Pool Service Technician Salary: What BLS Data Actually Covers
There is no BLS pool-technician occupation. The work sits between two published occupations, which had May 2025 OEWS median wages of $36,840 for janitors and cleaners and $49,590 for general maintenance and repair workers. This guide shows both and does not invent a single pool-technician average.
$36,840
Median annual wage, Janitors and cleaners
SOC 37-2011, May 2025 OEWS
$17.71
Median hourly wage, Janitors and cleaners
SOC 37-2011, official OEWS hourly median
$49,590
Median annual wage, General maintenance and repair workers
SOC 49-9071, May 2025 OEWS
$23.84
Median hourly wage, General maintenance and repair workers
SOC 49-9071, official OEWS hourly median
Each figure above belongs to the BLS occupation named on the card. Neither is a wage for pool service technician as such, and this page does not blend them into one number. May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026. The OEWS mean for Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is $38,760 per year ($18.64 per hour). The OEWS mean for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is $53,780 per year ($25.86 per hour). The mean is a different statistic from the median.
What BLS does and does not measure here
BLS has no dedicated pool-technician occupation, so neither figure on this page is a national pool-technician statistic.
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program publishes wages for detailed occupations in the Standard Occupational Classification system. Pool service technician is not one of them. O*NET title matching for the search returns two occupations instead, and this guide reports both rather than picking one and presenting it as the answer.
The two occupations bracket the work. Janitors and cleaners is the closer match for routes built around water testing, chemical dosing, and cleaning. General maintenance and repair workers is the closer match for technicians who spend the day on pumps, heaters, filters, and automation. Real pool routes usually contain some of both, in proportions that vary by company and season, and no published dataset measures that mix.
Because of that, this page shows no pool-technician state ranking and no pool-technician national average. Every state figure below is a published median for one of the two SOC codes named in its column header, and it describes that occupation as a whole across every industry, not pool service work.
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping CleanersSOC 37-2011
- The cleaning and chemical-service proxy. This occupation covers routine cleaning and building-service work, which is the closest published match to a technician whose day is skimming, brushing, vacuuming, water testing, and chemical dosing on a fixed route.
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, GeneralSOC 49-9071
- The equipment and repair proxy. This occupation covers people who diagnose and repair building and equipment systems, which is the closest published match to a technician working on pumps, filters, heaters, salt systems, actuators, and automation controls.
Pool service work spans two very different jobs. On one end is route service: skimming, brushing, vacuuming, testing water, and dosing chemicals across a list of accounts. On the other is equipment work: diagnosing and replacing pumps, filters, heaters, salt cells, actuators, and automation controls. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a pool service technician occupation, so no agency measures a national pool-technician wage. What BLS does publish are the two occupations that O*NET title matching returns for the search, and they bracket the work rather than describe it. In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release, janitors and cleaners had a median annual wage of $36,840 ($17.71 an hour) and general maintenance and repair workers had a median of $49,590 ($23.84 an hour). Both of those occupations are enormous and mostly made up of people who have never touched a pool, which is exactly why this guide presents them as bounds and labels every figure with its SOC code. If you want a number for your own market, treat these as the floor and ceiling of the published data and price your routes from your own costs rather than from a national average that does not exist.
Pool Service Technician wage benchmark lookup
Look up the official BLS median wage for each benchmark occupation nationally or in a listed state. Each result stays attached to its own SOC code. These are published benchmarks, not personalized salary estimates, and no adjustment is applied for experience, employer, or credentials.
Only states with a published OEWS median for a benchmark occupation are listed.
Median wages by benchmark occupation, United States (national)
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (SOC 37-2011)
$36,840/year$17.71/hr
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General (SOC 49-9071)
$49,590/year$23.84/hr
Source: May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026. Half of the workers in each occupation and area earned more than the figure shown 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.
Benchmark median wages by state
Every column below is a published May 2025 OEWS median for the SOC code in its header. There is no pool service technician column because BLS does not publish one. Rows are ordered by the Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners median. Both the annual and hourly columns are published medians; neither is derived from the other.
