# Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment

US SOC code 53-7061. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/53-7061

Also called: Car wash attendant, Auto detailer, Vehicle detailer, Car detailer, Car wash worker.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **380,430** US cleaners of vehicles and equipment, with median pay of **$35,830** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **382,670**, in May 2019, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.michiganpublic.org/auto/2016-08-17/detroit-was-home-to-nations-first-automated-car-wash) of **20** from 1914, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for cleaners of vehicles and equipment: Express exterior model + scheduling, CRM, and inventory software, 2010 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=53-7061&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)
- **0.37** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.37. BLS counted **311,940** of these jobs in May 2013 and **380,430** in May 2025 (+22%, a change derived by Future History).

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. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1914
- Latest US employment: 380,430 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $35,830 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [10]
- Outlook: +3.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [23]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **United Kingdom** (UK SOC 9226)
  - Employment, 2025: 14,000. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [8]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14): employee jobs in SOC 9226 Vehicle valeters and cleaners, United Kingdom, 2025 (ASHE "number of jobs", thousands x1000; excludes self-employment). Open Government Licence v3.0.
  - Median pay, 2025: £24,875. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [14]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14.7a): median gross annual pay for all employee jobs in SOC 9226 Vehicle valeters and cleaners, United Kingdom, 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 8111)
  - Employment, 2025: 15,800. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [9]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 8111 Car Detailers, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$64,480. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [15]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,240 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1914 | 20 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Michigan Public (Michigan Radio) [1] |
| 1960 | 80,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Car wash [2] |
| 1995 | 230,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., A brief history of American carwashing [3] |
| 2003 | 320,840 | $17,190 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 330,520 | $17,490 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 333,350 | $17,620 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 334,560 | $18,060 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 336,210 | $18,680 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 330,850 | $19,450 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 298,500 | $19,690 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 288,110 | $19,680 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 290,780 | $19,850 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 302,960 | $19,850 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 311,940 | $20,230 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 321,740 | $20,670 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 336,960 | $21,310 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 348,770 | $22,220 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 373,290 | $23,360 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 378,850 | $24,530 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 382,670 | $25,800 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 341,660 | $27,640 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 351,960 | $29,280 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 359,530 | $31,000 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 365,290 | $34,150 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 373,960 | $35,270 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 380,430 | $35,830 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (82)

### Employment series

1. [Michigan Public (Michigan Radio) — "Detroit was home to nation's first automated car wash" (Automobile Laundry, 1914)](https://www.michiganpublic.org/auto/2016-08-17/detroit-was-home-to-nations-first-automated-car-wash), Michigan Public / Michigan Radio
2. [Car wash — Wikipedia (1940 Hollywood conveyor; 1960s nationwide mechanization; Hanna Enterprises)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_wash), Wikipedia
3. [A brief history of American carwashing — Professional Carwashing & Detailing (1994 vs 2019 share of drivers using professional washes)](https://www.carwash.com/brief-history-american-carwashing/), Professional Carwashing & Detailing
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)
5. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9236, United Kingdom, 2011. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), Office for National Statistics
6. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9236, United Kingdom, 2020. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
7. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9226, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
8. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9226, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
9. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), latest release](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

10. 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)
11. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9236, United Kingdom, 2011. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), Office for National Statistics
12. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9236, United Kingdom, 2020. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
13. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9226, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
14. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 9226, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
15. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Car Detailers (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/8111-car-detailers), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

