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West Chicago, Ill. — March 31, 2015 — Have you ever questioned how large the "janitorial services" industry is in the U.S.?
Have you wondered how well the janitorial services industry weathered the Great Recession?
Is the industry growing, shrinking, or standing still?
To help cleaning contractors get a better feel for the size and scope of the industry, this month's Business of the Business from Tornado Industries, maker of professional cleaning tools and equipment, answers these and other questions you might have about the industry:
• The janitorial services industry in the U.S. is estimated to be a $52 billion industry.
• Sales gains came to a halt in 2009, due to the Great Recession, but rebounded in 2011.
• Most studies indicate industry growth is 4 to 5 percent per year.
• As of 2012, the industry employed nearly 1 million people. (This figure is for companies with payrolls. It does not include mom-and-pop janitorial services that often lack a payroll but account for a huge percent of the companies in the industry.)
• In 2012, there were nearly 54,000 janitorial service companies that hired employees.
• In 2012, there were over 1.2 million non-employer (mom-and-pop) janitorial services.
• The primary factor impacting demand for janitorial services is the increase in office space.
• In 2012, there were 5.6 million commercial buildings in the U.S. comprising 87.4 billion square feet of floor space. This represents a 14 percent increase in buildings and a 22 percent increase in floor space since 2003.
• Most commercial buildings in the U.S. are relatively small, with a median building size of 5,100 square feet.
• The three largest companies in the industry with annual revenues well over $1 billion are the janitorial division of ABM, ServiceMaster Clean, and SERVPRO.
Note: Most studies were conducted in 2012, with results released in 2014.
