CHICAGO — Drycleaning operations in the West pay the highest wages, according to a panel of industry operators tapped by AmericanDrycleaner.com to provide a variety of financial and cost data anonymously for use at the website.
In the South, drycleaning machine operators make an average of $10.50 per hour, according to respondents; in the Midwest, pay averages $12.17 per hour, and in the West, it’s $12.90. A reliable statistical sample was not available in the Northeast; two operators nationwide report that running the drycleaning machine is the owner’s responsibility.
Pressers make somewhat less than cleaners, but have a wider range of salaries depending on expertise. The overall average wage in the South is $8.70 per hour; the Midwest clocked in with $10.07 per hour, and the West offers the highest at $10.52 per hour. Again, the statistical sample in the Northeast was too small to report, but one operation reports paying a per-piece rate.
Counter staffers in the South make an average of $8.43 per hour; in the Northeast, customer-service pay averages $8.75 per hour; in the Midwest, it’s $8.38 per hour; and in the West, counter help gets an average of $8.97 per hour.
AmericanDrycleaner.com posts information on sales, wages, costs and other financial data based on anonymous survey information provided by industry operators monthly. If you would like to join the survey panel, e-mail [email protected].
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].