Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
Also called: Automotive Detailer (Auto Detailer), Car Washer, Detailer, ReconditionerWash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment. Use such materials as water, cleaning agents, brushes, cloths, and hoses.
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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 3.9% 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, 7.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.7 hires for every 10 job openings in other services, which employs about 43% 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.7.7 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 | $29,360 | $26,550 to $36,020 | 6,440 |
| Alaska | $40,210 | $37,890 to $45,550 | 620 |
| Arizona | $35,410 | $32,210 to $38,660 | 6,260 |
| Arkansas | $34,970 | $28,620 to $37,580 | 5,140 |
| California | $37,920 | $36,190 to $44,790 | 46,030 |
| Colorado | $39,610 | $37,390 to $45,080 | 6,750 |
| Connecticut | $35,870 | $34,520 to $38,820 | 3,480 |
| Delaware | $37,440 | $31,350 to $41,600 | 1,280 |
| District of Columbia | $42,710 | $36,400 to $47,990 | 350 |
| Florida | $33,380 | $29,430 to $36,780 | 24,920 |
| Georgia | $30,610 | $28,080 to $37,410 | 12,180 |
| Guam | $21,980 | $21,330 to $22,260 | 140 |
| Hawaii | $37,560 | $35,290 to $41,700 | 1,180 |
| Idaho | $35,640 | $30,230 to $40,380 | 2,840 |
| Illinois | $35,930 | $31,810 to $45,440 | 16,350 |
| Indiana | $34,940 | $28,850 to $41,400 | 7,520 |
| Iowa | $35,920 | $30,750 to $37,350 | 4,190 |
| Kansas | $37,370 | $31,770 to $42,750 | 6,410 |
| Kentucky | $34,470 | $29,240 to $39,880 | 5,580 |
| Louisiana | $27,600 | $23,220 to $33,450 | 4,140 |
| Maine | $37,440 | $35,100 to $42,760 | 1,150 |
| Maryland | $36,390 | $33,090 to $43,550 | 6,010 |
| Massachusetts | $38,630 | $36,390 to $43,160 | 5,100 |
| Michigan | $33,890 | $28,420 to $37,130 | 10,320 |
| Minnesota | $37,580 | $35,350 to $42,360 | 4,460 |
| Mississippi | $28,640 | $26,150 to $34,000 | 2,790 |
| Missouri | $34,670 | $29,510 to $38,500 | 9,150 |
| Montana | $36,510 | $31,610 to $43,310 | 1,490 |
| Nebraska | $37,160 | $32,830 to $45,730 | 4,570 |
| Nevada | $34,230 | $26,380 to $37,560 | 3,790 |
| New Hampshire | $37,420 | $33,990 to $43,510 | 1,030 |
| New Jersey | $37,090 | $35,380 to $41,590 | 9,930 |
| New Mexico | $30,310 | $27,810 to $34,910 | 1,820 |
| New York | $39,390 | $35,530 to $49,200 | 20,390 |
| North Carolina | $33,470 | $27,370 to $37,400 | 13,820 |
| North Dakota | $37,290 | $34,480 to $42,760 | 1,330 |
| Ohio | $35,230 | $29,380 to $39,300 | 13,750 |
| Oklahoma | $30,880 | $27,700 to $37,310 | 5,080 |
| Oregon | $38,070 | $35,830 to $44,100 | 5,550 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,650 | $29,220 to $40,900 | 11,710 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,890 | $21,840 to $22,300 | 1,310 |
| Rhode Island | $37,340 | $31,770 to $48,220 | 780 |
| South Carolina | $34,230 | $27,450 to $37,030 | 5,720 |
| South Dakota | $35,050 | $29,450 to $36,800 | 1,510 |
| Tennessee | $34,950 | $28,670 to $38,490 | 8,420 |
| Texas | $29,450 | $27,310 to $35,910 | 37,750 |
| Utah | $34,900 | $30,430 to $37,540 | 4,580 |
| Vermont | $39,530 | $37,200 to $45,970 | 620 |
| Virgin Islands | $28,290 | $26,360 to $31,190 | 30 |
| Virginia | $34,450 | $29,000 to $38,890 | 8,860 |
| Washington | $40,070 | $37,260 to $45,750 | 8,270 |
| West Virginia | $29,390 | $28,680 to $34,430 | 1,260 |
| Wisconsin | $35,280 | $29,800 to $39,900 | 7,040 |
| Wyoming | $33,890 | $29,250 to $36,350 | 720 |
Nationally: $35,830. 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 | Inspect parts, equipment, or vehicles for cleanliness, damage, and compliance with standards or regulations. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and polish vehicle windows. | Not published |
| Not much | Scrub, scrape, or spray machine parts, equipment, or vehicles, using scrapers, brushes, clothes, cleaners, disinfectants, insecticides, acid, abrasives, vacuums, or hoses. | Not published |
| Not much | Sweep, shovel, or vacuum loose debris or salvageable scrap into containers and remove containers from work areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Rinse objects and place them on drying racks or use cloth, squeegees, or air compressors to dry surfaces. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive vehicles to or from workshops or customers' workplaces or homes. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | Mix cleaning solutions, abrasive compositions, or other compounds, according to formulas. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain inventories of supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Pre-soak or rinse machine parts, equipment, or vehicles by immersing objects in cleaning solutions or water, manually or using hoists. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valves or disconnect hoses to eliminate water, cleaning solutions, or vapors from machinery or tanks. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valves or handles on equipment to regulate pressure or flow of water, air, steam, or abrasives from sprayer nozzles. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply paints, dyes, polishes, reconditioners, waxes, or masking materials to vehicles to preserve, protect, or restore color or condition. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean the plastic work inside cars, using paintbrushes. | Not published |
| Not much | Press buttons to activate cleaning equipment or machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor operation of cleaning machines and stop machines or notify supervisors when malfunctions occur. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect hoses or lines to pumps or other equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Lubricate machinery, vehicles, or equipment or perform minor repairs or adjustments, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Transport materials, equipment, or supplies to or from work areas, using carts or hoists. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble and reassemble machines or equipment or remove and reattach vehicle parts or trim, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Fit boot spoilers, side skirts, or mud flaps to cars. | 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 16 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.
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| 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 | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris |
Show all 16 activities
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment |
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 cleaners of vehicles and equipment 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 11,918 moves out
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 3%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 8,404 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 5 Fast Food and Counter Workers Moderate +5.8% 3%
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
- 24% less than high school
- 54% high school
- 2% postsecondary certificate
- 20% not published
O*NET marks 20% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 27% less than high school
- 42% high school
- 20% some college
- 5% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 3,467 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
60.8% 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 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (HYDRO BLASTER/VACUUM TECHNICIAN). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment” 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
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