Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

Low pay & highrisk
High Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (1)

Lower estimated automation risk

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
38% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
28.3 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Advancement path for experienced workers coordinating laundry flow, machines, safety, staffing, and quality.

Alternative careers

Related career paths that build on similar skills and experience

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Why it fits

Uses cleaning procedures, chemicals, equipment, sanitation, safety, and facility service routines.

Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
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Why it fits

Fits workers familiar with suede and leather care who add repair, finishing, tools, and material skills.

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
3.2/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

66% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): This occupation shows a significant risk of end-to-end replacement by automation. Many core parts of the role may be structured, repeatable, software-driven, or physically predictable enough for AI, machines, or robotic systems to take over. If you work in this area, it may be worth exploring safer related careers or moving towards more human-centred responsibilities.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

We have not found any highly rated human strengths for this job yet.

What users think

Based on 39 votes

66% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 66% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers was $33,800 ($16 per hour).

The median annual wage for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers was 31.7% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers' job openings is expected to rise 5.4% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 195,360 people employed as 'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.13% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 789 people are employed as 'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers'.

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What people are saying (2)

Mimi (Highly likely)
11 Oct 2023 10:40
We have been looking for employees for months without a success, if a technology like that becomes available, we will probably be the first in line to implement it.
Looking forward to it.
Janko (Low)
20 Oct 2019 22:33
well, before the process of cleaning, the garments are inspected for damages, stains (by sight, touch, smell), composition (materials). Then, pre-spotting is done, sorting (which cleaning process should be taken), cleaning. Also ironing - some fine touch skills of the operators are needed. I can only see robots in large laundries, where the garments are pre-defined, large quantities of same model and material (like in hospital or hotel)
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Job description

Operate or tend washing or dry-cleaning machines to wash or dry-clean industrial or household articles, such as cloth garments, suede, leather, furs, blankets, draperies, linens, rugs, and carpets. Includes spotters and dyers of these articles.

O*NET-SOC code: 51-6011.00