How much does a dishwashers make?

The median dishwashers salary in the United States is $34,810 per year ($16.73/hour). Salaries range from $26,200 (10th percentile) to $42,860 (90th percentile). There are 477,450 dishwashers jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays dishwasherss the most?

The highest paying state for dishwasherss is Washington at $40,080 median salary.

Is dishwashers a good career?

Dishwashers employment is projected to grow 0.2% from 2024 to 2034 (slower than average). There are approximately 76,800 job openings per year. Typical education required: No formal educational credential.

What interview questions are asked for dishwashers roles?

Common dishwashers interview questions include: "Have you run a Hobart or CMA dish machine before? Walk me through your daily start-up.", "What sanitizer do you use and how do you know it's at the right concentration?", "How do you handle it when the pit falls behind during a rush?". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example Chain casual dining — Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, Applebee's, Chili's, Cracker Barrel typically uses 1-2 rounds over 1 week.

What certifications should dishwasherss get?

Top-ROI certifications for dishwasherss: ServSafe Food Handler ($10-15 online); ServSafe Food Manager (Certified) ($150-200 with proctored exam); State-Approved Food Handler Card (varies — CA, IL, TX, WA all require state-specific cards) ($8-25 online).

How do you negotiate a dishwashers salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $34,810, p75 $37,440), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. I've been in the pit for 3 months and I've hit every temp log, every sanitizer check, and zero health-inspection findings. I'm cross-trained on pot & pan and I've covered the Lead when he's been out — 4 shifts including...

Dishwashers Salary

Q: What is the career ladder for dishwasherss?

The typical dishwashers career ladder: Dishwasher / Dish Machine Operator / Kitchen Porter (0-1 yrs, $26,200-$34,810 ($13-17/hr at independent restaurants, $15-20/hr at chain / hospital / school cafeterias with benefits)) → Lead Dishwasher / Pit Lead / Sanitation Lead (1-3 yrs, $32,000-$42,860 ($17-22/hr; higher at union hotel + casino houses with benefits)) → Prep Cook (typical promotion path) (2-4 yrs, $32,000-$45,000 ($16-22/hr)) → Line Cook (garde manger / saute / grill / fry) or Sanitation Manager at institutional accounts (4-7 yrs, $38,000-$58,000 ($18-28/hr; $22-32/hr at fine-dining, hotel, or union houses)).

The median dishwashers salary in the United States is $34,810 per year ($16.73/hour). Salaries range from $26,200 at the entry level to $42,860+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 477,450 dishwashers jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 0.2% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Median Salary

$34,810

per year

Hourly Rate

$16.73

per hour

Employment

477,450

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$26,200

25th percentile

$29,690

Median

$34,810

75th percentile

$37,440

90th percentile

$42,860

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+0.2%

Slower than average

Annual Openings

76,800

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

No formal educational credential

Training Needed

Short-term on-the-job training

Dishwashers Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for dishwasherss.

Dishwashers (also called dish machine operators, DMOs, or kitchen porters) run the sanitation engine that every kitchen depends on. They operate 3-compartment sinks, high-temp Hobart / CMA / Champion conveyor and door-type dish machines, pot & pan stations, and hand-wash sanitation. They keep dinnerware, glassware, cookware, sheet pans, and utensils circulating so the line, expo, and FOH never run out. Median $34,810 across 477,450 workers; p10 $26,200 at small independent restaurants or short-shift school cafeterias, p90 $42,860 at union hotel banquet houses, hospital cafeterias with benefits, and casino kitchens. This is the entry position in a commercial kitchen and the fastest documented path to prep cook (typically 3-9 months), then line cook.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

3-compartment sink operation & sanitizer chemistry

Wash sink (110-120°F, degreaser); rinse sink (clean water, no soap carryover); sanitize sink (200-400 ppm quaternary ammonium or 50-100 ppm chlorine bleach, tested every 2 hours with test strips). Never let contact time drop below 30 seconds in the sanitize compartment.

High-temp dish machine operation

Load racks correctly (plates on edge, glassware upside-down on peg rack, cookware in flat rack), monitor wash temp 150-160°F and final rinse 180-195°F on the gauge, log temps every 2 hours (health-code requirement), pull rack immediately after cycle so items air-dry (never towel-dry — recontamination).

