# Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

US SOC code 51-6011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/51-6011

Also called: Laundry worker, Dry cleaning worker, Dry cleaner, Laundry attendant, Laundry technician.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **198,040** US laundry and dry-cleaning workers, with median pay of **$34,890** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1864/dec/1860a.html) of **38,633** from 1860, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for laundry and dry-cleaning workers: GreenEarth silicone solvent and professional wet cleaning, 1999 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-6011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **5%** 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.

## Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1851
- Latest US employment: 198,040 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $34,890 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +4.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [23]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1860 | 38,633 | n/a | Decennial Census 1860 [1] |
| 1908 | 350,000 (estimate) | $312 (estimate) | Est., Heritage Zen [2] |
| 1960 | 430,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS Monthly Labor Review (March 2006) [3] |
| 2003 | 217,820 | $16,920 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 218,610 | $17,220 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 218,360 | $17,440 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 217,580 | $17,850 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 218,060 | $18,420 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 221,230 | $19,010 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 211,490 | $19,310 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 204,820 | $19,540 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 201,180 | $19,670 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 198,750 | $19,930 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 197,650 | $20,090 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 199,330 | $20,320 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 201,620 | $20,820 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 207,710 | $21,510 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 209,350 | $22,370 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 213,350 | $23,210 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 209,330 | $24,220 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 179,890 | $25,470 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 157,400 | $28,350 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 175,730 | $29,060 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 185,000 | $31,050 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 195,360 | $33,800 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 198,040 | $34,890 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (86)

### Employment series

1. [U.S. Census Bureau — Eighth Census (1860), Population of the United States, occupation statistics (launderers/laundresses)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1864/dec/1860a.html), U.S. Census Bureau
2. [Heritage Zen — "The Life of a Laundress: Steam Laundry Work in 1908" (conditions and wages in Pittsburgh steam laundries)](http://heritagezen.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-life-of-laundress-steam-laundry.html), Heritage Zen (citing 1908 Pittsburgh Bureau of Labor statistics)
3. [BLS Monthly Labor Review (March 2006) — occupational trends in laundry and garment services, post-war employment context](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/03/art3full.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
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. [Heritage Zen — "The Life of a Laundress: Steam Laundry Work in 1908" (Pittsburgh wage data, $1/day for women)](http://heritagezen.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-life-of-laundress-steam-laundry.html), Heritage Zen (citing 1908 Pittsburgh Bureau of Labor survey)
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), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

7. [Chinese Historical Society of America — Chinese Laundries in the U.S. (origins of Chinese hand laundry trade, 1851)](https://chsa.org/chinese-laundries-in-the-u-s/), Chinese Historical Society of America
8. [AsAmNews — "How racism and discrimination made working in a laundry the job of last resort for Chinese in America"](https://asamnews.com/2020/04/30/how-racism-and-discrimination-made-working-in-a-laundry-the-job-of-last-resort-for-chinese-in-america/), AsAmNews
9. [Project MUSE — Review of "Steam Laundries: Gender, Technology, and Work in the United States and Great Britain, 1880-1940"](https://muse.jhu.edu/article/16255), Project MUSE / Johns Hopkins University Press
10. [Heritage Zen — "The Life of a Laundress: Steam Laundry Work in 1908" (working conditions and wages)](http://heritagezen.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-life-of-laundress-steam-laundry.html), Heritage Zen
11. [Wikipedia — Dry cleaning (history of solvents: kerosene, Stoddard, perchloroethylene)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning), Wikipedia
12. [Craig's Dry Cleaners — "The History of Dry Cleaning" (solvent timeline)](https://www.craigsdrycleaners.com/post/the-history-of-dry-cleaning), Craig's Dry Cleaners
13. [World Economic Forum — "Why household appliances are the 20th century's most disruptive technologies" (55% household washer penetration by 1960)](https://www.weforum.org/stories/2015/10/why-household-appliances-are-the-20th-centurys-most-disruptive-technologies/), World Economic Forum
14. [Laundromat Resource — "A Brief History of Laundromats" (automatic washer adoption history)](https://www.laundromatresource.com/a-brief-history-of-laundromats/), Laundromat Resource
15. [EPA — "Dry Cleaning Facilities: National Perchloroethylene Air Emission Standards" (NESHAP 1993, 40 CFR Part 63 Subpart M)](https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/dry-cleaning-facilities-national-perchloroethylene-air-emission), US Environmental Protection Agency
16. [EPA — "Risk Management for Perchloroethylene (PCE)" (TSCA December 2024 final rule, 10-year phase-out)](https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-perchloroethylene-pce), US Environmental Protection Agency
17. [GreenEarth Cleaning — "GreenEarth Silicone Is Now a Recognized Option for Garment Care" (ASTM 2014 recognition)](https://greenearthcleaning.com/greenearth-silicone-now-recognized-option-garment-care/), GreenEarth Cleaning
18. [SGS Safeguards — "Green Dry Cleaning Solvents" (overview of D5, CO2, and wet cleaning)](https://www.sgs.com/en/news/2017/08/safeguards-12417-green-dry-cleaning-solvents), SGS
19. [Spindle — Laundry AI and connected platform overview (IoT and AI-driven throughput intelligence)](https://www.spindlelive.com/intelligence), Spindle
20. [CleanCloud — Features: barcode labelling and order tracking (POS automation for dry cleaners)](https://cleancloudapp.com/features), CleanCloud
21. [Dyna Robotics — DYNA-1 commercial folding robot launch announcement (April 2025)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dyna-robotics-unveils-dyna-1-the-first-commercial-ready-robot-foundation-model-offering-fully-autonomous-round-the-clock-dexterity-302441437.html), Dyna Robotics via PR Newswire
22. [London Dry Cleaning Company — "The Future of Dry Cleaning in 2026: AI fabric scanning and predictive maintenance"](https://londondrycleaningcompany.com/the-future-of-dry-cleaning-in-2026/), London Dry Cleaning Company