| State | Janitors and cleanersSOC 37-2011 | General maintenance and repair workersSOC 49-9071 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual, SOC 37-2011 | Median hourly, SOC 37-2011 | Median annual, SOC 49-9071 | Median hourly, SOC 49-9071 | |
| Massachusetts | $45,580 | $21.91/hr | $58,320 | $28.04/hr |
| Washington | $45,520 | $21.89/hr | $59,160 | $28.44/hr |
| New York | $41,640 | $20.02/hr | $57,790 | $27.79/hr |
| California | $41,090 | $19.75/hr | $57,000 | $27.41/hr |
| Vermont | $40,910 | $19.67/hr | $55,510 | $26.69/hr |
| Alaska | $40,510 | $19.48/hr | $60,270 | $28.97/hr |
| Minnesota | $39,610 | $19.04/hr | $59,200 | $28.46/hr |
| Oregon | $39,340 | $18.92/hr | $54,350 | $26.13/hr |
| New Hampshire | $39,150 | $18.82/hr | $52,830 | $25.40/hr |
| Maine | $38,940 | $18.72/hr | $49,430 | $23.76/hr |
| Colorado | $38,600 | $18.56/hr | $51,280 | $24.65/hr |
| Nevada | $38,420 | $18.47/hr | $52,360 | $25.17/hr |
| Connecticut | $37,960 | $18.25/hr | $57,620 | $27.70/hr |
| Illinois | $37,810 | $18.18/hr | $56,720 | $27.27/hr |
| North Dakota | $37,750 | $18.15/hr | $49,840 | $23.96/hr |
| Hawaii | $37,710 | $18.13/hr | $57,960 | $27.86/hr |
| New Jersey | $37,630 | $18.09/hr | $54,810 | $26.35/hr |
| Rhode Island | $37,310 | $17.94/hr | $50,900 | $24.47/hr |
| Montana | $37,110 | $17.84/hr | $46,870 | $22.54/hr |
| Wisconsin | $37,000 | $17.79/hr | $55,810 | $26.83/hr |
| Maryland | $36,620 | $17.61/hr | $51,490 | $24.76/hr |
| Pennsylvania | $36,520 | $17.56/hr | $49,290 | $23.70/hr |
| Indiana | $36,460 | $17.53/hr | $49,890 | $23.99/hr |
| Arizona | $36,220 | $17.42/hr | $47,620 | $22.90/hr |
| Idaho | $36,110 | $17.36/hr | $48,190 | $23.17/hr |
| Michigan | $36,050 | $17.33/hr | $47,580 | $22.87/hr |
| Wyoming | $36,050 | $17.33/hr | $47,900 | $23.03/hr |
| New Mexico | $36,020 | $17.32/hr | $45,760 | $22.00/hr |
| Missouri | $35,900 | $17.26/hr | $48,370 | $23.26/hr |
| Nebraska | $35,900 | $17.26/hr | $50,700 | $24.38/hr |
| Ohio | $35,900 | $17.26/hr | $53,420 | $25.68/hr |
| South Dakota | $35,480 | $17.06/hr | $48,100 | $23.13/hr |
| Iowa | $35,380 | $17.01/hr | $52,160 | $25.08/hr |
| Delaware | $35,320 | $16.98/hr | $50,150 | $24.11/hr |
| Virginia | $35,170 | $16.91/hr | $49,470 | $23.79/hr |
| North Carolina | $34,500 | $16.59/hr | $47,910 | $23.03/hr |
| Florida | $34,490 | $16.58/hr | $46,060 | $22.15/hr |
| Kansas | $34,480 | $16.58/hr | $47,210 | $22.70/hr |
| Georgia | $34,310 | $16.50/hr | $47,680 | $22.92/hr |
| Tennessee | $33,440 | $16.08/hr | $47,240 | $22.71/hr |
| Texas | $33,010 | $15.87/hr | $46,670 | $22.44/hr |
| Kentucky | $32,320 | $15.54/hr | $46,810 | $22.50/hr |
| Utah | $32,200 | $15.48/hr | $50,450 | $24.26/hr |
| South Carolina | $31,180 | $14.99/hr | $47,880 | $23.02/hr |
| Oklahoma | $31,110 | $14.96/hr | $42,750 | $20.55/hr |
| West Virginia | $30,980 | $14.90/hr | $38,890 | $18.70/hr |
| Alabama | $30,620 | $14.72/hr | $43,630 | $20.97/hr |
| Arkansas | $29,750 | $14.30/hr | $43,400 | $20.87/hr |
| Louisiana | $28,930 | $13.91/hr | $43,960 | $21.13/hr |
| Mississippi | $28,380 | $13.64/hr | $44,350 | $21.32/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.
Route trainee
Learns water chemistry, test methods, chemical handling and storage, and the standard cleaning sequence while riding along on an established route.
Route technician
Runs an assigned list of accounts independently, manages chemical inventory on the truck, documents readings, and handles routine customer communication.
Repair technician
Diagnoses and replaces pumps, motors, filters, heaters, salt cells, actuators, and automation controllers, and works from equipment manuals and wiring diagrams rather than a fixed route sheet.
Route owner or operator
Owns the accounts and the equipment and carries the business risk. OEWS excludes self-employed people and owners of unincorporated firms, so no wage figure on this page applies to this stage.
Specialties and work settings
OEWS publishes wages at the detailed occupation level only, so none of the benchmark occupations above is broken out by the specialties below. They are described here for career planning only.
Residential route service
Weekly or biweekly maintenance across a fixed list of homes. Density of the route and drive time between stops drive how many accounts one technician can hold.