Chemical safety & MSDS knowledge

Read the SDS for every chemical in the pit (degreaser, delimer, quat sanitizer, chlorine bleach, pot & pan wash, oven cleaner). Never mix bleach and quat — creates toxic chlorine gas. PPE (gloves, apron, splash goggles) for machine cleanout and delimer cycles.

Rack organization & flow

Dirty in on the soiled side, clean out on the clean side — one-way flow, no cross-contamination. Sort by type (plates, bowls, sheet pans, glassware, silver) at the scrap station. Pre-scrape into the trash, pre-rinse with the sprayer, then rack. Speed and organization keep FOH stocked mid-rush.

Pot & pan station (heavy soil)

Separate station for burnt-on cookware and sheet pans — cannot go through the dish machine because grease overwhelms the wash arm. Soak, scrub with green scour pad or steel wool, hand-sanitize in the 3-compartment sink, air-dry on the rack.

Temperature logs & health-code compliance

Log wash and rinse temps every 2 hours in the sanitation binder. Log sanitizer ppm test-strip readings. Cooler / freezer temp checks on some job scopes. This is the paper trail health inspectors check — a busted dish machine or missed log entry is a Priority-1 violation.

Stamina & pace

8-12 hour shifts on your feet in a 90-105°F pit with wet floors, moving 5-10,000 racks a shift at peak. Steady rhythm — scrape, pre-rinse, rack, load, unload, stock — is what separates a $16/hr dishwasher from a $22/hr lead who runs the pit.

How to Become a Dishwashers

1
Apply in person or through the restaurant / cafeteria's hiring portal
Most kitchens still hire dishwashers via walk-in at 2-4pm between service windows, or through Snagajob / Indeed. Compass Group, Sodexo, and Aramark (institutional food service — schools, hospitals, corporate cafeterias) run corporate hiring portals with faster process and full benefits.
2
Get your local food handler card and ServSafe Food Handler certification
$10-15 online course; required in most states within 30 days of hire. Health-code fundamentals: temperature danger zone (41-135°F), cross-contamination, handwashing frequency, sanitizer contact time.
3
Learn the specific dish machine model on your first shift
Hobart AM-16 / CLPS / CRS, CMA Dishmachines, Champion, or Meiko. Every machine has different rack-per-hour throughput, wash / rinse temps, chemical dosing, and daily deliming schedule. Ask the outgoing shift for a 15-minute walkthrough on day 1.
4
Prove you can hold pace on a weekend dinner shift
3-6 weeks of steady weekend performance without falling behind = weekday openings and pot & pan station promotion. Managers watch: rack count per hour, whether the FOH ever runs out of clean glass or silver, temp logs completed on time.
5
Ask the chef about prep cook cross-training at month 3-6
Chefs promote from within the kitchen because they know your reliability. A dishwasher who shows up on time, hustles, and asks to learn prep gets moved to a prep-cook shift inside 6-12 months. Prep cook = $17-22/hr, then line cook = $18-26/hr — the ladder starts in the dishpit.

Career Progression

Dishwasher / Dish Machine Operator / Kitchen Porter

0-1 yrs$26,200-$34,810 ($13-17/hr at independent restaurants, $15-20/hr at chain / hospital / school cafeterias with benefits)

•Run the 3-comp sink and dish machine through service
•Scrape, pre-rinse, rack, wash, and stock clean dinnerware / glassware / cookware
•Log wash / rinse temps and sanitizer ppm every 2 hours
•Pot & pan station on off-peak or as second station in bigger kitchens
•Trash-out, mop floors, kitchen deep-clean, receive deliveries

Next: Lead Dishwasher / Pit Lead at 6-18 months, or Prep Cook cross-training.

