Pest Control Technician Salary: BLS Median Pay by State
Half of pest control workers earned more than $45,250 a year and half earned less, according to the May 2025 BLS OEWS release. State medians in this guide run from $37,200 to $51,300.
$45,250
Median annual wage
Pest Control Workers, May 2025 OEWS
$21.75
Median hourly wage
Official OEWS hourly median
4.9%
Projected growth, 2024–2034
all occupations: 3.1%
102,620
OEWS employment, May 2025
wage and salary workers
Wage figures are medians for Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021). May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026. The OEWS mean is $46,400 per year ($22.31 per hour), which is a different statistic from the median.
Pest control workers inspect buildings and grounds, identify infestations, and apply treatments to control insects, rodents, and other pests. BLS reports them as Pest Control Workers under SOC 37-2021. The May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release put the median annual wage at $45,250, or $21.75 an hour, across 102,620 wage and salary workers. The median is the midpoint of the wage distribution, so half of that group earned more and half earned less; the arithmetic mean was $46,400 a year, and the closeness of the two figures indicates a comparatively tight wage distribution in this occupation. State medians in this guide range from $37,200 in Mississippi to $51,300 in Washington. On employment, BLS projects the occupation to grow from 102,400 in 2024 to 107,500 in 2034, a net increase of 5,100 positions, with an average of 13,400 openings a year once retirements and moves to other occupations are counted. This guide reports those published figures and marks where nothing is published.
Pest Control Technician wage benchmark lookup
Look up the official BLS median wage for Pest Control Workers nationally or in a listed state. This is a published benchmark, not a personalized salary estimate, and it applies no adjustment for experience, employer, or credentials.
Only states with a published OEWS median for this occupation are listed.
Median annual wage, United States (national)
$45,250/year
Median hourly wage: $21.75/hr
Source: May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026. Half of pest control workers in this area earned more than this amount and half earned less. OEWS covers wage and salary workers. It excludes self-employed people and owners or partners of unincorporated firms, so it does not measure owner earnings, draws, or business profit.
Pest Control Technician median wages by state
Across the 15 states listed here, the May 2025 OEWS median for Pest Control Workers runs from $37,200 in Mississippi to $51,300 in Washington. Both the annual and hourly columns are published medians; neither is derived from the other.
States with the highest median pay
| State | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $51,300 | $24.66/hr |
| New Jersey | $48,780 | $23.45/hr |
| New York | $48,530 | $23.33/hr |
| California | $47,190 | $22.69/hr |
| Massachusetts | $45,560 | $21.90/hr |
States with the lowest median pay
| State | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | $39,690 | $19.08/hr |
| Alabama | $38,410 | $18.47/hr |
| Georgia | $37,860 | $18.20/hr |
| Texas | $37,660 | $18.11/hr |
| Mississippi | $37,200 | $17.89/hr |
Career path and progression
What the work involves at each stage. BLS publishes wages for the occupation as a whole, not by years of experience or license tier, so no pay figures are shown here.
Trainee technician
Works under supervision on inspections and routine treatments while completing the training a state program requires before applying regulated pesticides.
Licensed technician
Runs a full route independently, handles inspections, identification, and treatment plans, and maintains application records to the standard the state requires.
Senior or specialist technician
Takes on termite work, wildlife exclusion, fumigation, or commercial accounts with documented compliance programs and audit requirements.
Lead, trainer, or branch manager
Supervises technicians, oversees safety and recordkeeping, manages account quality, and handles state reporting and license renewals for the branch.
Specialties and work settings
Pest Control Workers is a single BLS occupation, so the published wage data does not break out these specialties. They are described here for career planning only.
General household pest control
Recurring service for ants, cockroaches, spiders, stinging insects, and seasonal pests in homes, usually on a route with scheduled visits.
Termite and wood-destroying organisms
Inspections, soil and bait treatments, and repair coordination, including the inspection reports lenders and buyers request in real estate transactions.
Rodent control and exclusion
Trapping, baiting, and sealing entry points, which combines pest work with light building repair.
Commercial and food safety accounts
Restaurants, food processing, warehousing, and healthcare, where service must satisfy documented sanitation and audit standards.
Fumigation
Structural and commodity fumigation, which involves restricted-use products, specialized equipment, and separate state credentialing.
Wildlife management
Humane removal and exclusion of raccoons, bats, birds, and similar animals, which is regulated by wildlife agencies in addition to pesticide programs.
