What Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners earn in Dane County, WI
According to the latest federal wage data for the Madison, WI metropolitan area, the median pay for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Dane County, WI is $39,680 a year, or $19.08 an hour. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, the paycheck shrinks to $33,025 a year, and rent, food and energy take another bite. The sections below walk through each step with the actual math for Dane County, WI.
The mean wage is $40,720, which is 2.6% above the median, so pay is spread fairly evenly. The survey counts about 6,780 people working in this occupation across the Madison, WI metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Dane County, WI has roughly 572,674 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 Madison, WI metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $31,200 a year ($15.00 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $48,120 or more ($23.13 an hour). That is a gap of $16,920 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $35,920 at the 25th percentile and $45,660 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.5 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: $19.08 an hour or $39,680 a year at the median for Dane County, WI. Before any deductions, that is $3,307 a month, $1,526 every two weeks and $763 each week. After taxes the same job pays $15.88 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners this way: "Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Perform heavy cleaning duties, such as cleaning floors, shampooing rugs, washing walls and glass, and removing rubbish. Duties may include tending furnace and boiler, performing routine maintenance activities, notifying management of need for repairs, and cleaning snow or debris from sidewalk."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Service, clean, or supply restrooms"; "Gather and empty trash"; "Clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming"; "Follow procedures for the use of chemical cleaners and power equipment to prevent damage to floors and fixtures".
Job outlook for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 2,432,600 jobs in 2025 to 2,486,200 in 2035, a change of +2.2%, slower than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 321,800 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 13.2% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: no formal educational credential. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: short-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $36,840 for this occupation; the Dane County, WI median of $39,680 is 7.7% above it.
How pay in Dane County, WI compares
Compared with the Wisconsin average
A worker in this occupation in Dane County, WI earns $1,168 more than the Wisconsin average of $38,512, a premium of 3.0%. Over a year that premium is worth $1,168 before tax and roughly $972 after tax. Within Wisconsin, the highest median we track for this job is $40,800 in St. Croix County, WI.
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 $39,680, Dane County, WI pays $2,597 more, which is 7.0% 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 Dane County, WI
Among the 480 occupations with published wages in Dane County, WI, Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners ranks number 429 by median pay, ahead of about 11% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Registered Nurses at $101,190 a year, which is $61,510 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 Dane County, WI median of $39,680, they add up to $6,655. The result is $33,025 of take-home pay a year ($2,752 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 16.8%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $23,930. 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 $2,633, an effective 6.6% 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 $2,460 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $575. FICA totals $3,036, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Wisconsin
Wisconsin income tax on this salary is $986 a year, or 2.5% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 37% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $82 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 Dane County, WI
IRS Statistics of Income data for Dane County, WI show an average adjusted gross income of $107,406 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 14.5% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.9%, compared with the 6.6% 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 Dane County, WI
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Dane County, WI: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $33,025 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Dane County, WI, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,375 a month ($16,500 a year), and at $1,565 for two bedrooms. For Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, a one-bedroom absorbs 50.0% of take-home pay and 41.6% 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 8.7% of gross pay for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Dane County, WI. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Wisconsin residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,816 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $393, for $2,209 in total. Gasoline in Wisconsin averages $3.28 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,518.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $23,663 a year in Dane County, WI. Subtract that from $33,025 of take-home pay and $9,362 remains, which is $780 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 23.6% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Dane County, WI
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Dane County, WI: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Dane County, WI, set beside the Wisconsin and national medians.
Property taxes in Dane County, WI
Homeowners in Dane County, WI pay a median of $6,420 a year in real estate taxes, 69% above the Wisconsin median of $3,792 and 106% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $394,800, the median tax bill is 1.63% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners median of $39,680, a tax bill of that size would equal 16.2% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Dane County, WI
Renters in Dane County, WI pay a median gross rent of $1,398 a month in the Census survey, 29% above the Wisconsin median of $1,087. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $1,375 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $394,800, 48% above the Wisconsin median of $266,500. Median household income is $89,975, 16% above the Wisconsin median of $77,485, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 18.3% of that income.
Commuting in Dane County, WI
Workers in Dane County, WI who travel to a workplace spend an average of 20.6 minutes each way, 7% below the Wisconsin average of 22.2. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 3.4 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 20.0% of workers in Dane County, WI work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners afford to live in Dane County, WI?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $39,680 that ceiling is $992 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,375 is $383 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $26.44 an hour; the median for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is $19.08, which is 28% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $15.88 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 20.0 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,565 a month means $783 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $7,110 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $16,472.
How fast you can save
At $780 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 13 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 26 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 Dane County, WI
How much do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners make per hour in Dane County, WI?
The median is $19.08 per hour, based on $39,680 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $15.00 at the 10th percentile to $23.13 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners take home after taxes in Dane County, WI?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $39,680 becomes $33,025 a year. That is $2,752 a month, $1,270 every two weeks or $635 a week.
How much tax do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners pay in Dane County, WI?
Total taxes are $6,655 a year, an effective rate of 16.8%: $2,633 federal income tax, $3,036 FICA and $986 Wisconsin income tax.
Do Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners earn more in Dane County, WI than elsewhere in Wisconsin?
Yes. The local median of $39,680 is +3.0% versus the Wisconsin average of $38,512, a difference of $1,168 a year.
Can Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners afford a one-bedroom apartment in Dane County, WI?
A one-bedroom costs $1,375 a month against take-home pay of $2,752, which is 50.0% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $992 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in Dane County, WI?
About $780 a month ($9,362 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $23,663 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Dane County, WI at the 30% guideline?
$26.44 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $16,500 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is $19.08.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Madison, WI 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 Wisconsin 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.