Lead Dishwasher / Pit Lead / Sanitation Lead

1-3 yrs$32,000-$42,860 ($17-22/hr; higher at union hotel + casino houses with benefits)

•Own the pit end-to-end during service — assign stations, cover callouts, keep flow steady
•Daily deliming of the machine (weekly at high-volume houses), chemical dosing check, sanitizer strip tests
•Train new dishwashers on machine ops, temp logs, chemical safety, PPE
•Kitchen sanitation walkthrough with health inspector when the visit happens
•Weekly chemical + smallwares inventory, order re-stock through Chef or F&B Manager

Next: Prep Cook at 18-30 months, or Kitchen Manager / Sanitation Supervisor at bigger houses.

Prep Cook (typical promotion path)

2-4 yrs$32,000-$45,000 ($16-22/hr)

•Own morning mise en place — cut vegetables to spec, portion proteins, prep sauces and stocks
•Read the prep list from the sous chef and execute against par levels
•Rotate stock (FIFO), label and date all prepped items, temperature-log walk-in coolers
•Cover pot & pan or expo when the line gets buried

Next: Line Cook at 3-5 years — the main path into a career kitchen role.

Line Cook (garde manger / saute / grill / fry) or Sanitation Manager at institutional accounts

4-7 yrs$38,000-$58,000 ($18-28/hr; $22-32/hr at fine-dining, hotel, or union houses)

•Own a station on the line through service — fire tickets, plate to spec, hold pace with expo
•Butcher / portion during prep, restock station mid-service, execute nightly deep-clean
•Sanitation Manager alt path: run the dish + sanitation program for a Compass / Sodexo / Aramark account (100-500 covers / meal), manage 4-15 dishwashers and porters, own the health-code binder

Next: Sous Chef or Chef de Partie at 7-12 years; Sanitation Manager path leads to F&B Ops Manager at 8-12 years.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Have you run a Hobart or CMA dish machine before? Walk me through your daily start-up.technical

Real answer for the manager who wants to know you'll be productive on day one: (1) Check that the machine is drained overnight and the wash + rinse arms are clear of debris. (2) Fill the wash tank — machine auto-fills through the fill valve or you manually fill through the door. (3) Confirm wash temp climbs to 150-160°F and final rinse hits 180-195°F on the gauge before the first rack goes through. (4) Check chemical dosing — detergent and rinse-aid lines primed, no air in the tube. (5) Test with a rack of glass first — you can see any spotting or film immediately. (6) Log the start temps in the sanitation binder. If you have never run one, say so and add: I know the 3-comp sink cold and I can learn the machine in one shift.

Q2. What sanitizer do you use and how do you know it's at the right concentration?technical

The two common sanitizers are quaternary ammonium (quat) at 200-400 ppm or chlorine bleach at 50-100 ppm. You test the concentration every 2 hours with a test strip — dip the strip in the sanitize compartment of the 3-comp sink, compare against the color chart on the bottle, log the ppm reading in the sanitation binder. If it's below spec, you dose more sanitizer, retest, log again. Never mix bleach and quat — it releases toxic chlorine gas. Managers screen for this because the health inspector's first question at inspection is 'show me your sanitizer test strips and temp logs.'

Q3. How do you handle it when the pit falls behind during a rush?situational

First rule: never panic, never leave the pit. Pre-scrape faster and less carefully — dump the plate into the trash, let the machine do the fine work. Rack tighter — plates on edge, no gaps. Skip the towel-drying if you have been doing it — pull from the rack, stack, and send it back to the line. If glass is the choke point, prioritize glassware racks over dinner plates for 15 minutes. Signal the manager if you're 30+ minutes underwater and need help — a busser or line cook covering pot & pan buys you the runway. Managers hire dishwashers who name a specific recovery plan.

Q4. What do you do when the dish machine goes down mid-service?situational

You revert to the 3-comp sink for wash / rinse / sanitize by hand, and you call the service company immediately. Fill wash sink 110-120°F with degreaser, rinse sink with clean water, sanitize sink with quat at 200-400 ppm (or bleach at 50-100 ppm). Wash items 15+ seconds in the wash, rinse thoroughly, submerge 30+ seconds in the sanitize, air-dry on the rack. You may need to pull a runner or line cook to help hand-wash through the rest of service. Flag the manager the moment the machine goes down — this is a P1 kitchen incident because health-code requires either a working high-temp machine or a fully functional 3-comp sink at correct temp and ppm.

