Janitorial wages — Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metropolitan area
Providence sits at the southern edge of Boston’s wage gravity field: close enough that labor costs track the Northeast premium, far enough that workers willing to commute north often do. Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital, Lifespan, and Care New England generate steady above-median janitorial demand. A BSC underbidding Providence hospital accounts at open-market rates will be underpriced for scope and overpriced on turnover within 18 months.
BLS Wage Data: What Janitors Earn in Providence-Warwick
Per BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area tables (May 2024), the Providence-Warwick MSA places janitorial mean hourly wages (SOC 37-2011) in the $17–$19/hr range, modestly above the national mean of $17.43/hr. The metro employs an estimated 8,000–11,000 janitors; hospital and university employment is above-average for this MSA size.
| Percentile | Est. Hourly Wage | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $13.50–$14.50 | Part-time retail and strip commercial |
| 25th | $15.00–$16.50 | Suburban office, light commercial |
| 50th (median) | $17.00–$18.50 | Full-time commercial and institutional |
| 75th | $19.50–$21.50 | University EVS, hospital housekeeping leads |
| 90th | $23.00–$25.00 | Senior hospital housekeeping, federal SCA |
Wage Drivers: What Shapes Providence Labor Costs
BEA Regional Price Parities place Rhode Island near 105–108 on the national scale, per BEA Regional Price Parities. Above-average housing in Providence drives wage expectations even at entry level. Healthcare (Lifespan, Care New England) and Brown University dominate above-median employment; commercial office is concentrated downtown and in the Warwick corridor. Rhode Island unemployment tracked in the 4.0–5.0% range through 2024 per BLS LAUS data, slightly above the national rate.
Loaded Labor Cost: What Employers Actually Pay
Take Providence’s estimated median of $17.50/hr and apply a 28–33% burden:
Burden breakdown at $17.50/hr: FICA 7.65% ($1.34) + RI SUTA ~3% ($0.53) + workers’ comp $2.50–$3.50/$100 per Rhode Island DLT + GL ($0.40/hr) + health ($2.50–$3.50/hr) + PTO ($0.45/hr). $17.50 × 1.31 = $22.93 loaded cost; supervision adds $0.40–$0.60 = $23.33–$23.53 all-in. RI’s workers’ comp rates rank among the highest in the Northeast. Use the per-clean vs. hourly pricing calculator to model account economics.
State Minimum Wage and Local Premiums
Rhode Island’s minimum wage reached $14.00/hr as of January 2024 with further indexed increases, per Rhode Island DLT, Minimum Wage. The Massachusetts portion follows MA’s $15.00/hr minimum. No Providence city or Warwick municipal ordinance operates above the state floor. Tipped exemptions do not apply to janitorial workers.
Union Landscape and Collective Bargaining
Providence is adjacent to SEIU 32BJ’s New England territory, though 32BJ’s primary concentration is in Boston and Connecticut. Some Providence commercial towers operate under union labor provisions, but union density in commercial BSC janitorial work is lower here than in Boston. Healthcare EVS workers at large hospitals may be covered by 1199SEIU or NAGE. See SEIU 32BJ for current New England CBA scale information.
Workers’ Compensation Rates for NAICS 561720
Rhode Island’s workers’ comp runs above the New England average for janitorial work. For NAICS 561720, expect carrier rates of $2.50–$3.50 per $100 payroll. Coverage is mandatory for all employers; the state’s assigned-risk pool covers new entrants who cannot obtain voluntary market coverage. See Rhode Island DLT, Workers’ Compensation.
Prevailing Wage and Service Contract Act Implications
Federal buildings in Providence (federal courthouse, VA medical facilities) require Service Contract Act compliance. Wage determinations are at SAM.gov Wage Determinations; SCA janitor rates for Providence typically run $18–$22/hr. Rhode Island’s prevailing wage law, administered by the RI DLT Prevailing Wage Unit, covers construction but not janitorial BSC contracts. See DOL Service Contract Act.
Total Compensation: Benefits, Turnover, and Hiring Cost
Per BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, benefits represent 28–33% of total compensation. Rhode Island’s TCI/TDI programs add modest employer payroll costs above the federal baseline. Per ISSA benchmarks, janitorial turnover runs 75–200% annually. Replacing one experienced Providence janitor costs 3–5 weeks of reduced productivity plus $2,000–$4,000 in onboarding costs.
Hospital Accounts Without Union Verification Carry a Contract Risk
Providence hospital and university accounts anchor a BSC’s revenue base and rarely cancel mid-term. The risk is that hospital EVS contracts carry wage parity clauses tied to the institution’s own housekeeping union scale, or Joint Commission requirements that demand certified EVS training and specific product protocols. A BSC who prices a 120,000-square-foot hospital wing at the commercial median wage without reading the RFP’s labor standards language will find the contract costs 15–25% more to deliver than quoted once protocol and staffing requirements are understood.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area Estimates (May 2024)
- Rhode Island DLT, Minimum Wage
- Rhode Island DLT, Workers’ Compensation
- Rhode Island DLT, Prevailing Wage Unit
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- BEA Regional Price Parities
See the bid template guide for the Providence-Warwick MSA for scope-of-work tables and pricing benchmarks. Build bids with the Opora bid generator. For hospital EVS accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Model day-porter economics with the day-porter ROI calculator.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026