Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, CA

Janitorial Wages in Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, CA (2026)

Last updated Q2 2026 · Authored by the Opora Editorial Team · Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 + California Minimum Wage Order (Lab. Code § 1182.12) + California WARN Act + Cal/OSHA

The Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom MSA occupies a distinctive position in California's janitorial market: it is the state capital with a large, stable government building cleaning sector, and simultaneously one of the most affordable California metros—wages above the federal floor but below Bay Area premium levels. O*NET 2024 data shows a median hourly wage of $18.68 for SOC 37-2011 janitors, with a compressed distribution: the 10th percentile at $16.72/hr sits almost exactly at California's $16.50/hr statewide minimum wage (Jan 2025). For operators scaling from Nevada or the Central Valley, Sacramento's regulatory environment—California AB 5, DIR contractor registration, prevailing wage on government accounts—can be a compliance shock. But the capital city's core of government office buildings, major healthcare systems, and public university campuses provides contract stability the Bay Area's volatile tech-driven market does not.

BLS OEWS May 2024 Wage Distribution

Percentile	Hourly	Annual	Benchmark
10th	$16.72	$34,770	At California statewide minimum ($16.50/hr Jan 2025); outer-ring suburban (Elk Grove, Folsom)
25th	$17.20	$35,770	Standard entry; Roseville/Rocklin suburban office park accounts
50th (Median)	$18.68	$38,860	Experienced commercial cleaner; midtown Sacramento, state office complex accounts
75th	$22.68	$47,180	Healthcare EVS (Sutter Health, Kaiser Sacramento), lead state building custodians
90th	$27.28	$56,750	State government custodians (CalHR schedule); CDCR-adjacent facility cleaning leads

Source: O*NET Local Wages CA 2024, SOC 37-2011. California minimum wage: $16.00/hr (Jan 2024), $16.50/hr (Jan 2025), $16.90/hr (Jan 2026). Annual at 2,080 hours.

State Capital Building Cleaning

California's state government is Sacramento's dominant employer. The California Department of General Services (DGS) manages cleaning for the State Capitol complex, the Jesse M. Unruh Building, the CalEPA headquarters, the Natural Resources Agency, and dozens of state-owned or leased buildings across the Capitol Mall corridor. Public works cleaning contracts above $15,000 are subject to California prevailing wage under Labor Code §§ 1770–1773. The DIR publishes prevailing wage determinations; for Sacramento County, the Group 1 Janitor/Cleaner rate on public works contracts typically runs $22–$26/hr base plus benefits. Contractors must register with DIR's PWCR program and submit certified payroll records for all prevailing wage accounts—adding 5–8% in administrative overhead but providing payment security and multi-year contract stability that commercial accounts don't match.

California ABC Test in the Capital Region

California's AB 5 ABC test applies identically in Sacramento as in San Francisco. The enforcement environment is shaped by the Labor Commissioner's Sacramento regional office, the DIR Bureau of Field Enforcement, and the AG's office—all heavily staffed given their proximity to state government. Between 2022 and 2024, the California Labor Commissioner pursued multiple enforcement actions against Sacramento-area BSCs for ABC test violations. The PAGA mechanism—allowing individual employees to sue on behalf of all aggrieved workers—means a single misclassified worker can trigger class-wide liability. For a Sacramento BSC with 100 workers misclassified over three years, PAGA civil penalty exposure can exceed $1M before back wage calculations. There is no practical path to using 1099 cleaning subcontractors on California commercial accounts.

Healthcare Cleaning: Sutter and Kaiser

Sacramento hosts two major integrated health systems. Sutter Health (Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, 1,019 beds; multiple outpatient clinics): EVS cleaning contracts require ISSA CIMS Healthcare certification; wages $19–$24/hr. Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center: Kaiser's internal EVS model typically employs workers under SEIU-UHW agreements; outsourced peripheral facility cleaning runs at comparable market rates. UC Davis Medical Center (Davis, adjacent to Sacramento): academic medical center subject to prevailing wage on state-funded cleaning. Healthcare EVS in Sacramento commands 20–30% premium over commercial office cleaning and represents approximately 25% of total janitorial employment in the MSA.

CDCR and Correctional Facility Cleaning

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates Folsom State Prison, California State Prison Sacramento (CSP-Sac), and several other facilities in the MSA. Administrative building and support facility cleaning—non-inmate-accessible areas—is the BSC opportunity; bill rates run $28–$40/hr given clearance and compliance requirements. Some cleaning is performed by inmate vocational programs, which defines the scope available to contracted BSCs. Contractors pursuing CDCR-adjacent accounts should consult California's Public Contract Code requirements for correctional facility vendors and budget 8–12 weeks for security vetting of all assigned personnel.

Submarket Variation and Loaded Labor

Downtown Sacramento / Capitol Mall: state government and Class A commercial at $28–$38/hr prevailing-wage accounts, $22–$30/hr commercial. Midtown Sacramento: converted Victorian offices, medical offices, tech startups; $20–$26/hr. Elk Grove / South Sacramento: large logistics and distribution corridor (Amazon, Target) at $16–$20/hr. Roseville / Rocklin / Folsom: HP Enterprise Roseville campus, financial services, medical offices; non-union commercial $18–$22/hr. Sacramento's HUD FY 2024 FMR for a one-bedroom (~$1,377/month) versus San Francisco's $2,349 makes Sacramento the most sustainable single-income janitorial labor market in California. California WC for Class 9014 in Sacramento runs approximately $3.80–$4.40/$100 payroll. Loaded labor at $18.68/hr median: FICA + WC ~$4.10 + CA SDI + SUI = approximately $24–$28/hr all-in before overhead. Standard commercial bill rates: downtown Capitol Mall $30–$40/hr; suburban Roseville/Folsom $26–$34/hr.

Primary sources

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.