Q5. Why do you want this job?culture

Honest answers work. Common versions: you want steady hours with a predictable paycheck, you want to work in a kitchen and this is the entry point to prep cook / line cook, you want to work with your hands, you want the physical work. Say if you want to move into prep or line — chefs love hearing that from day one because they promote internally. Avoid 'I need any job' — even if true — because it signals you'll leave the moment something else comes up.

Resume Template — Dishwasher / Dish Machine Operator (0-1 yr)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Dishwasher / Dish Machine Operator (0-1 yr)

▸Ran Hobart AM-16 conveyor dish machine through 250-cover dinner service at a 180-seat American bistro; averaged 45+ racks per hour at peak.
▸Maintained wash temp 155°F and final rinse 185°F+ every shift; logged temps and quat sanitizer ppm every 2 hours per health-code standard.
▸ServSafe Food Handler certified; state food safety card current.
▸Zero health-inspection violations across 3 quarterly inspections; commended for temp-log and chemical-safety compliance.

What Gets You Rejected

✗Cannot keep pace on a Friday night — pit falls 60+ minutes behind, FOH runs out of glass, line runs out of sheet pans, whole kitchen backs up.
✗Doesn't log wash / rinse temps or sanitizer ppm — health-code Priority-1 violation, chef fires immediately.
✗Mixes chemicals (bleach + quat, ammonia + bleach) — toxic gas incident, OSHA-reportable, restaurant shuts down temporarily.
✗Cross-contamination — dirty racks stored on the clean side, hands not washed between raw and clean, clean dish stacked wet.
✗No-call / no-show on weekend shifts — the kitchen literally cannot run without the pit and a no-show can shut down service.
✗Chemical or delimer misuse damages the machine — a $6,000 wash-arm replacement or a $12,000 boiler rebuild.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓Compass Group, Sodexo, and Aramark institutional contracts (K-12 schools, universities, hospitals, corporate cafeterias) pay 10-20% more all-in than an independent restaurant and include health, dental, 401k, and paid time off at 30+ hrs / week.
✓Union hotel banquet kitchens (Marriott, Hilton flagship) pay $19-26/hr with benefits and pension in most metros — worth 30-50% over an independent restaurant.
✓Casino restaurants (MGM, Caesars, Wynn, Boyd) run 24/7 with union scale, benefits, and reliable 40 hrs / week — best hourly kitchen employer in a casino market.
✓Hospital cafeteria dishwashers (HCA, Ascension, Kaiser, Cleveland Clinic) get full benefits, tuition reimbursement, and predictable Monday-Friday day shifts — worth trading independent-restaurant weekend premium for.
✓Weekend dinner shifts pay a premium in tips-out at some houses ($3-5/hr on top) — worth negotiating for.
✓Cross-training into prep cook earns $2-4/hr immediately and puts you first in line for the line — ask at 90 days, not 6 months.
✓Lead Dishwasher / Sanitation Lead pays $17-22/hr with benefits at institutional accounts — 20-30% above entry.

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Dishwashers Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$26K

$40K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
Washington	$40,080	+15.1%	12,630
District of Columbia	$38,670	+11.1%	3,580
California	$37,870	+8.8%	74,160
Colorado	$37,840	+8.7%	8,500
Hawaii	$37,740	+8.4%	4,520
Massachusetts	$37,190	+6.8%	14,100
Illinois	$36,180	+3.9%	16,250
Oregon	$36,040	+3.5%	6,680
Vermont	$36,010	+3.4%	1,280
New Jersey	$35,900	+3.1%	7,450

Showing 1–10 of 51

Dishwashers Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
Kahului-Wailuku, HI	$45,930	+31.9%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$43,960	+26.3%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$42,750	+22.8%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$42,100	+20.9%
Napa, CA	$39,930	+14.7%
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$38,910	+11.8%
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$38,810	+11.5%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$38,710	+11.2%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$38,530	+10.7%
Vallejo, CA	$37,910	+8.9%

Showing 1–10 of 393

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A dishwashers earning $34,810/year would need 1712 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 1839 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

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📈 See how dishwashers salaries have changed over the past decade.

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