Licenses and credentials in this trade
Pesticide application is regulated by state programs operating under federal law, and license categories, exams, supervision rules, and recertification cycles differ between states. The industry credentials below are voluntary. BLS does not publish a wage premium for any of them.
| Credential | Full name | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Applicator license | State pesticide applicator license or certification | The core requirement for commercial pest control work. States define the categories, the exams, whether a technician may work under a certified applicator, and how often recertification is needed. |
| WDO inspector | Wood-destroying organism inspector credential | A separate state category in many jurisdictions covering the termite and wood-destroying organism inspection reports used in property transactions. |
| Fumigation category | State fumigation applicator category | An additional license category for structural or commodity fumigation, reflecting the restricted-use products and equipment involved. |
| ACE | Associate Certified Entomologist | A voluntary credential from the Entomological Society of America for practitioners who demonstrate applied knowledge of pest biology and management. |
| QualityPro | QualityPro accreditation | A voluntary company-level accreditation administered by the Foundation for Professional Pest Management, covering business practices, training, and consumer protection standards. |
Pest Control Technician pay compared with related occupations
Every row is a single BLS detailed occupation with its own SOC code, May 2025 OEWS medians, and 2024–2034 projected growth. Rows are not adjusted for hours, region, or self-employment.
| Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Growth 2024–2034 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control technicianThis guidePest Control Workers | $45,250 | $21.75 | 4.9% |
| Vegetation applicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation | $46,340 | $22.28 | 3.8% |
| Landscaping workerLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $39,150 | $18.82 | 3.6% |
| Janitor and cleanerJanitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $36,840 | $17.71 | 2% |
| General maintenance workerMaintenance and Repair Workers, General | $49,590 | $23.84 | 3.8% |
| Appliance repairerHome Appliance Repairers | $50,990 | $24.51 | 2.6% |
| HVACR technicianHeating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers | $61,010 | $29.33 | 8.1% |
Employment projections, 2024–2034
Projection figures come from the BLS National Employment Matrix for Pest Control Workers. They use a broader employment concept than the OEWS wage-and-salary count above, so the two employment figures are not interchangeable.
102,400
Employment, 2024
National Employment Matrix base year
107,500
Projected employment, 2034
National Employment Matrix projection
+5,100
Net employment change, 2024–2034
BLS published net change
4.9%
Projected growth, 2024–2034
percent change in employment
13,400
Average annual openings, 2024–2034
includes growth plus separations
3.1%
All occupations, 2024–2034
benchmark growth rate
BLS projects 4.9% employment growth for this occupation from 2024 to 2034, above the 3.1% BLS projects for all occupations.
BLS projects employment of pest control workers to rise from 102,400 in 2024 to 107,500 in 2034, a net increase of 5,100 positions, with an average of 13,400 openings a year across the decade. Openings run well above the net increase because the projection also counts workers who retire or transfer into other occupations. The recurring-contract structure of most pest control work makes employment relatively stable through the year compared with construction trades that follow the building cycle. BLS publishes no breakdown of the projection by service line, so this guide does not claim that termite, commercial, or wildlife work is growing at a different rate from the occupation overall.
Methodology and sources
- Occupation:
- Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021)
- Wage source:
- May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026.
- Projection source:
- BLS Employment Projections and National Employment Matrix, 2024–2034, released August 28, 2025.
- Median vs mean:
- The median is the midpoint of the wage distribution. The mean is the arithmetic average and is usually higher. Headline figures on this page are medians.
- Scope:
- OEWS covers wage and salary workers. It excludes self-employed people and owners or partners of unincorporated firms, so it does not measure owner earnings, draws, or business profit.
- Occupation scope:
- The occupation covers inspection, identification, and treatment work together. Structural pest control technicians, termite specialists, and fumigators are all inside this single code, so the wage data cannot separate them.
- Note:
- All wage figures are the 37-2021 rows of the May 2025 OEWS national and state cross-industry files. All projection figures are the 37-2021 row of the BLS 2024-2034 occupational projections table.
- Note:
- Lawn and vegetation spraying is reported under Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012), a separate occupation, so that work is not included in the wages above.
- Coverage caveat:
- State tables list only the states with a published OEWS median for this occupation. BLS suppresses estimates that do not meet its disclosure or reliability standards, and published employment levels are rounded, so a published net change can differ slightly from the difference between the rounded 2024 and 2034 levels.
- Last reviewed:
- July 2026
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about pest control workers pay, answered from the published data.
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median annual wage for pest control workers was $45,250, or $21.75 an hour. Half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. The separate arithmetic mean was $46,400 a year.
The published median hourly wage was $21.75 and the mean hourly wage was $22.31. The two figures sit close together, which points to a relatively narrow wage distribution in this occupation.
Among the states in this guide, the highest May 2025 OEWS annual medians were Washington at $51,300, New Jersey at $48,780, New York at $48,530, California at $47,190, and Massachusetts at $45,560. These are occupation-wide state medians rather than pay for a specific role.
BLS projects 4.9% growth between 2024 and 2034, from 102,400 to 107,500 positions. That is above the 3.1% projected for all occupations. The projection also implies an average of 13,400 openings a year.
Commercial pesticide application is regulated by state programs operating under federal law. Each state sets its own license categories, exams, supervision rules, and recertification cycles, so check the agriculture or environmental agency for the state where you plan to work.
In many states, yes. Wood-destroying organism inspection is commonly its own license category because the resulting reports are used in property transactions. The requirement and its name differ between states.
No. OEWS publishes wage percentiles for pest control workers as a whole and does not break wages out by termite, commercial, fumigation, or wildlife work, nor by any credential. Figures presented that way come from other sources.
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