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Hotels & Resorts
Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Maids and housekeeping cleaners keep guest rooms, restrooms, hallways, and other shared spaces clean, stocked, and ready for use. The work is very hands-on and visible: you can tell quickly whether a room meets the standard. The tradeoff is that it often means repetitive physical labor, tight turnaround times, and modest pay for work that has to be done well every single shift.
Also known as HousekeeperRoom AttendantHotel HousekeeperHousekeeping AttendantCleaner
Median Salary
$34,660
Mean $36,180
U.S. Workforce
~855K
193.5K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+0.4%
1356.8K to 1362.8K
Entry Education
No formal educational credential
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners sits in the Hospitality category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~855K workers, with a median annual pay of $34,660 and roughly 193.5K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 1356.8 K in 2024 to 1362.8K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with No formal educational credential, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Housekeeping Aide and can progress toward Housekeeping Manager. High-value skills usually include Commercial Vacuums, Carpet Shampooers & Floor Scrubbers, Cleaning Chemicals, Disinfectants & PPE Safety, and Housekeeping Carts, Linen Stocking & Supply Tracking, paired with soft skills such as Service Orientation, Coordination, and Time Management.
Core Responsibilities
- Clean guest rooms and shared areas like hallways, lobbies, restrooms, and stairways so they meet cleanliness standards.
- Vacuum carpets and upholstery, and shampoo rugs, furniture, and drapes when they need a deeper cleaning.
- Sweep, mop, scrub, wax, or polish hard floors using handheld tools or powered floor machines.
- Empty trash, take waste to the proper disposal area, and handle dirty linens, towels, and other used items.
Keep exploring: more Hospitality careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Clean guest rooms and shared areas like hallways, lobbies, restrooms, and stairways so they meet cleanliness standards.
02 Vacuum carpets and upholstery, and shampoo rugs, furniture, and drapes when they need a deeper cleaning.
03 Sweep, mop, scrub, wax, or polish hard floors using handheld tools or powered floor machines.
04 Empty trash, take waste to the proper disposal area, and handle dirty linens, towels, and other used items.
05 Refill towels, soap, drinking glasses, toiletries, and other supplies guests or building occupants need.
06 Move cleaning supplies and linens on carts, and keep storage rooms and supply carts organized and stocked.
Industries That Hire
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Hospitals & Health Systems
HCA Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic
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Senior Living & Nursing Care
Brookdale Senior Living, Sunrise Senior Living, Atria Senior Living
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Commercial Cleaning Services
ABM Industries, Aramark, ISS Facility Services
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Schools & Campuses
University of California, New York University, Boston Public Schools
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You do not need a degree to start; BLS lists no formal educational credential and short-term on-the-job training.
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There are many openings, with about 193.5K annual openings projected, so people are hired regularly.
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The work is straightforward and tangible: rooms, hallways, and bathrooms are either clean and ready or they are not.
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Skills transfer across hotels, hospitals, schools, and senior living, so you can move between settings without changing careers completely.
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With experience, workers can move into lead or supervisor roles without spending years in school.
Challenges
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Pay is modest, with a median annual wage of $34,660 and a mean of $36,180, so it can be hard to build savings on this income alone.
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Growth is nearly flat at 0.4% from 2024 to 2034, which means the field is not expanding much overall.
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The job is physically demanding because it involves standing for long periods, bending, lifting, pushing carts, and repeating the same motions all day.
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The low barrier to entry creates a ceiling: because the work is easy to hire for, wages and advancement often stay limited unless you move into supervision.
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Schedules can be inconvenient and unstable, especially in hotels and healthcare, where nights, weekends, holidays, and quick turnaround cleaning are common.
Career Progression
Housekeeping Aide
0-1 years
$28K-$32K
New workers learn the cleaning routine, supply handling, and safety basics while focusing on speed, consistency, and supervision.
Housekeeping Cleaner
1-3 years
$33K-$39K
Workers handle full room or area assignments, work with less supervision, and are expected to meet cleaning standards on a steady pace.
Lead Housekeeper THIS ROLE
3-6 years
$40K-$46K
Experienced cleaners may help assign rooms, check quality, solve supply issues, and train new staff.
Housekeeping Supervisor
6-10 years
$47K-$58K
Supervisors coordinate crews, inspect finished work, handle guest or client complaints, and keep shifts moving on time.
Housekeeping Manager
10+ years
$59K-$72K
Managers oversee staffing, budgets, standards, and training for an entire property or facilities operation.
Education Paths
No formal educational credential
This is the main entry route, and 44.6% of workers in the field report less than a high school diploma; employers usually train new hires on the job.
High school diploma or GED
A high school diploma is also common, with 35.51% of workers reporting that level of education.
Short-term certificate in housekeeping, custodial work, or hospitality
A post-secondary certificate can help with hiring and faster skill-building, and 6.67% of workers in the occupation report that level.
Some college or hospitality training
Formal college is not required for the job, but a small share of workers have some college courses (2.37%) or a bachelor's degree (5.88%).
Key Skills
Technical
Commercial Vacuums, Carpet Shampooers & Floor Scrubbers 52%
Cleaning Chemicals, Disinfectants & PPE Safety 49%
Housekeeping Carts, Linen Stocking & Supply Tracking 46%
Laundry Sorting, Linens & Textile Care 44%
Room Inspection Checklists & Quality Standards 42%
Soft Skills
Service OrientationCoordinationTime ManagementSocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningSpeaking Job Outlook and Trends
+0.4%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
193.5K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 1356.8K to 1362.8 K over the next decade, representing 0.4% growth. Around 193.5 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.