Salary
Average Salary: $19,570
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $817,008
Earning about $20,000 per year isn't going to have you living in a mansion or sailing your own yacht every weekend. But, if you need the flexibility and just want to supplement your household income, an extra twenty-large is sure to come in handy.
Some housekeepers earn more by working extra hours per week, or cleaning offices, or working full-time in a hospital or nursing home. If you like to clean, there's good news—dirt shortages pretty much never happen.
Most housekeepers work for an hourly rate, starting at about nine or ten dollars per hour (source). Housekeepers who work full-time for a business also get benefits like health insurance and sick leave. So if you miss a day or two being sick you don't have to worry about missing a day or two of pay. Sweet.
If you work for yourself, you can potentially earn more because you'll be able to set your own rates and work extra hours. Since you may have to buy your own insurance, better save a few days' pay in case you get sick. Or you might need a "mental health day"—code for just needing a day to chill.
Not that you'd ever do that, of course. But, hey, if you work for yourself, you can take a day to do whatever or nothing. Unplanned (but very necessary) days off are, by and large, spectacularly glorious.