Water Restoration Benchmarks 2024: What the Cleanfax Survey Reveals
Each year, Cleanfax releases one of the most comprehensive benchmarking surveys in the restoration industry—and the 2024 edition is packed with insights that matter to water restoration business owners. If you’re wondering how your company stacks up when it comes to wages, benefits, turnover, pricing models, and profitability, this data is essential.
Wages and Regional Differences
Wages for water restoration techs vary slightly by region, but the national trends are clear:
Starting wages are most commonly in the $18.00–$19.99/hr range.
Average wages fall between $21.00 and $24.99/hr in most regions.
The South lags slightly with average wages between $19.00 and $20.99/hr.
These wage benchmarks can help you stay competitive in today’s tight labor market.
Top Benefits Offered
Restoration companies are competitive in benefits too:
83% offer vacation time
75% offer sick days and uniforms
57% offer health insurance
Dental, life, and disability insurance are less common, offered by about 20–40% of companies. These perks may be differentiators in your hiring strategy.
Employee Tenure and Turnover
The majority of employees (69%) stay 3–10 years.
54% of companies report a turnover rate under 10%, which is a surprisingly strong stat in an industry known for labor challenges.
That said, 83% of respondents still list hiring and retention as their top challenge.
How Companies Differentiate
Here’s how restoration firms say they stand out:
65% cite reputation and experience
Only 5% cite value-added services, which suggests major room for differentiation beyond just doing the job.
Lead Generation Trends
The most effective lead sources:
Referrals (95%)
Social media (67%)
Adjuster/insurance relationships (66%)
This confirms that building trust and relationships still outranks paid ads or lead services in restoration.
Insurance Payment Wait Times
Getting paid is still a slow process:
38% wait 3–5 weeks
21% wait more than 8 weeks
That’s a major cash flow concern—and one that makes budgeting and forecasting benchmarks especially critical.
Services Offered and Profitability
Most common services:
93% offer water damage restoration
83% offer mold remediation
82% offer fire/smoke restoration
Most profitable services reported:
Water damage restoration (59%)
Mold remediation (12%)
If your business is looking for ways to improve margins, these benchmark services are a good place to focus.
Pricing Methods
Xactimate still dominates:
82% use it as their primary pricing model
Other methods include per-hour pricing (43%) and CoreLogic (21%)
Company Types and Revenue Benchmarks
Most companies are structured as S Corporations (37%) or LLCs (31%)
23% earn between $1–2.9 million, and 19% earn more than $10 million
That wide spread shows how diverse the industry is, and why tailored benchmarks matter more than ever.
If you're a water restoration contractor looking to compare your performance to these industry benchmarks—or to figure out how to grow from $1M to $3M—benchmarking is the first step.
👉 For help turning these benchmarks into action, schedule a time to talk with us at https://www.kiwicashflow.com.
Data courtesy of the 2024 Cleanfax Restoration Benchmarking Survey.