Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages High openings flow SOC 35-9021

Dishwashers

About 76,800 projected annual openings shape how to read Dishwashers against Cooks, Private Household, Cooks, Fast Food, First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Waiters and Waitresses.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Dishwashers: Cooks, Private Household ($48K) , Cooks, Fast Food ($31K) , First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers ($44K) , Waiters and Waitresses ($35K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Dishwashers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 35-9021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand
  2. 2. Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition
  3. 3. Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas
  4. 4. Sweep or scrub floors
  5. 5. Load or unload trucks that deliver or pick up food or supplies
  6. 6. Stock supplies, such as food or utensils, in serving stations, cupboards, refrigerators, or salad bars
  7. 7. Clean or prepare various foods for cooking or serving
  8. 8. Sort and remove trash, placing it in designated pickup areas
  9. 9. Transfer supplies or equipment between storage and work areas, by hand or using hand trucks
  10. 10. Receive and store supplies
  11. 11. Clean garbage cans with water or steam
  12. 12. Prepare and package individual place settings

Dishwashers: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 35-9021 - lead skill Operation and Control at 2.9 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 2.9
  2. 2. Coordination 2.8
  3. 3. Active Listening 2.6
  4. 4. Time Management 2.6
  5. 5. Speaking 2.5
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 2.5
  7. 7. Monitoring 2.5
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 2.5

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 3.2
  2. 2. Food Production 2.8
  3. 3. Education and Training 2.5
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 2.4
  5. 5. Public Safety and Security 2.3
  6. 6. Administration and Management 1.9
Projected annual openings
76,800
growth + transfers + exits
National median $34,810/yr
$35K
National median
↑ +0%
Growth 2024-2034
477,450
Estimated US jobs
Cooks, Private Household
Highest-pay peer · $48K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Dishwashers

1. District of Columbia $38,670
2. New Jersey $35,900
3. Illinois $36,180
4. California $37,870
5. Oregon $36,040
6. Hawaii $37,740
7. Vermont $36,010
8. Washington $40,080
9. Massachusetts $37,190
10. Colorado $37,840

Other Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations titles

  1. 1. Cooks, Private Household $47,940
  2. 2. First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $44,080
  3. 3. Waiters and Waitresses $35,230
  4. 4. Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other $35,840
  5. 5. Cooks, Fast Food $30,890
  6. 6. Cooks, Short Order $35,880

Roughly 76,800 projected annual openings (growth, transfers, exits) are the scale signal for Dishwashers. Median pay is $34,810 in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations.

Employment Projections expect +0% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: District of Columbia at $38,670. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Cooks, Private Household at $47,940. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Dishwashers pay-rank #12 in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Dishwashers sits at pay-rank #12 of 17 detailed Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 35-9021 · national median $34,810 · middle third of Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations (#12/17). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Dishwashers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 35-9021

District of Columbia · top state for Dishwashers

$39K published median

New Jersey · #2 state pay

$36K · behind District of Columbia

Cooks, Private Household

Highest-pay peer vs Dishwashers · $48K

Cooks, Fast Food

Lower-pay peer beside Dishwashers · $31K

Compare Dishwashers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Dishwashers with another occupation →

Openings and labor-flow next reads

Most Openings Rankings

Labor-flow scale across occupations

Compare openings side-by-side

Head-to-head with another role

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dishwashers mid-table among Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #12 of 17 detailed Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Waiters and Waitresses ($35K), Food Preparation Workers ($35K), Food Servers, Nonrestaurant ($35K), Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other ($36K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do dishwashers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Dishwashers. Leading ones include: Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand; Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition; Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas; Sweep or scrub floors. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for dishwashers? ▼
For SOC 35-9021, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (2.9), Coordination (2.8), Active Listening (2.6), Time Management (2.6). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Food Production, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Dishwashers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $34,810 as the national median for Dishwashers. The published 10th-90th range is $26,200 to $42,860. Beside Cooks, Private Household ($47,940), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Dishwashers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Dishwashers is +0%. Projected annual openings: about 76,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Dishwashers? ▼
District of Columbia ($38,670), New Jersey ($35,900), Illinois ($36,180) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Dishwashers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 35-9021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Dishwashers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics