Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Maryland
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,228
after federal, FICA and Maryland tax
Tax takes
$6,392
17.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$29,075
Maryland costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Maryland — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$36,620
Kept after tax
$30,228
Worth in national money
$29,075
State rank
22
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Maryland is 22 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $36,620. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Maryland this is lower-paid work. Of 489 occupations the state publishes figures for, this job ranks 462. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $36,620 the take-home is $30,228. But Maryland costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $29,075 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $39,270, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Maryland ranks 22 of 51 for janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners at $36,620. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Maryland reports, janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners ranks 462 of 489, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Maryland income tax is $30,228 for janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners, from $36,620. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $29,075. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $39,270 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $31,850 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,620 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,450 |
| This salary | $36,620 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Maryland | $30,228 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,604 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,447 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $34,908 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,169 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 104 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners in Maryland earn under $36,620 and half over. The published range runs $31,850 at the tenth percentile to $48,450 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Maryland the take-home figure of $30,228, from $36,620, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 462 of 489 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $29,075 uses one figure for the whole of Maryland. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 462.
- Figures are distribution medians for janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners in Maryland, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $31,850 to $48,450; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Maryland is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $30,228 from $36,620. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 462 of 489 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $29,075, worked from $36,620, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Maryland address, on work sitting at 462 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $39,270 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $31,850 and the top tenth $48,450, so most people doing this work in Maryland sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Maryland run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $29,075 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Maryland adds its own income tax on top — which is why $30,228 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Maryland is $39,270. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($31,850 to $48,450) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Maryland rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Maryland's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $29,075 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $30,228 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Maryland income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.