Jetted FoxCareers · Kitchens & cooking
Dishwashers
Washes dishes, pots and kitchen equipment and keeps the kitchen clean. No college degree needed.
Start now · nothing needed
Starting pay ranges from about $10.50/hr in Louisiana to $18.30/hr in Washington, DC.
Pay in every state
| State | Start | 2 years |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $10.49–12.25/hr | $13.91/hr |
| Alaska | $13–14.18/hr | $16.29/hr |
| Arizona | $15.13–16.20/hr | $16.89/hr |
| Arkansas | $11.46–12.32/hr | $13.24/hr |
| California | $16.90–17.43/hr | $18.21/hr |
| Colorado | $14.86–16.64/hr | $18.19/hr |
| Connecticut | $16.35–16.60/hr | $17.09/hr |
| Delaware | $15/hr | $17.20/hr |
| Florida | $13.58–14/hr | $15.02/hr |
| Georgia | $10.20–12.34/hr | $14.29/hr |
| Hawaii | $14.18–15.50/hr | $18.14/hr |
| Idaho | $9.18–12/hr | $14.39/hr |
| Illinois | $15–15.29/hr | $17.39/hr |
| Indiana | $10.50–12.71/hr | $14.17/hr |
| Iowa | $9.96–12.61/hr | $14.09/hr |
| Kansas | $9.69–11.03/hr | $13.49/hr |
| Kentucky | $10.26–11.75/hr | $13.97/hr |
| Louisiana | $9.53–10.50/hr | $12.71/hr |
| Maine | $14.71–15.58/hr | $17.13/hr |
| Maryland | $15–15.09/hr | $16.36/hr |
| Massachusetts | $16.36–17.16/hr | $17.88/hr |
| Michigan | $12.48–13.50/hr | $15.05/hr |
| Minnesota | $12.25–14.05/hr | $16.38/hr |
| Mississippi | $9.25–10.58/hr | $12.64/hr |
| Missouri | $13.75–14.37/hr | $15.46/hr |
| Montana | $10.86–13.12/hr | $14.49/hr |
| Nebraska | $13.50/hr | $14.30/hr |
| Nevada | $13.26–14.03/hr | $16.79/hr |
| New Hampshire | $13.12–13.70/hr | $16.81/hr |
| New Jersey | $15.49–15.77/hr | $17.26/hr |
| New Mexico | $13.07–13.78/hr | $14.67/hr |
| New York | $15.50–16.58/hr | $17.04/hr |
| North Carolina | $11.32–13.48/hr | $14.59/hr |
| North Dakota | $10.85–12.60/hr | $14.41/hr |
| Ohio | $11.13–12.72/hr | $14.19/hr |
| Oklahoma | $10.13–11.12/hr | $13.17/hr |
| Oregon | $14.87–16.23/hr | $17.33/hr |
| Pennsylvania | $10.36–11.69/hr | $14.40/hr |
| Rhode Island | $15.05–15.16/hr | $16.33/hr |
| South Carolina | $10.72–13.21/hr | $14.02/hr |
| South Dakota | $11.65–12.39/hr | $13.56/hr |
| Tennessee | $11.01–13.47/hr | $14.68/hr |
| Texas | $10.54–12.31/hr | $14.23/hr |
| Utah | $10.55–13.50/hr | $15.30/hr |
| Vermont | $14.26–14.53/hr | $17.31/hr |
| Virginia | $13.12–13.82/hr | $15.93/hr |
| Washington | $17.10–17.47/hr | $19.27/hr |
| Washington, DC | $18.13–18.30/hr | $18.59/hr |
| West Virginia | $9.83–10.72/hr | $12.72/hr |
| Wisconsin | $9.71–10.57/hr | $13.98/hr |
| Wyoming | $10.90–13/hr | $14.23/hr |
Estimates, May 2025. Start = what the lowest-paid 10–25% earn; 2 years = the median. US Bureau of Labor Statistics
What it takes
Before you're hired
Once you're hired
A normal day
You run the dish machine and scrub pots by hand as dirty dishes come back nonstop during service. You put clean items back where cooks need them, take out trash and mop at close. You work in the back of the kitchen with the cooks.
The good parts
Hired fast with no experience, often at 16. A foot in the door: many cooks started at the dish station. Clear tasks and no customer contact.
The hard parts
Wet, hot and messy, with food scraps and strong smells. Nights and weekends are the busiest shifts. Pay is among the lowest in the kitchen.
Where it leads
dishwashing itself does not lead far, but it is the common first step into prep cook and line cook jobs.
Quick answers
Do dishwashers need a college degree?
No. You can start now: nothing needed.
How long is the training for dishwashers?
A few days of paid training at work.
How much do dishwashers make?
About $12.59–14.27 an hour to start and $16.73 an hour at the median across the US (May 2025).
Is it a fit for you?
Answer a few questions and see your paths. Free, about 7 minutes.
Similar careers
Cooks, fast food · Cooks, institution and cafeteria · Food preparation workers
Last updated October 13, 2026. Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Jobs: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Training, costs and requirements: Jetted Fox research (estimates). This site includes information from the 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Jetted Fox has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Facts, not advice.