# Dishwashers

> Clean dishes, kitchen, food preparation equipment, or utensils.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/dishwashers
- SOC code: 35-9021.00
- Career family: Food service
- Median annual pay: $34,810 (10th percentile $26,200, 90th percentile $42,860)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, -1.0%
- Openings a year: 68,900
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 14 |
| Enterprising (E) | 7 |
| Conventional (C) | 58 |

## What you'd do

- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 60/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 58/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 53/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 52/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 51/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 51/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 50/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 47/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 46/100)
- Getting Information (importance 46/100)

## Skills

Operation and Control, Coordination, Active Listening, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Quality Control Analysis

## Knowledge

English Language, Food Production, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management, Communications and Media, Transportation, Foreign Language, Production and Processing

## Also called

Breakdown Person, Bus Person, Busser, Dish Machine Operator (DMO), Dish Person, Dish Room Worker, Dish Runner, Dish Stacker, Dish Technician (Dish Tech), Dishwasher

## Related careers

- [Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cleaners-of-vehicles-and-equipment): $35,830 median pay
- [Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/laundry-and-dry-cleaning-workers): $34,890 median pay
- [Food Preparation Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-preparation-workers): $35,320 median pay
- [Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/dining-room-and-cafeteria-attendants-and-bartender-helpers): $33,980 median pay
- [Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/maids-and-housekeeping-cleaners): $35,510 median pay
- [Food Servers, Nonrestaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-servers-nonrestaurant): $35,360 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.