Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a janitor make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, janitors earned a median of $40,780 a year ($19.61 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,510 of these jobs there. That is 25% below the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $36,140 and $59,750; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $34,333 in take-home pay.

Janitor pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$40,780$19.61 per hour · $3,398 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$36,140$17.38/hr
25th percentile$37,540$18.05/hr
75th percentile$51,330$24.68/hr
90th percentile$59,750$28.73/hr
Jobs in this metro1,510Location quotient 1.08 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here25% belowAll-jobs median $54,730
Against California1% belowStatewide median $41,090
Against the U.S.11% aboveNational median $36,840

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Janitor salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$40,780
$15,000$85,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$40,780
Net 84%
Fed 7%
CA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$34,333After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,861Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,320Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.8%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,714 / yr
California state income tax$614 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,120 / yr

Janitors pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What janitors earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$17.38/hr$3,012$36,140$30,790
25th percentile$18.05/hr$3,128$37,540$31,859
MedianMedian$19.61/hr$3,398$40,780$34,333
75th percentile$24.68/hr$4,278$51,330$42,304
90th percentile$28.73/hr$4,979$59,750$48,565

Is $40,780 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for janitors next to both.

Median household income$111,093Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)109.99.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household36.7%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Janitor pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for janitors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for janitors in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $40,780 in May 2025, about $3,398 a month or $19.61 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $41,090, so the metro pays 1% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for janitors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median hourly wage for janitors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $19.61 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.38 an hour and one in ten earned more than $28.73.

How many janitors work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 1,510 jobs for janitors in the metro in May 2025, or 15.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.08 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for janitors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for janitors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $36,140 at the 10th percentile to $37,540 at the 25th, $51,330 at the 75th, and $59,750 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do janitors take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $40,780, an estimated $34,333 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,320 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,447 (an effective rate of 15.8%).

How much do janitors make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $40,780, gross monthly income is $3,398. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,861 per month (or $1,320 every two weeks).

Is $40,780 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $40,780, the median salary for janitors is 36.7% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 25% below the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.