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Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
Production · SOC 51-6011
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$34,890
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
29,000
Proj. Annual Openings
198,040
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-0.9%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-6011 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 43/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $34,890
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 29,000
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +5.4%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 30,309 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Active ListeningMonitoringSpeakingSocial PerceptivenessOperations Monitoring
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
14.5%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI5%
AI ability · AIOE38.5%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne71%
Top Skills
1.Active Listening
2.Monitoring
3.Speaking
4.Social Perceptiveness
5.Operations Monitoring
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Operate or tend washing or dry-cleaning machines to wash or dry-clean industrial or household articles, such as cloth garments, suede, leather, furs, blankets, draperies, linens, rugs, and carpets. Includes spotters and dyers of these articles.
Common titles: Dry Cleaner, Laundry Aide, Laundry Assistant, Laundry Attendant, Laundry Housekeeper, Laundry Technician
Representative Tasks
- •Load articles into washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to perform loading.
- •Start washers, dry cleaners, driers, or extractors, and turn valves or levers to regulate machine processes and the volume of soap, detergent, water, bleach, starch, and other additives.
- •Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.
- •Remove items from washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to do so.
- •Sort and count articles removed from dryers, and fold, wrap, or hang them.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Apply water or solutions to fabrics or apparel.
- •Direct operational or production activities.
- •Operate garment treatment equipment.
- •Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping, or grading.
- •Count finished products or workpieces.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Windows · hotCentsCurbside Laundries Wash and Fold POS SoftwareEmail softwareSales processing softwareWash-Dry-Fold POS
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-6011: 2019 — employment: 209,330, median wage: $24,220; 2020 — employment: 179,890, median wage: $25,470; 2021 — employment: 157,400, median wage: $28,350; 2022 — employment: 175,730, median wage: $29,060; 2023 — employment: 185,000, median wage: $31,050; 2025 — employment: 198,040, median wage: $34,890.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $34,890 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |