# Laundromat profit margin: what decides it and how to measure yours > Laundromat profit margin: why no reliable published average exists, the cash flow range CLA reports, and the numbers that decide your own margin. Canonical: https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/laundromat-profit-margin By: Origin Data Partners Status: Published Published: 2026-11-10 Updated: 2026-11-10 Sources checked: 2026-11-10 ## Quick answer We found no reliable published average profit margin for laundromats. CLA, The Laundry Association, does not publish one; it says a store can generate $15,000 to $300,000 of cash flow a year and usually sells for three to five times net cash flow. Margin depends on machine turns, vend prices, rent and utilities, with no inventory to carry. ## Key points - No reliable published average laundromat margin exists; percentages quoted online rarely name a survey. - CLA: cash flow of $15,000 to $300,000 a store, and sale prices of three to five times net cash flow. - Turns per day, dryer income, rent and utilities decide most of the margin. ## What is the average laundromat profit margin? There is no reliable public figure. [CLA, The Laundry Association](https://laundryassociation.org/for-investors/industry-overview/), the industry's national trade association, publishes cash flow and valuation ranges rather than an average margin: a coin laundry can generate $15,000 to $300,000 of cash flow a year, and stores usually sell for three to five times net cash flow. Margin percentages quoted online seldom name a survey, so we do not repeat them. CLA's standard profit and loss for a laundromat leaves out interest, depreciation and owner salary. A margin built that way is higher than the profit an owner keeps after loan payments and machine replacement, so check which version anyone is quoting. ## What drives a laundromat's margin? Laundromats carry no inventory or receivables, per CLA, so margin comes down to a few operating numbers: - Turns per day: CLA says washers generally run from three to eight or more cycles a day, depending on density, the share of renters nearby, vend prices and competition. - Dryer income, which CLA says usually runs 40% to 60% of washer income. - Rent and common area charges, set by a long lease. - Utilities: gas, water, electricity and sewer, the costs that rise with every cycle. - Payroll, which CLA says is usually limited to on-site work such as attendants and cleaning. - Extra services such as wash-dry-fold, which add revenue but also labor. ## How to work out your own laundromat margin Use your own books rather than an industry average: - Add up all income: washers, dryers, vending and wash-dry-fold. - Subtract operating costs in CLA's typical categories: rent, utilities, payroll, maintenance, insurance, licenses, accounting and advertising. - Divide what is left by total income for your cash flow margin, before owner pay, interest and depreciation. - Then subtract loan payments and a reserve for replacing machines to see what you actually keep. ## How much revenue does the average laundromat make? CLA counts about 29,500 coin laundries generating nearly $5 billion a year, roughly $170,000 of gross revenue per store. On that average store, every point of margin is worth about $1,700 a year. What owners actually take home is covered in [how much laundromat owners make](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/laundromat-owner-salary). ## How can a laundromat improve its margin? The levers CLA's figures point to: - Raise turns per day with longer hours, better machines, cleanliness and card payments. - Review vend prices against nearby stores at least once a year. - Replace old, inefficient dryers and water heaters that drive utility bills. - Price wash-dry-fold by the pound so labor is covered. - Add revenue that does not depend on more cycles (below). ## A new revenue line that uses work your crew already does Amelia Robotics pays businesses for approved first-person recordings of everyday work, used to train AI and robots, and lists commercial cleaning among its priorities; its cleaning examples include industrial laundry. Amelia's typical pay is $500 to $2,000 a month per recording employee, assuming 12.5 to 50 approved hours a week; earnings vary, and your agreement and the approved recordings decide what is actually paid. Laundromats are not named on Amelia's list, and unattended stores have no crew, so this fits stores with wash-dry-fold staff. Ask on the setup call whether sorting and folding orders qualifies. Illustrative example if it does: 2 attendants x 12.5 approved hours a week x 4 weeks x $10 = $1,000 a month, or $12,000 a year, at the typical rate. Amelia pays the business once a month with a statement, and you decide how much to share with the people who record. On the average store, $12,000 a year is about the same as several points of margin. Results vary and depend on approval. See [how this works for cleaning and laundry crews](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/commercial-cleaning). ## Next step Estimate your store's figure on [the Physical AI hub](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai). Origin Data Partners is independent. We may be paid by our partner when a business we introduce is paid; it never comes out of your earnings. [How Origin is paid](https://origindatapartners.com/referral-disclosure). ## Questions and answers ### What is the average profit margin of a laundromat? We found no reliable published average. CLA, The Laundry Association, reports a cash flow range of $15,000 to $300,000 a store instead, and most percentages quoted online do not name a survey. ### Why are laundromat margins hard to compare? CLA's standard profit and loss leaves out owner salary, interest and depreciation, so a margin built that way is higher than what an owner keeps after loans and machine replacement. ### What affects a laundromat's profit the most? Turns per day (three to eight or more, per CLA), vend prices, dryer income, rent and utilities. ### How much is a laundromat worth? CLA says laundromats usually sell for three to five times net cash flow. ### Do laundromats have inventory costs? No. CLA notes coin laundries have no inventory or receivables, which is part of why owners like them. ## Sources - [CLA, The Laundry Association: Industry overview (checked Nov 2026)](https://laundryassociation.org/for-investors/industry-overview/) - [Amelia Robotics: business program (checked Nov 2026)](https://ameliarobotics.com/) - [Amelia Robotics: for robotics labs](https://ameliarobotics.com/robotics-labs) ## Related reading - [Laundromat owner salary: how much laundromat owners make](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/laundromat-owner-salary) - [Car wash profit margin: express, full service and what you keep](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/car-wash-profit-margin) - [Commercial cleaning and janitorial companies: get paid to record cleaning work](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/commercial-cleaning) - [Hotel profit margin: GOP and EBITDA margins for US hotels](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/hotel-profit-margin) - [/physical-ai](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai)