial office.
| Percentile | Est. Hourly Wage | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $11.50–$13.00 | Part-time and casual commercial |
| 25th | $13.00–$14.50 | Strip commercial and light retail |
| 50th (median) | $14.50–$16.50 | Full-time commercial and healthcare-adjacent |
| 75th | $17.50–$20.50 | Hospital EVS, WPAFB-adjacent, government campus |
| 90th | $21.00–$24.00 | Senior hospital and federal SCA at WPAFB |
Wage Drivers: What Shapes Dayton Labor Costs
BEA Regional Price Parities place Dayton near 90–94 nationally, per BEA Regional Price Parities. Low Ohio housing and utility costs support real wages above the nominal gap from coastal metros. Wright-Patterson AFB is the single largest employer in Ohio and generates substantial federal cleaning contract volume at SCA rates. Healthcare (Premier Health, Kettering Health, Dayton Children’s) is the largest above-median commercial employer. Ohio unemployment tracked 3.8–4.5% through 2024 per BLS LAUS.
Loaded Labor Cost: What Employers Actually Pay
Burden breakdown at $15.50/hr: FICA 7.65% ($1.19) + OH SUTA ~2.5% ($0.39) + workers’ comp via Ohio BWC ~$2.50/$100 + GL ($0.35/hr) + health ($2.00–$3.25/hr) + PTO ($0.41/hr). $15.50 × 1.30 = $20.15 loaded; supervision adds $0.40–$0.58 = $20.55–$20.73 all-in. Ohio’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation runs a state monopoly fund; rates are set by the BWC. Use the cleaning bid benchmarks tool to verify rates.
State Minimum Wage and Local Premiums
Ohio’s minimum wage was $10.45/hr for non-tipped employees in 2024, indexed to CPI annually, per Ohio Department of Commerce, Minimum Wage. No Dayton city ordinance operates above the state floor. The practical commercial market floor sits at $13–$14/hr driven by competition. Tipped exemptions do not apply to cleaning work.
Union Landscape and Collective Bargaining
SEIU Local 1 has some commercial cleaning coverage in Dayton’s downtown Class A towers, though density is lower than in Columbus or Cleveland. Hospital EVS at Premier Health and Kettering Health may be covered by SEIU Healthcare or AFSCME. Wright-Patterson cleaning contractors operate under SCA provisions but are not collectively bargained at the BSC level. See SEIU Local 1 for Ohio coverage details.
Workers’ Compensation Rates for NAICS 561720
Ohio operates a state monopoly workers’ comp fund through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC). Rates for NAICS 561720 run approximately $2.00–$3.00 per $100 payroll in the standard plan; experience-rated employers with good safety records earn reductions. Retroactive and group rating plans are available through the BWC.
Prevailing Wage and Service Contract Act Implications
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the dominant SCA opportunity in the MSA; all cleaning contracts on the installation require SCA compliance. SCA rates are at SAM.gov Wage Determinations; Wright-Patterson SCA janitor rates typically run $17–$21/hr. See DOL Service Contract Act. Ohio has a prevailing wage law for public construction; state-funded janitorial contracts should be reviewed for applicability.
Total Compensation: Benefits, Turnover, and Hiring Cost
Per BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, benefits represent 28–32% of total compensation. Ohio has no state-mandated paid sick leave. Per ISSA benchmarks, janitorial turnover runs 75–200% annually. Replacing one Dayton janitor costs roughly $1,600–$3,200 per event at current wage levels.
Wright-Patterson Is the Highest-Margin Account Type in Dayton
WPAFB cleaning contracts at SCA rates run $5–$7/hr above Dayton’s commercial median. The overhead to operate on base – security clearances, certified payrolls, contracting officer relationships, annual WD rate updates – is real, but a BSC that has invested in that infrastructure can deliver cleaning services at commercial overhead levels while billing at SCA rates. The margin gap between a federal WPAFB account and a Dayton commercial office account is the largest in the metro and is structurally available to any operator who builds the compliance capability to capture it.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area Estimates (May 2024)
- Ohio Department of Commerce, Minimum Wage
- Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- BEA Regional Price Parities
See the bid template guide for the Dayton-Kettering MSA. Model federal and commercial accounts with the Opora bid generator. For healthcare facility cleaning, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Stress-test SCA vs. commercial margin with the bid stress test.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026