Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Also called: Environmental Services Aide, Environmental Services Worker, Housekeeper, Housekeeping Laundry WorkerPerform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 20 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 0.6% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 6.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 10.1 hires for every 10 job openings in accommodation and food services, which employs about 50% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.10.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,480 | $25,440 to $29,640 | 8,290 |
| Alaska | $37,370 | $35,470 to $45,650 | 2,440 |
| Arizona | $35,640 | $34,230 to $38,760 | 21,180 |
| Arkansas | $27,960 | $26,670 to $29,590 | 6,930 |
| California | $42,660 | $36,990 to $49,330 | 103,430 |
| Colorado | $37,560 | $35,710 to $42,860 | 19,280 |
| Connecticut | $36,170 | $35,220 to $37,980 | 6,680 |
| Delaware | $34,150 | $31,200 to $36,480 | 1,820 |
| District of Columbia | $42,260 | $38,340 to $52,960 | 3,800 |
| Florida | $33,860 | $30,260 to $37,070 | 79,550 |
| Georgia | $29,770 | $27,210 to $35,490 | 18,510 |
| Guam | $21,470 | $20,930 to $22,740 | 900 |
| Hawaii | $51,600 | $45,860 to $60,430 | 11,120 |
| Idaho | $34,560 | $29,090 to $36,510 | 6,210 |
| Illinois | $36,380 | $34,590 to $43,150 | 26,150 |
| Indiana | $31,420 | $29,210 to $36,320 | 11,050 |
| Iowa | $32,620 | $29,500 to $36,230 | 8,160 |
| Kansas | $31,100 | $27,870 to $35,480 | 7,540 |
| Kentucky | $30,880 | $27,940 to $36,100 | 12,040 |
| Louisiana | $26,600 | $22,590 to $29,170 | 12,440 |
| Maine | $37,630 | $36,330 to $41,490 | 4,960 |
| Maryland | $35,500 | $33,720 to $37,670 | 14,690 |
| Massachusetts | $38,950 | $36,700 to $45,120 | 14,910 |
| Michigan | $34,650 | $30,110 to $36,500 | 18,690 |
| Minnesota | $37,470 | $34,880 to $41,720 | 14,890 |
| Mississippi | $25,360 | $21,990 to $28,910 | 8,320 |
| Missouri | $33,670 | $30,100 to $36,670 | 15,360 |
| Montana | $35,740 | $29,800 to $39,460 | 5,380 |
| Nebraska | $34,170 | $30,160 to $36,140 | 6,250 |
| Nevada | $46,550 | $35,030 to $50,140 | 24,380 |
| New Hampshire | $36,920 | $35,780 to $39,370 | 3,170 |
| New Jersey | $37,980 | $35,050 to $42,480 | 18,360 |
| New Mexico | $30,480 | $28,670 to $34,020 | 6,180 |
| New York | $41,950 | $35,820 to $57,980 | 41,740 |
| North Carolina | $31,310 | $28,640 to $36,930 | 33,080 |
| North Dakota | $35,050 | $30,700 to $37,580 | 2,880 |
| Ohio | $32,170 | $29,120 to $35,630 | 28,930 |
| Oklahoma | $28,620 | $24,540 to $34,540 | 11,810 |
| Oregon | $37,590 | $35,780 to $42,880 | 12,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,870 | $29,220 to $36,930 | 25,650 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,550 | $21,840 to $23,940 | 3,140 |
| Rhode Island | $37,540 | $36,190 to $40,580 | 2,710 |
| South Carolina | $30,260 | $27,820 to $34,910 | 14,500 |
| South Dakota | $29,950 | $28,640 to $34,540 | 3,540 |
| Tennessee | $30,850 | $28,350 to $35,140 | 20,500 |
| Texas | $29,660 | $26,650 to $34,250 | 63,110 |
| Utah | $36,270 | $31,420 to $39,520 | 10,250 |
| Vermont | $37,680 | $36,010 to $42,850 | 1,830 |
| Virgin Islands | $31,450 | $29,630 to $36,890 | 580 |
| Virginia | $33,820 | $29,670 to $36,710 | 23,120 |
| Washington | $42,180 | $37,690 to $45,730 | 18,480 |
| West Virginia | $28,090 | $25,310 to $32,240 | 6,110 |
| Wisconsin | $35,530 | $31,030 to $37,520 | 14,520 |
| Wyoming | $31,870 | $27,940 to $37,980 | 2,800 |
Nationally: $35,510. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met. | Not published |
| Not much | Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts. | Not published |
| Not much | Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy. | Not published |
| Not much | Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Dust and polish furniture and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers. | Not published |
| Not much | Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe precautions required to protect hotel and guest property and report damage, theft, and found articles to supervisors. | Not published |
| Not much | Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operated sterilizers. | Not published |
| Not much | Sort, count, and mark clean linens and store them in linen closets. | Not published |
| Not much | Hang draperies and dust window blinds. | Not published |
| Not much | Move and arrange furniture and turn mattresses. | Not published |
| Not much | Polish silver accessories and metalwork, such as fixtures and fittings. | Not published |
| Not much | Sort clothing and other articles, load washing machines, and iron and fold dried items. | Not published |
| Not much | Request repair services and wait for repair workers to arrive. | Not published |
| Not much | Deliver television sets, ironing boards, baby cribs, and rollaway beds to guests' rooms. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare rooms for meetings and arrange decorations, media equipment, and furniture for social or business functions. | Not published |
| Not much | Replace light bulbs. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Arrange displays or decorations | |||
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Sort materials or products |
Show all 10 activities
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for maids and housekeeping cleaners specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 78,939 moves out
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers High +3.2% 5%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 3 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Low +2.2% 3%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Cashiers High -6.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 74,957 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 8%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 4 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 4%
- 5 Fast Food and Counter Workers Moderate +5.8% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 45% less than high school
- 36% high school
- 7% postsecondary certificate
- 2% some college
- 6% bachelor's
- 5% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 32 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 34% less than high school
- 40% high school
- 14% some college
- 5% associate's
- 6% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 11,461 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
7.1% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (HOUSEKEEPER, COM, RES, IND; Room Attendant/Housekeeper). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/37-2012.00