What Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners earn in Denver County, CO
The median pay for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Denver County, CO is $38,840 per year, which works out to $18.67 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metropolitan area, the labor market that Denver County, CO belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $42,130, which is 8.5% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 19,460 people working in this occupation across the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Denver County, CO has roughly 718,877 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $36,110 a year ($17.36 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $51,340 or more ($24.68 an hour). That is a gap of $15,230 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $37,680 at the 25th percentile and $45,880 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.4 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $18.67 an hour or $38,840 a year at the median for Denver County, CO. Before any deductions, that is $3,237 a month, $1,494 every two weeks and $747 each week. After taxes the same job pays $15.52 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Denver County, CO compares
Compared with the Colorado average
Pay for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Denver County, CO is in line with the statewide figure: $38,840 locally against an employment-weighted Colorado average of $39,065, a difference of only $225 (0.6%). Within Colorado, Denver County, CO already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is $37,083 across the contiguous United States. At $38,840, Denver County, CO pays $1,757 more, which is 4.7% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Denver County, CO
Among the 554 occupations with published wages in Denver County, CO, Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners ranks number 532 by median pay, ahead of about 4% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Lawyers at $177,380 a year, which is $138,540 more than the median for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners earning the Denver County, CO median of $38,840, they add up to $6,553. The result is $32,287 of take-home pay a year ($2,691 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $17 goes to taxes and $83 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 16.9%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $23,090. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $2,532, an effective 6.5% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $2,408 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $563. FICA totals $2,971, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in Colorado
Colorado income tax on this salary is $1,049 a year, or 2.7% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 41% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $87 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Denver County, CO
IRS Statistics of Income data for Denver County, CO show an average adjusted gross income of $114,627 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 17.4% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 6.1%, compared with the 6.5% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Denver County, CO
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Denver County, CO: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $32,287 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Denver County, CO, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,831 a month ($21,972 a year), and at $2,169 for two bedrooms. For Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, a one-bedroom absorbs 68.0% of take-home pay and 56.6% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 8.8% of gross pay for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Denver County, CO. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Colorado residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,576 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $411, for $1,987 in total. Gasoline in Colorado averages $3.14 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,451.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $28,846 a year in Denver County, CO. Subtract that from $32,287 of take-home pay and $3,442 remains, which is $287 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 8.9% of gross pay, a thin cushion that one unexpected expense could erase.
Can Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners afford to live in Denver County, CO?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $38,840 that ceiling is $971 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,831 is $860 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $35.21 an hour; the median for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is $18.67, which is 47% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $15.52 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 27.2 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,169 a month means $1,085 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $8,958 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $12,400.
How fast you can save
At $287 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 35 months (2.9 years). Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 70 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners pay in Denver County, CO
How much do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners make per hour in Denver County, CO?
The median is $18.67 per hour, based on $38,840 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $17.36 at the 10th percentile to $24.68 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners take home after taxes in Denver County, CO?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $38,840 becomes $32,287 a year. That is $2,691 a month, $1,242 every two weeks or $621 a week.
How much tax do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners pay in Denver County, CO?
Total taxes are $6,553 a year, an effective rate of 16.9%: $2,532 federal income tax, $2,971 FICA and $1,049 Colorado income tax.
Do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners earn more in Denver County, CO than elsewhere in Colorado?
It is about the same. The local median of $38,840 is within 0.6% of the Colorado average of $39,065.
Can Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners afford a one-bedroom apartment in Denver County, CO?
A one-bedroom costs $1,831 a month against take-home pay of $2,691, which is 68.1% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $971 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Denver County, CO?
About $287 a month ($3,442 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $28,846 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Denver County, CO at the 30% guideline?
$35.21 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $21,972 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is $18.67.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Colorado rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.