Dishwasher Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 14,337 US job postings by 2,324 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for dishwashers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 14,337 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for dishwashers in US job postings is $17.00 an hour (3,324 postings from 499 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $15.00 to $18.81 an hour.
- The skills that most set dishwasher postings apart are positive attitude, cleanliness, strong work ethic.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1 year of experience.
Dishwasher job postings in the US, October 2026
- $17.00/hr
- Median advertised pay (3,324 postings)
- $15.00–$18.81
- Middle 50% of postings
- 14,337
- US job postings from 2,324 employers
- 1 year
- Median experience asked
How much does a dishwasher make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $17.00 an hour, from 3,324 US job postings by 499 employers that state pay. That is about $35,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 3,324 US dishwasher job postings: median $35,000 a year ($17.00 an hour), middle half $31,000 to $39,000.
- Median: $35,000 ($17.00/hr)
- 25th percentile: $31,000
- 75th percentile: $39,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.3% |
| $20K–$30K | 17.0% |
| $30K–$40K | 61.8% |
| $40K–$50K | 17.0% |
| $50K–$60K | 1.9% |
| $60K–$70K | 1.3% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $17.00 | $15.00–$18.81 | 1,533 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $35,000 | $31K–$39K | 3,324 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Dishwashers (35-9021) at $35,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a dishwasher?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying dishwasher jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dishwasher (general) | $16.95/hr | 3,144 | 445 |
Dishwasher pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $19.00/hr | $18.25–$20.95 | 535 | 8.2% |
| New York | $18.50/hr | $17.62–$20.00 | 261 | 4.3% |
| Colorado | $18.13/hr | $16.83–$20.08 | 103 | 1.9% |
| New Jersey | $17.84/hr | $16.96–$18.71 | 148 | 2.2% |
| Illinois | $16.85/hr | $16.50–$19.44 | 190 | 3.3% |
| Florida | $16.12/hr | $15.49–$17.00 | 106 | 8.1% |
| Texas | $15.00/hr | $13.00–$16.00 | 207 | 10.5% |
| Pennsylvania | $15.00/hr | $14.00–$16.00 | 121 | 4.9% |
| Virginia | $14.13/hr | $14.01–$16.00 | 109 | 2.8% |
Skills employers ask for in dishwasher job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Attention to detail | 22% |
| Communication | 14% |
| Positive attitude | 13% |
| Teamwork | 10% |
| Team player | 9% |
| Strong work ethic | 8% |
| Time management | 6% |
| Customer service | 6% |
| Dependable | 6% |
| Organizational skills | 5% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set dishwashers apart
- Positive attitude3.7× as often as in all postings · 13%
- Strong work ethic5.4× as often as in all postings · 8%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a dishwasher job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a dishwasher do?
Employers post these jobs as Steward, Kitchen Steward, Stewarding Supervisor, Dish Washer, Steward/Dishwasher and other titles. The largest specializations are Steward (5%).
The closest official occupation is Dishwashers (35-9021.00). Its most important tasks:
- 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.
- Stock supplies, such as food or utensils, in serving stations, cupboards, refrigerators, or salad bars.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a dishwasher?
Among 420 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1 year. 3% say 0 years and 73% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 420 US dishwasher job postings: median 1 year, and 73% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 14% |
| 1 yr | 59% |
| 2 yrs | 15% |
| 3-4 yrs | 3% |
| 5-7 yrs | 4% |
| 8-9 yrs | 4% |
| 10+ yrs | 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Part-time 55%, Full-time 45% of the 686 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a dishwasher: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Dishwasher | 1,744 (75.0%) |
| Steward | 112 (4.8%) |
| Kitchen Steward | 49 (2.1%) |
| Stewarding Supervisor | 41 (1.8%) |
| Dish Washer | 41 (1.8%) |
| Steward/Dishwasher | 37 (1.6%) |
| Dishwasher/Steward | 36 (1.6%) |
| Dishwasher/Utility | 25 (1.1%) |
| Utility/Dishwasher | 25 (1.1%) |
| Part Time Dishwasher | 23 (1.0%) |
| Utility Steward | 22 (0.9%) |
| Kitchen Porter | 22 (0.9%) |
| Kitchen Utility | 22 (0.9%) |
| Steward Supervisor | 20 (0.9%) |
| Executive Steward | 18 (0.8%) |
| Kitchen Utility Worker | 17 (0.7%) |
| Future Opening: Dishwasher | 16 (0.7%) |
| Restaurant Dishwasher | 16 (0.7%) |
| Dishwasher/Porter | 15 (0.7%) |
| Dish Machine Operator | 14 (0.6%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Dishwasher job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steward | 361 | 112 | – | – | attention to detail, multitask, communication |
| Kitchen Steward | 101 | 49 | – | – | – |
Dishwasher compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dishwasher | $17.00/hr | 1 year | 14,337 | – |
| Housekeeper | $17.75/hr | 1 year | 20,700 | 18 |
| Server | $16.90/hr | 1 year | 28,843 | 15 |
| Cook | $19.00/hr | 1 year | 52,846 | 16 |
| Host | $16.58/hr | 1 year | 11,859 | 15 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Housekeeper | 18 | $17.75/hr |
| Server | 15 | $16.90/hr |
| Cook | 16 | $19.00/hr |
| Host | 15 | $16.58/hr |
| Baker | 17 | $18.50/hr |
| Automotive Detailer | 17 | $17.50/hr |
Applying for dishwasher jobs?
- Dishwasher resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find dishwasher jobs: search open postings
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 18 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 17 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.