Laundromat Ownership evidence: 27 quotes from 5 creators
Every quote, figure and source behind our laundromat ownership guide: 27 quotes from 5 creators, grouped by claim, with the full source list.
Every quote, by claim
Accepted figures: each is backed by the creators quoted under it, verbatim and linked to the moment they said it.
Equipment: commercial laundry machines, dryers, washing machines
“If you have a laundromat and your lease runs out, you've got 20-odd washing machines and dryers, but you can't just cart them next door and put them in the ground.”
“you open up a laundromat and you have $800,000 worth of laundry machines.”
Full-time or part-time: part time or full time
“Yeah, this started as a side business. Wealth management is my career.”
“I think that four would be the right number of laundromats where that could be my full time job comfortably”
“I call myself a financial planner by day, a laundromat owner by nights and weekends.”
“The goal is store one, your first profitable laundromat alongside your W2.”
Typical hours per week: 4–5 hours/week
“I probably got that down to four to five hours a week.”
Income volatility: low
“And so it's just so resistant to anything economic wise or pandemic wise, right? Like it's just a crazy bulletproof business and that's with great margins.”
“it's just so resistant to anything economic wise or, pandemic wise”
Scalability: high
“So, eventually I hit my number and that first laundromat became three within 18 months.”
Work mode: local
“Usually on a Saturday morning, I'm down at the shop just emptying out the coin trays, vacuuming, doing a bit of cleaning”
Single reports, not yet confirmed
What one creator said, before a second independent source backs it. Not used as a fact anywhere on the site.
Startup cost
“it's probably going to cost you about 1. 5. That's all in, equipment, build out, everything.”
“But our FDD says startup costs anywhere between 1.2 million all in to 2.2 million all in.”
“To open up a 4000 to 5000 square foot store right now is probably going to cost you about 1.5. That's all in equipment. Build out everything.”
Typical hours per week
“I probably got that down to four to five hours a week.”
Common pitfalls
“A lot of laundromats suffer from lack of parking. And if your parking lot's full and they can't, they'll just drive right, right on by to the next laundromat.”
“But you want to be careful not to scale too quickly.”
“So there are problems when you get into this industry it's not all passive and it's not always easy.”
Income volatility
“And so it's just so resistant to anything economic wise or pandemic wise, right? Like it's just a crazy bulletproof business and that's with great margins.”
“it's just so resistant to anything economic wise or, pandemic wise”
Equipment
“If you have a laundromat and your lease runs out, you've got 20-odd washing machines and dryers, but you can't just cart them next door and put them in the ground.”
“you open up a laundromat and you have $800,000 worth of laundry machines.”
Scalability
“So, eventually I hit my number and that first laundromat became three within 18 months.”
Work mode
“Usually on a Saturday morning, I'm down at the shop just emptying out the coin trays, vacuuming, doing a bit of cleaning”
Full-time or part-time
“I think that four would be the right number of laundromats where that could be my full time job comfortably”
“I call myself a financial planner by day, a laundromat owner by nights and weekends.”
“The goal is store one, your first profitable laundromat alongside your W2.”
Employee pay in the related job, nationally and by state
BLS figures describe employees in the closest related occupation, not side-hustle income.
| Related occupation | Median pay | Middle 80% | People employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | $16.78/hr ($34,890/yr), BLS OEWS, May 2025 | $27,440–$43,190/yr | 198,040 |
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $28,370 |
| Alaska | $36,050 |
| Arizona | $36,500 |
| Arkansas | $28,460 |
| California | $37,790 |
| Colorado | $37,680 |
| Connecticut | $36,310 |
| Delaware | $33,730 |
| District of Columbia | $37,790 |
| Florida | $32,340 |
| Georgia | $30,580 |
| Hawaii | $35,690 |
| Idaho | $35,140 |
| Illinois | $35,220 |
| Indiana | $30,930 |
| Iowa | $34,050 |
| Kansas | $30,120 |
| Kentucky | $29,220 |
| Louisiana | $27,460 |
| Maine | $37,380 |
| Maryland | $34,710 |
| Massachusetts | $37,490 |
| Michigan | $35,100 |
| Minnesota | $37,580 |
| Mississippi | $27,190 |
| Missouri | $33,870 |
| Montana | $36,250 |
| Nebraska | $34,790 |
| Nevada | $36,210 |
| New Hampshire | $36,860 |
| New Jersey | $36,050 |
| New Mexico | $30,850 |
| New York | $35,050 |
| North Carolina | $31,920 |
| North Dakota | $37,470 |
| Ohio | $30,520 |
| Oklahoma | $28,170 |
| Oregon | $37,800 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,060 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,630 |
| Rhode Island | $37,230 |
| South Carolina | $30,470 |
| South Dakota | $32,780 |
| Tennessee | $33,220 |
| Texas | $29,630 |
| Utah | $35,690 |
| Vermont | $37,300 |
| Virginia | $32,140 |
| Washington | $39,590 |
| West Virginia | $28,970 |
| Wisconsin | $35,700 |
| Wyoming | $28,630 |
All sources
- The Side Hustle Show, I Bought a Side Hustle and Tripled Revenue in 1 Year (Greatest Hits) (podcast, 7 May 2026, at 5:56)
- Chris Koerner, How to Start a Laundromat with 40% Net Profit Margins. Ep #058 (podcast, 28 Aug 2024, at 7:27)
- Chris Koerner, The Most Overlooked $1M Business Every Town Needs - Ep. #334 (podcast, 11 Sep 2026, at 24:31)
- Chris Koerner, How to Make $300k/Year from a Laundromat (YouTube, 28 Aug 2024, at 0:45)
- Tom Donnelly | Laundromat Ownership, How to Buy a Laundromat That Pays You $5K a Month (Without Working In It) (YouTube, 3 Nov 2026, at 12:25)
- Laundromat Millionaire, If you want to grow fast and you’re willing to take the risks it requires, let’s do it. (YouTube, 4 Nov 2026, at 0:28)
- Laundromat Resource, Big Events Coming Up, Robot Overlords, Dying Laundromat Hype Laundromat News Today, November 6, 2026 (YouTube, 6 Nov 2026, at 5:22)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, 31.0.
All data
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Demand trend | growing | BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 |
| Equipment | commercial laundry machines, dryers, washing machines | The Side Hustle Show, May 2026; Chris Koerner, Aug 2024 |
| Full-time or part-time | part time or full time | Chris Koerner, Sep 2026; The Side Hustle Show, May 2026; Chris Koerner, Aug 2024; Tom Donnelly | Laundromat Ownership, Nov 2026 |
| Typical hours per week | 4–5 hours/week | The Side Hustle Show, May 2026 |
| Income volatility | low | Chris Koerner, Aug 2024 |
| Nearest occupation | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | O*NET 31.0 |
| Scalability | high | Tom Donnelly | Laundromat Ownership, Nov 2026 |
| Work mode | local | The Side Hustle Show, May 2026 |
| Median hourly wage, employees: laundry and dry-cleaning workers | $16.78/hr | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Median annual wage, employees: laundry and dry-cleaning workers | $34,890/yr | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Annual wage, 10th percentile: laundry and dry-cleaning workers | $27,440/yr | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Annual wage, 90th percentile: laundry and dry-cleaning workers | $43,190/yr | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| People employed: laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 198,040 jobs | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Projected employment change, 10 years: laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 4.3% | BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 |
| Share self-employed: laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 2.5% | BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 |