Junk Removal Business Income — How Much Does It Make?

Monthly Revenue

$8K–$20K

realistic range

Startup Cost

$3K–$15K

to get started

Hourly Rate

$150–$300

per hour billed

Complexity

2/4

skill required

The Business

Junk removal is a volume game — you charge by truckload ($150-600) and complete 2-5 loads per day. The key costs are truck/trailer and dump fees ($30-60/load). Moving, estate cleanouts, and foreclosure cleanups are high-margin jobs. Google Ads drives most leads for the first 12 months until organic SEO kicks in.

How to Start

Rent a truck and trailer initially to validate demand ($400-600/month). Once you're booking $6K+/month consistently, buy a used box truck ($8-15K). List on 1-800-GOT-JUNK alternatives pages to capture searchers looking for cheaper options. Under-price the incumbents by 20% to build volume fast.

REAL EXAMPLE

Brian in Phoenix went from a rented trailer to owning 3 trucks in 2 years. His junk removal business now generates $35K/month with 4 employees.

Equipment Needed

▸Truck or trailer
▸Moving dollies
▸Work gloves
▸Tarps
▸Dump trailer (optional)

Licensing

Business license + dump permit

Monthly Search Volume

4,800

people/month search for this business

READY TO START?

Form your LLC and protect your assets. Start operating legally in days.

FORM YOUR LLC — ZENBUSINESS GET CLIENTS — THUMBTACK PRO

Affiliate links · We may earn a commission

Revenue Calculator

Jobs per Week12

Revenue per Job$320

Weekly Hours35 hrs

Startup Cost$6,000

Weekly Revenue

$3.8K

Monthly Revenue

$16.5K

Annual Revenue

$198.1K

Monthly Profit

$15.7K

Break-Even

1 month

Hourly Rate

$110

Monthly costs: $800/mo (insurance, fuel, supplies)

CHRIS'S TAKE

“1-800-GOT-JUNK does $500M a year hauling trash. The margins are absurd because you charge $400 to load stuff people couldn't be bothered to deal with. Dump fees are your main cost. Find a good recycling center relationship and your margins get even better.”

PRO TIP

Resell usable items on Facebook Marketplace. A single estate cleanout can have $500+ of resellable goods that most competitors just dump.

READY TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL?

Form Your LLC Today

You've seen the numbers. Protect your personal assets, get your EIN, and start operating legally. ZenBusiness handles the paperwork so you can focus on the business.

START YOUR LLC — FROM $0 →

Affiliate link · We may earn a commission at no cost to you

ACQUISITION ROUTE

Want to buy a Junk Removal instead of starting one?

Skip the startup grind. Existing businesses come with customers, cash flow, and proven systems. Use our valuation calculator to see what you'd pay.

CALCULATE VALUATION →HOW TO BUY A BUSINESS

TOOLS TO RUN THIS BUSINESS

Tools we'd use if we were starting this business today. Affiliate links — we may earn a small commission.

ZenBusinessFROM $0

Form your LLC in minutes. Registered agent, EIN filing, and compliance alerts included. Protect your personal assets from day one.

START YOUR LLC →

JobberFREE TRIAL

Scheduling, invoicing, and client management built for service businesses. Used by 200K+ field service operators.

TRY JOBBER FREE →

FreshBooks30 DAYS FREE

Invoicing and accounting designed for self-employed tradespeople. Know your profit on every job.

START FREE TRIAL →

Simply Business

Get liability insurance for your service business in minutes. Purpose-built for tradespeople and contractors.

GET INSURED →

MORE HOME SERVICES BUSINESSES

See all →