16. [Michigan Public — "Detroit was home to nation's first automated car wash" (Automobile Laundry, 1914)](https://www.michiganpublic.org/auto/2016-08-17/detroit-was-home-to-nations-first-automated-car-wash), Michigan Public / Michigan Radio
17. [Car wash — Wikipedia (1914 Automobile Laundry, Detroit; assembly-line method)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_wash), Wikipedia
18. [AUTEC Car Wash Systems — "How the First Automatic Car Wash System Came to Be" (1946 semi-automatic; Thomas Simpson; conveyor, sprinklers, blower)](https://autec-carwash.com/blog/news/how-the-first-automatic-car-wash-system-came-to-be/), AUTEC Car Wash Systems
19. [A Century of Shine: The Evolution of Car Wash Technology — Pro Car Washes (touchless/brushless and soft-cloth systems; detailing services)](https://www.procarwashes.com/a-century-of-shine-the-evolution-of-car-wash-technology), Pro Car Washes
20. [OrbisX — AI CRM for automotive detailers: booking, inventory tracking, route planning](https://orbisx.com/), OrbisX
21. [Auto Laundry News — "Car Wash Robotics: Next-Gen Systems Can Help Further Trim Labor" (Preen exterior arms; Confinity STAGS cuts interior crew ~10 to 2)](https://www.carwashmag.com/car-wash-robotics-next-gen-systems-can-help-further-trim-labor/), Auto Laundry News
22. [CarwashPro — "Confinity Robotics unveils first interior cleaning robot at The Car Wash Show" (STAGS; human operators still required for oversight, 2025)](https://www.carwashpro.com/inside-the-industry/2025/04/28/confinity-robotics-unveils-first-interior-cleaning-robot-at-the-car-wash-show/), CarwashPro

### Forecasts and exposure studies

23. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 53-7061 Cleaners of vehicles and equipment (2025: 419.5 thousand; 2035: 435.8 thousand; +3.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=53-7061&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 53-7061 Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment: probability 0.37, rank 256 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
25. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 53-7061.00, human-rated β 0)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

26. [Michigan Public — "Detroit was home to nation's first automated car wash" (Automobile Laundry, 1914)](https://www.michiganpublic.org/auto/2016-08-17/detroit-was-home-to-nations-first-automated-car-wash), Michigan Public / Michigan Radio
27. [Car wash — Wikipedia (first conveyor-driven automatic car wash, Hollywood, 1940)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_wash), Wikipedia
28. [AUTEC Car Wash Systems — "How the First Automatic Car Wash System Came to Be" (1946 semi-automatic; Thomas Simpson)](https://autec-carwash.com/blog/news/how-the-first-automatic-car-wash-system-came-to-be/), AUTEC Car Wash Systems
29. [A brief history of American carwashing — Professional Carwashing & Detailing (1994 vs 2019 share of drivers using professional washes)](https://www.carwash.com/brief-history-american-carwashing/), Professional Carwashing & Detailing
30. [CarwashPro — "Confinity Robotics unveils first interior cleaning robot at The Car Wash Show" (STAGS; crew ~10 to 2; human oversight still required, 2025)](https://www.carwashpro.com/inside-the-industry/2025/04/28/confinity-robotics-unveils-first-interior-cleaning-robot-at-the-car-wash-show/), CarwashPro

### Predecessors & successors

31. [Michigan Public — "Detroit was home to nation's first automated car wash" (the automobile created the need the stable once met)](https://www.michiganpublic.org/auto/2016-08-17/detroit-was-home-to-nations-first-automated-car-wash), Michigan Public / Michigan Radio

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3, Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment (53-7061.00): tasks, wages, employment](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/53-7061.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024, GPTs are GPTs (Science): physical task LLM exposure](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Auto Laundry News, Car Wash Robotics: Next-Gen Systems Trim Labor (Sept 2025)](https://www.carwashmag.com/car-wash-robotics-next-gen-systems-can-help-further-trim-labor/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [CarwashPro, Confinity Robotics unveils interior cleaning robot at The Car Wash Show (Apr 2025)](https://www.carwashpro.com/inside-the-industry/2025/04/28/confinity-robotics-unveils-first-interior-cleaning-robot-at-the-car-wash-show/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [CarwashPro, Preen announces three new AI-driven car wash sites (Nov 2025)](https://www.carwashpro.com/inside-the-industry/2025/11/03/preen-announces-three-new-ai-driven-car-wash-sites/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [OrbisX, CRM for automotive detailers: AI booking, inventory tracking, route planning (2025)](https://orbisx.com/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Urable, AI scheduling assistant for auto detailing businesses (2025)](https://urable.com/vehicle-care/), accessed 2026-06-05

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