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House cleaning businesses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for house cleaning businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #142 of 375 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia
- Listings
- 748
- 58 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 1,758
- −2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $4.6B
- On lawn care, cleaning and other household services · $1,946 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.2M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.2
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,465,724
- +3.3% since 2020
See the house cleaning businesses around any address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
The site report maps the house cleaning businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area spend about $4.6B a year on lawn care, cleaning and other household services, or $1,946 per household, 38% above the U.S. average. Spread across 748 house cleaning businesses, that is $6.2M per business, 3% below the U.S. figure of $6.4M. The spending figure covers all lawn care, cleaning and other household services, not only house cleaning businesses.
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 748 house cleaning businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 58 of them (8%) are chain locations, against 8% across the U.S. That comes to 3.2 for every 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 2.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as janitorial and carpet cleaning services in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area was 1,758 in 2023, down 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,350 households, against one for every 1,735 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 69 SBA-backed loans worth $12.7M have gone to businesses classed as janitorial and carpet cleaning services in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for house cleaning businesses, ranking #142 of 375 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia.
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area compares
The same measures for District of Columbia and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all lawn care, cleaning and other household services by the house cleaning businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Spending per listing | $6.2M | $8.5M | $6.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,350 | 2,822 | 1,735 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.0% | +17.4% | +6.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on lawn care, cleaning and other household services | $1,946 | $1,838 | $1,414 |
| Median household income | $126,684 | $109,870 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 89 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,758−2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 45,206
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 74858 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 722The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 69
- Amount
- $12.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as janitorial and carpet cleaning services in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,465,724+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,373,022
- Median age
- 39.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 6,034 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,047
- Median household income
- $126,684
- Average household income
- $166,652
- Median home value
- $579,900
- Jobs located here
- 3,140,160
- Daytime population
- 6,505,668Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the house cleaning businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many house cleaning businesses are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 748 house cleaning businesses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 58 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count house cleaners and carpet cleaners. Official counts show 1,758 businesses with payroll classed as janitorial and carpet cleaning services in 2023, down 2.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area spend on lawn care, cleaning and other household services?
About $4.6B a year, or $1,946 per household. That is 38% above the U.S. average (an index of 138, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 748 house cleaning businesses on map listings, it comes to $6.2M per business. That spending covers all lawn care, cleaning and other household services, which house cleaning businesses share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,373,022 households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compare with the U.S. for house cleaning businesses?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 3.2 house cleaning businesses per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 2.2. Spending per business is $6.2M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $6.4M. At the U.S. ratio of house cleaning businesses to household spending, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area would have about 722, against 748 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,350 households, against one for every 1,735 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.6% for the U.S.
How fast is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area at 6,465,724 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,373,022 households. The median household income in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area is $126,684 a year, 57% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 54 for house cleaning businesses (upper middle), #142 of 375 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. It maps the house cleaning businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for house cleaning businesses · All 56 business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.