Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA-NC

Janitorial Wages in Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA-NC (2026)

Last updated Q2 2026 · Authored by the Opora Editorial Team · Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 + Virginia Minimum Wage Act (VA Code §40.1-28.9 et seq.) for VA-side workers; federal FLSA $7.25 for NC-side (Currituck, Dare, Camden counties)

The Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metropolitan statistical area—often called Hampton Roads—is one of the most distinctive commercial cleaning markets in the United States, defined above all by its extraordinary concentration of military and federal defense infrastructure. The nation's largest naval complex, Langley Air Force Base, multiple Army installations, and a dense ecosystem of defense contractors generate billions of dollars annually in federally-contracted facility services work that makes this market simultaneously well-regulated (through the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act) and security-clearance-constrained (limiting the eligible workforce for classified facility cleaning). Layered on top of the military foundation are a significant tourism economy, one of the country's largest naval shipyard repair complexes, and the beginnings of a commercial tech sector.

BLS Wage Data for Hampton Roads

The BLS OEWS May 2023 data for Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC shows 10,210 janitors and building cleaners (SOC 37-2011) with a median hourly wage of $13.99 and mean hourly wage of $15.08, producing an annual mean of $31,360. The mean is below the national average, reflecting the area's below-average private-sector commercial wage structure—a function of Virginia's right-to-work environment, limited union presence, and the compression effect of the military wage system (which provides heavily subsidized housing and compensation for service members, reducing the competitive wage pressure on civilian employers). The 75th percentile is estimated at approximately $18.00/hr for federal-contract workers, and the 90th near $21.00/hr for specialized cleared-facility custodians.

DoD and Navy Facility Cleaning: The SCA-Governed Market

Hampton Roads is home to the world's largest naval base: Naval Station Norfolk, covering 4,600 acres and hosting 75 ships and 134 aircraft. The broader complex includes Naval Air Station Oceana, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, and Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Cleaning services for these installations are awarded as service contracts covered by the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA). The DOL's SCA wage determinations for the Janitor/Cleaner classification in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area specify prevailing wages typically ranging from $17.00–$20.00/hr (2023–2024 determinations) plus the required H&W fringe benefit contribution (approximately $5.00/hr), making total compensation for SCA-covered federal facility cleaners $22–$25/hr—significantly above the private commercial market in the same geography.

Security Clearance Requirements: Workforce Constraint

Cleaning workers assigned to classified and sensitive compartmented information (SCI) facilities at Hampton Roads military bases require varying levels of federal security clearance—typically Secret for most base facilities, Top Secret/SCI for the most sensitive intelligence and command facilities. The clearance investigation process takes 6–18 months for initial investigations, requiring thorough background checks including criminal history, foreign contacts, financial history, and drug screening. For building service contractors competing for cleared-facility cleaning contracts, this clearance requirement substantially reduces the eligible workforce: workers with criminal histories, significant financial distress, or certain foreign-national family connections may be ineligible. The practical effect is that cleared facility cleaning workers are a constrained supply in Hampton Roads, supporting premium wages above the non-cleared market even for workers without specialized skills.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard: Industrial Cleaning Demand

Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in Portsmouth is the oldest and one of the largest shipyards in the United States, employing approximately 9,000 government workers and thousands of additional contractor personnel on ship repair, overhaul, and maintenance. NNSY generates demand for marine industrial cleaning—combining standard facility maintenance with confined space entry, hazardous material handling (lead paint, asbestos remediation from older vessels, hydraulic fluids), and work in shipboard environments under Navy safety protocols. Workers performing this cleaning hold HAZWOPER certification, pass physical fitness standards, and earn $19–$25/hr depending on hazmat classification. This industrial-marine cleaning segment is served by specialized contractors like Huntington Ingalls Industries (NNSY's primary contractor) and specialized environmental services companies operating under multi-year government contracts.

Virginia Beach Tourism and Seasonal Cleaning Demand

Virginia Beach operates one of the East Coast's largest oceanfront resort strips, with approximately 3 miles of boardwalk, hundreds of hotels and motels, thousands of vacation rental properties, and a convention center. The tourism cleaning market follows an extremely sharp seasonal pattern: Memorial Day through Labor Day represents 60–70% of annual hotel and resort cleaning demand, concentrated in a 14-week window. Summer season hotel housekeeping wages in Virginia Beach typically range from $14–$18/hr, with some resort properties offering seasonal premiums to attract and retain workers during peak. The shoulder-season employment collapse (September through April) means hotel cleaning workers face underemployment or career transitions during much of the year, and many Hampton Roads hotel housekeepers cycle between resort cleaning (summer), commercial office cleaning (fall-spring), and military base support roles.

MIT Living Wage and Hampton Roads Affordability

The MIT Living Wage Calculator for Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk sets the living wage for a single adult at $25.03/hr—a gap of $10.04/hr above the BLS mean wage of $15.08/hr. Hampton Roads' housing market is more affordable than Northern Virginia or the DC metro area: median two-bedroom rents run approximately $1,300–$1,500/month in Norfolk and Virginia Beach as of 2024. At the BLS mean wage, a full-time janitor earns approximately $2,614/month gross—covering rent but leaving limited margin. The military presence creates an unusual housing dynamic: a large supply of military housing and base-adjacent private rentals creates below-market housing options that civilian workers can sometimes access, partially cushioning the affordability gap.

Top Employers in the Hampton Roads Cleaning Market

• ABM Industries — major federal and commercial accounts in the Hampton Roads market, including transit and aviation facility services.
• Aramark — food service and facility management at Naval Station Norfolk support facilities and healthcare accounts at Sentara Health and Bon Secours Health Systems.
• AMSEC LLC / HII Mission Technologies — defense-oriented facility services subsidiary serving Navy installations under prime contracts.
• Allied Universal — integrated security and cleaning for commercial and defense-contractor campuses.
• Virginia Housekeeping & Cleaning — regional BSC serving the tourist and hospitality market in Virginia Beach and the resort corridor.

Port Cleaning and Future Growth Drivers

The Port of Virginia—encompassing Newport News Marine Terminal and Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth—is the third-largest port on the East Coast and one of the fastest-growing, having processed record container volumes in 2022–2024 as supply chains diversified away from West Coast ports. Port facility cleaning—container terminal offices, gate facilities, equipment maintenance buildings—generates steady commercial cleaning demand. The port's expansion, combined with the ongoing growth of the Hampton Roads tech sector (Old Dominion University's research programs, a growing cybersecurity sector tied to the dense military presence) is adding commercial office demand to a market historically defined by federal and industrial cleaning. As private-sector commercial square footage grows relative to federal facilities, the market's wage structure should see the private commercial tier gradually move toward the SCA-anchored federal tier, narrowing the wage gap between the market's two existing tiers.

Virginia Worker Misclassification Act: Compliance in Hampton Roads

Virginia's Worker Misclassification Law and the DOLI's enhanced wage enforcement authority apply equally in Hampton Roads. The Hampton Roads market has historically had significant subcontracting depth in facility services—particularly for federal contracts, where prime contractors (large defense integrators like SAIC, Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton) frequently subcontract facility management to specialty BSCs, who may further subcontract cleaning to small regional operators. This multi-tier structure creates misclassification and wage theft risk at the bottom tiers. Virginia's DOLI audits have focused on cleaning subcontractors in the defense contractor ecosystem, and the Worker Misclassification Act's treble-damages provisions apply to all Virginia-based employment regardless of whether the underlying contract is federal or private.

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.