# Dishwashers

US SOC code 35-9021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/35-9021

Also called: Kitchen porter, Steward, Pot washer, Utility kitchen worker, Warewasher.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **477,450** US dishwashers, with median pay of **$34,810** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2010/01/28/taste-of-a-decade-restaurants-1900-1910/) of **85,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for dishwashers: High-temperature conveyor systems + chemical sanitizer stations, 1960 to 2000.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 1% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=35-9021&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **0%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Dishwashers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1850
- Latest US employment: 477,450 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $34,810 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: -1% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [18]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 85,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Restaurant-ing through History [1] |
| 1918 | 120,000 (estimate) | $438 (estimate) | Est., Restaurant-ing through History [2] |
| 1950 | 280,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Restaurant-ing through History [3] |
| 2003 | 492,620 | $14,990 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 497,650 | $15,280 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 498,620 | $15,490 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 502,770 | $15,750 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 509,550 | $16,410 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 521,150 | $17,040 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 512,990 | $17,770 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 505,950 | $18,150 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 504,280 | $18,360 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 501,910 | $18,460 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 498,110 | $18,610 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 502,280 | $18,780 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 505,000 | $19,340 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 506,450 | $20,800 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 503,540 | $21,500 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 504,770 | $22,730 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 514,330 | $23,970 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 395,660 | $25,270 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 377,040 | $28,130 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 431,840 | $29,080 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 463,940 | $31,200 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 471,670 | $33,670 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 477,450 | $34,810 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (83)

### Employment series

1. [Restaurant-ing through History — "Taste of a decade: restaurants, 1900-1910" (industry scale and workforce composition, turn-of-century US restaurant sector)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2010/01/28/taste-of-a-decade-restaurants-1900-1910/), Restaurant-ing through History
2. [Restaurant-ing through History — "Washing up" (1918 Michigan restaurant inspections, $1.20/day wage, gender ratio of dishwashers)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2011/12/06/washing-up/), Restaurant-ing through History
3. [Restaurant-ing through History — effects of war on restaurant-ing (postwar meals-served tripling; restaurant industry boom 1940s-1950s)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2019/03/12/effects-of-war-on-restaurant-ing/), Restaurant-ing through History
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [Restaurant-ing through History — "Washing up" (1918 Michigan inspections: women dishwashers earned $1.20/day, described as "rock bottom for restaurant workers")](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2011/12/06/washing-up/), Restaurant-ing through History
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

8. [Restaurant-ing through History — "Washing up" (pre-machine dishwashing conditions in early commercial kitchens)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2011/12/06/washing-up/), Restaurant-ing through History
9. [National Inventors Hall of Fame — Josephine Garis Cochran (US Patent 355,139; 1893 Exposition debut; hotel and restaurant adoption)](https://www.invent.org/inductees/josephine-garis-cochran), National Inventors Hall of Fame
10. [Hackaday — "Josephine Cochrane Invented the Modern Dishwasher in 1886" (patent details and commercial adoption)](https://hackaday.com/2025/03/11/josephine-cochrane-invented-the-modern-dishwasher-in-1886/), Hackaday
11. [Katom Learning Center — Hobart Company History (1926 Crescent Washing Machine acquisition; commercial dishwasher product line history)](https://www.katom.com/learning-center/hobart-company-history.html), Katom / Hobart
12. [Hobart Corporation — Products: Commercial Dishwashers (industry-standard rack and conveyor machine technology)](https://www.hobartcorp.com/products/commercial-dishwashers), Hobart Corporation
13. [ServSafe — Food Handler Certification program (health code compliance documentation requirements for dishwashers)](https://www.servsafe.com/ServSafe-Food-Handler), ServSafe / National Restaurant Association
14. [The Robot Report — Armstrong Robotics creates general-purpose kitchen robots, starting with dishwashing (October 2025)](https://www.therobotreport.com/armstrong-robotics-creating-general-purpose-kitchen-robots-starting-dishwashing/), The Robot Report
15. [Nala Robotics — Spotless robotic dishwashing system (commercial subscription, ~$2,995/month; UL certified)](https://nalarobotics.com/spotless.html), Nala Robotics
16. [Yahoo Finance — Armstrong raises $12M to bring general-purpose kitchen robots to commercial deployment (October 2025)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/armstrong-raises-12m-bring-general-120000986.html), Yahoo Finance / Armstrong Robotics
17. [Moneywise — Restaurants scramble to replace dishwashers as immigration crackdown and worker shortages drive turnover (2025)](https://moneywise.com/employment/employment/restaurant-dishwasher-labor-shortage-immigration-crackdown), Moneywise