### Forecasts and exposure studies

23. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 51-6011 Laundry and dry-cleaning workers (2025: 204.9 thousand; 2035: 213.7 thousand; +4.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-6011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 51-6011.00, human-rated β 0.05)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

25. [Chinese Historical Society of America — Chinese Laundries in the U.S. (founding of the Chinese laundry trade, 1851)](https://chsa.org/chinese-laundries-in-the-u-s/), Chinese Historical Society of America
26. [AsAmNews — "How racism and discrimination made working in a laundry the job of last resort for Chinese in America"](https://asamnews.com/2020/04/30/how-racism-and-discrimination-made-working-in-a-laundry-the-job-of-last-resort-for-chinese-in-america/), AsAmNews
27. [Wikipedia — Dry cleaning (perchloroethylene history: Dow Chemical 1930, ideal solvent designation 1933)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning), Wikipedia
28. [World Economic Forum — "Why household appliances are the 20th century's most disruptive technologies" (Bendix 1937; 55% penetration by 1960)](https://www.weforum.org/stories/2015/10/why-household-appliances-are-the-20th-centurys-most-disruptive-technologies/), World Economic Forum
29. [EPA — National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Categories: Perchloroethylene Dry Cleaning Facilities (1993 Final Rule, 58 FR 49354)](https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/national-emission-standards-hazardous-air-pollutants-neshap-source), US Environmental Protection Agency
30. [EPA — Risk Management for Perchloroethylene (PCE) under TSCA (December 2024 final rule)](https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-perchloroethylene-pce), US Environmental Protection Agency

### Predecessors & successors

31. [IZA Discussion Paper DP14449 — "Women at Work in the United States since 1860" (laundresses in Census occupational series)](https://docs.iza.org/dp14449.pdf), IZA Institute of Labor Economics
32. [Chinese Historical Society of America — Chinese Laundries in the U.S.](https://chsa.org/chinese-laundries-in-the-u-s/), Chinese Historical Society of America

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (51-6011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-6011.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2023 — 51-6011 Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes516011.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science, vol. 384)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38900883/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [American Drycleaner — What's Next for Dry Cleaners in 2025](https://americandrycleaner.com/node/130737), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Grand View Research — U.S. Dry-Cleaning and Laundry Services Market 2025-2030](https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-dry-cleaning-laundry-services-market-report), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Dyna Robotics — DYNA-1 commercial folding robot, 99.4% success rate (April 2025)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dyna-robotics-unveils-dyna-1-the-first-commercial-ready-robot-foundation-model-offering-fully-autonomous-round-the-clock-dexterity-302441437.html), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Trycents — Laundry Folding Robots: What Laundromat Operators Need to Know](https://www.trycents.com/our-2-cents/laundry-folding-robots), accessed 2026-06-05
- [CleanCloud — Features: barcode labelling and order tracking](https://cleancloudapp.com/features), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Starchup — POS and delivery management for dry cleaners](https://starchup.com/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Spindle — Laundry AI and connected platform overview](https://www.spindlelive.com/intelligence), accessed 2026-06-05

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