What Does a Custodial Supervisor Do?
Keeping a campus clean can be routine and, at times, urgent, as when a pipe bursts before an exam or a stomach bug sweeps a residence hall. Custodial supervisors run the crews that clean schools, hospitals and offices and spend a lot of time inspecting buildings or covering staff gaps.
Also known as: Building Services Foreman, Housekeeping Supervisor, Building Services Supervisor, Custodial Services Supervisor, Building Services Superintendent, Custodial Services Assistant Supervisor
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Building Services Supervisor, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor, Custodian Supervisor, Environmental Services Supervisor (EVS), Executive Housekeeper, Housekeeping Supervisor, Janitorial Supervisor, Laundry Supervisor.
Custodial Supervisor Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a custodial supervisor include:
- Assign custodians to buildings and shifts, covering absences so no area goes uncleaned.
- Inspect restrooms, classrooms and common areas against cleaning standards and log what needs redoing.
- Train crews on floor machines, chemical dilution and safety data sheets.
- Order cleaning supplies, paper goods and equipment within the building services budget.
- Schedule floor stripping, waxing and carpet extraction for breaks and weekends.
- Respond to spills, floods and biohazard cleanups, following bloodborne pathogen procedures.
- Set up rooms for events, move-in days and commencement with extra crews.
- Review time sheets, approve leave and handle attendance and conduct problems.
- Coordinate with maintenance, pest control and security staff on building problems.
- Test new products and equipment, and recommend changes that save labor or chemicals.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a custodial supervisor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Cleaning methods, chemicals and floor care
- OSHA hazard communication and bloodborne pathogen rules
- Scheduling crews across shifts
- Supply ordering and budgeting
- Coaching and fair discipline
- Work order and timekeeping software
- A second language, often Spanish, is a plus
- Patience with complaints from building users
Education and Training
Most custodial supervisors learn through years as custodians or housekeepers after high school, but some start out by leading a small cleaning crew for a contract company. With experience, you could progress from assistant supervisor to building services superintendent. Some employers pay for supervisor training.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $40,100 - $62,600 per year, with a median of $49,100.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers.
According to BLS, employment of first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers is projected to grow about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 30,800 openings a year. Most of those openings come from supervisors retiring or moving on. Custodians who show they can plan, train and keep records are often first in line.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers.
Custodial Supervisor Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $35,520 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $40,100 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $49,100 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $62,600 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $76,430 |
Highest-Paying States for Custodial Supervisors
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Washington ($63,550), Rhode Island ($63,520), California ($61,470), New York ($60,580), Massachusetts ($59,760). Pay is lowest in Oklahoma ($40,460), Louisiana ($38,640), Arkansas ($37,500).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $44,370 |
| Alaska | $56,690 |
| Arizona | $48,610 |
| Arkansas | $37,500 |
| California | $61,470 |
| Colorado | $55,100 |
| Connecticut | $57,200 |
| Delaware | $50,750 |
| District of Columbia | $47,950 |
| Florida | $45,770 |
| Georgia | $46,070 |
| Hawaii | $59,060 |
| Idaho | $48,390 |
| Illinois | $49,410 |
| Indiana | $50,570 |
| Iowa | $47,200 |
| Kansas | $49,780 |
| Kentucky | $45,860 |
| Louisiana | $38,640 |
| Maine | $55,810 |
| Maryland | $49,550 |
| Massachusetts | $59,760 |
| Michigan | $46,770 |
| Minnesota | $53,510 |
| Mississippi | $42,230 |
| Missouri | $45,660 |
| Montana | $48,240 |
| Nebraska | $48,870 |
| Nevada | $50,080 |
| New Hampshire | $55,200 |
| New Jersey | $55,170 |
| New Mexico | $44,840 |
| New York | $60,580 |
| North Carolina | $47,490 |
| North Dakota | $54,210 |
| Ohio | $46,110 |
| Oklahoma | $40,460 |
| Oregon | $56,210 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,920 |
| Rhode Island | $63,520 |
| South Carolina | $45,320 |
| South Dakota | $46,860 |
| Tennessee | $46,800 |
| Texas | $41,660 |
| Utah | $52,420 |
| Vermont | $59,340 |
| Virginia | $48,660 |
| Washington | $63,550 |
| West Virginia | $41,450 |
| Wisconsin | $49,070 |
| Wyoming | $47,840 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 97% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 78% use email every day
- 77% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 76% are on the phone every day
- 73% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 64% spend more than half the day walking or moving around
- 59% spend more than half the workday on their feet
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 43% |
| Some college | 19% |
| Associate's degree | 14% |
| Bachelor's degree | 12% |
Tools and Software Custodial Supervisors Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Management of Personnel Resources, Speaking, Monitoring, Coordination, Time Management, Active Listening.
Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 2 of 5, which means some preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 37-1011.00 (First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.