Project labor cost across operating modes and store hours
Enter store hours per week, operating mode (unattended, partial attended, fully attended, attended + WDF), local wage rate, and benefits load. The calculator returns monthly labor cost, labor as a percent of revenue, and the cost differential of each operating mode. Healthy ranges: unattended 0–3% of revenue, partial attended 8–14%, fully attended 18–28%, attended + WDF 22–34%.
Unattended — lowest cost, highest equipment damage risk, no WDF revenue, harder customer service. Partial attended (peak hours only) — best ROI on labor for most stores, captures WDF demand without 24-hour staff. Fully attended — highest labor cost, lowest equipment damage, premium-pricing capable. Attended + WDF — labor heavy but unlocks 30–50% revenue lift from WDF service. The calculator quantifies the math for your specific store.
WDF requires roughly 8–12 minutes of labor per processed pound (intake, sorting, drying, folding, packaging, customer notification). At $18/hour fully-loaded labor cost, that's $2.40–$3.60 per pound just in labor. WDF priced at $1.50/pound is unprofitable; WDF priced at $2.00/pound breaks even at best; WDF priced at $2.50+/pound is the floor for healthy operations. The calculator surfaces this clearly so you can price for profit.
Your state minimum wage is the floor. Most attended laundromats pay $1–$3 above minimum to reduce turnover. Add 18–25% for benefits, payroll taxes, and workers comp to get fully-loaded cost. The calculator includes BLS state averages for laundromat attendant wage as a default.
Calculator handles one store at a time. Premium WashBizHub members can roll up multi-store labor reporting and benchmark each store against chain average and industry benchmark.
Free. Save and export by signing in with a free WashBizHub account.