### Forecasts and exposure studies

18. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 35-9021 Dishwashers (2025: 480.4 thousand; 2035: 475.6 thousand; -1.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=35-9021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
19. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 35-9021.00, human-rated β 0)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

20. [National Inventors Hall of Fame — Josephine Garis Cochran (US Patent 355,139, 1886; Garis-Cochrane Manufacturing Company)](https://www.invent.org/inductees/josephine-garis-cochran), National Inventors Hall of Fame
21. [Hackaday — "Josephine Cochrane Invented the Modern Dishwasher in 1886" (1893 Exposition: nine machines installed, awards won)](https://hackaday.com/2025/03/11/josephine-cochrane-invented-the-modern-dishwasher-in-1886/), Hackaday
22. [Wikipedia — Down and Out in Paris and London (George Orwell, 1933; plongeur experience, kitchen caste system)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_and_Out_in_Paris_and_London), Wikipedia
23. [Katom Learning Center — Hobart Company History (1926 Crescent acquisition; entry into commercial warewashing market)](https://www.katom.com/learning-center/hobart-company-history.html), Katom / Hobart
24. [Restaurant Business Online — Timeline: How today's restaurant industry came to be (McDonald's Speedee Service System 1948; fast food industry formation)](https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/special-reports/timeline-how-todays-restaurant-industry-came-be), Restaurant Business Online
25. [Restaurant-ing through History — "Washing up" (Pew Hispanic Center 2008 study: dishwashers disproportionately unauthorized immigrants)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2011/12/06/washing-up/), Restaurant-ing through History
26. [Moneywise — Restaurants scramble to replace dishwashers as immigration crackdown and worker shortages drive turnover (2025)](https://moneywise.com/employment/employment/restaurant-dishwasher-labor-shortage-immigration-crackdown), Moneywise

### Predecessors & successors

27. [Restaurant-ing through History — "Washing up" (scullery and pot-washing roles as precursors to the commercial dishwasher occupation)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2011/12/06/washing-up/), Restaurant-ing through History
28. [OysterLink — Dishwasher Demographics 2025 (80% male, large share Hispanic origin; occupational gateway for workers with limited English)](https://oysterlink.com/career/dishwasher/demographics/), OysterLink
29. [OysterLink — Dishwasher Career Guide 2025 (prep cook as primary advancement path from dishwashing)](https://oysterlink.com/career/dishwasher/), OysterLink

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 -- Dishwashers (35-9021.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/35-9021.00), accessed 2026-06-03
- [BLS OEWS May 2025 -- Dishwashers: 893,600 employed, mean annual $35,290](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes359021.htm), accessed 2026-06-03
- [OysterLink -- Dishwasher Career Guide 2025 (median $31,650; 51% quit in year one)](https://oysterlink.com/career/dishwasher/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [OysterLink -- Dishwasher Demographics 2025 (80% male, 70% Hispanic origin, 54% undocumented in NYC)](https://oysterlink.com/career/dishwasher/demographics/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [The Robot Report -- Armstrong Robotics creates general-purpose kitchen robots, starting with dishwashing](https://www.therobotreport.com/armstrong-robotics-creating-general-purpose-kitchen-robots-starting-dishwashing/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Armstrong Robotics -- $12M raise to deploy dishwashing robots (October 2025)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/armstrong-raises-12m-bring-general-120000986.html), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Nala Robotics -- Spotless robotic dishwashing system (commercial, ~$2,995/month)](https://nalarobotics.com/spotless.html), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Moneywise -- Restaurants scramble to replace dishwashers as immigration crackdown and worker shortages drive turnover](https://moneywise.com/employment/employment/restaurant-dishwasher-labor-shortage-immigration-crackdown), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Eloundou et al. 2023 -- GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-03
- [ServSafe -- Food Handler Certification program](https://www.servsafe.com/ServSafe-Food-Handler), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Hobart -- Commercial Dishwashers (conveyor type, industry-standard warewashing equipment)](https://www.hobartcorp.com/products/commercial-dishwashers), accessed 2026-06-03

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.