Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the carpet and upholstery cleaning services industry earns $44,272 per year ($21.28/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Workers Earn?
At $44,272/year (equivalent to $21.28/hour for a full-time worker), carpet and upholstery cleaning services wages are below the national average of ~$65,000.
Lower wages in this industry are common in service-oriented or retail-adjacent sectors where entry barriers are lower. This can be an advantage for business owners managing payroll costs, but may contribute to higher turnover.
The typical carpet and upholstery cleaning services business employs 5 people. Most operations are small — often owner-operated with a handful of staff. Labor costs are manageable relative to revenue.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average carpet and upholstery cleaning services business generating $364K/year with 5 employees at $44,272 each, total payroll represents roughly 60.8% of revenue. This is a labor-intensive industry — payroll is the dominant expense.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a carpet and upholstery cleaning servicesbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $57,554/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 5 employees = ~$221,360/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $21.28/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $364K/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do carpet and upholstery cleaning services employees make?
- The average carpet and upholstery cleaning services employee earns $44,272 per year, which is equivalent to $21.28/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is below the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the carpet and upholstery cleaning services industry?
- The carpet and upholstery cleaning services industry employs 37,039 workers across 7,176 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 5 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).