Commercial and public pools
Hotels, apartment communities, schools, and municipal facilities. Health-department inspection, log-keeping, and operator-permit rules apply and are set by state and local authorities.
Equipment service and repair
Pump, motor, filter, heater, and salt-system diagnosis and replacement. Electrical and plumbing work on pool equipment is regulated by local code and may require a licensed trade.
Automation and controls
Installing and configuring controllers, variable-speed pump schedules, remote monitoring, and chemical automation.
Leak detection and structural work
Pressure testing lines, locating leaks, and coordinating plaster, tile, and coping repair. Often subcontracted rather than performed in house.
Seasonal openings and closings
Winterization and spring start-up in seasonal markets. Concentrates a large share of annual labor into short windows, which affects hours far more than the annual medians on this page suggest.
Licenses and credentials in this trade
Pool operator requirements are set by state and local health departments and differ between them. BLS does not publish a wage premium for any pool certification, and neither of the benchmark occupations on this page is broken out by credential, so no dollar figure is attached to any credential here.
| Credential | Full name | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| CPO | Certified Pool Operator | An industry certification from the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance covering water chemistry, circulation, filtration, and operator responsibilities. Some health jurisdictions accept or require an operator certification for commercial and public pools. |
| AFO | Aquatic Facility Operator | An aquatic-facility operator certification from the National Recreation and Park Association, aimed at public and municipal aquatic facilities. Accepted in place of other operator certifications by some jurisdictions. |
| Local operator permit | State or local public pool operator requirement | Health departments set the rules for who may operate a public or semi-public pool, what records must be kept, and how often the facility is inspected. Requirements differ by state and county, so check the local health authority. |
| OSHA 10 | OSHA 10-Hour Outreach Training | Voluntary safety outreach training. It is a training course rather than a credential OSHA issues, and some commercial and property-management clients ask for it before site access. |
Pool Service 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janitor and cleanerThis guideJanitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $36,840 | $17.71 | 2% |
| General maintenance and repair workerThis guideMaintenance and Repair Workers, General | $49,590 | $23.84 | 3.8% |
| Maid and housekeeping cleanerMaids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $35,510 | $17.07 | 0.4% |
| Landscaping workerLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $39,150 | $18.82 | 3.6% |
| Pest control technicianPest Control Workers | $45,250 | $21.75 | 4.9% |
| HVACR technicianHeating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers | $61,010 | $29.33 | 8.1% |
| Plumber and pipefitterPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $63,800 | $30.67 | 4.5% |
Employment projections, 2024–2034
Projection figures come from the BLS National Employment Matrix for each benchmark occupation below. They use a broader employment concept than the OEWS wage-and-salary counts, so the two employment figures are not interchangeable.
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (SOC 37-2011)
2,447,700
Employment, 2024
National Employment Matrix base year
2,495,500
Projected employment, 2034
National Employment Matrix projection
+47,800
Net employment change, 2024–2034
BLS published net change
2%
Projected growth, 2024–2034
percent change in employment
351,300
Average annual openings, 2024–2034
includes growth plus separations
3.1%
All occupations, 2024–2034
benchmark growth rate
BLS projects 2% employment growth for this occupation from 2024 to 2034, below the 3.1% BLS projects for all occupations.
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General (SOC 49-9071)
1,629,700
Employment, 2024
National Employment Matrix base year
1,692,100
Projected employment, 2034
National Employment Matrix projection
+62,400
Net employment change, 2024–2034
BLS published net change
3.8%
Projected growth, 2024–2034
percent change in employment
159,800
Average annual openings, 2024–2034
includes growth plus separations
3.1%
All occupations, 2024–2034
benchmark growth rate
BLS projects 3.8% employment growth for this occupation from 2024 to 2034, above the 3.1% BLS projects for all occupations.
The two benchmark occupations project differently and neither projection is about pools. BLS expects janitors and cleaners to rise from 2,447,700 in 2024 to 2,495,500 in 2034, a net gain of 47,800 positions with an average of 351,300 openings a year, which is 2% growth against 3.1% for all occupations. It expects general maintenance and repair workers to rise from 1,629,700 to 1,692,100, a net gain of 62,400 positions with an average of 159,800 openings a year, which is 3.8% growth. In both cases annual openings dwarf net new positions because turnover, not growth, drives hiring. Nothing in the published data isolates pool service, so a projection specific to pool routes does not exist. Local demand tracks pool density, climate, and construction of new residential and commercial pools, and those are market facts to check locally rather than statistics BLS reports.
Methodology and sources
- Benchmark occupation:
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (SOC 37-2011)
- Benchmark occupation:
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General (SOC 49-9071)
- 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:
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is a very large cross-industry occupation dominated by building cleaning work. Pool service technicians are not identified within it, so its median describes the occupation as a whole and not pool work specifically.
- Occupation scope:
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General covers broad building and equipment maintenance across every industry. Pool service technicians are not identified within it, so its median describes the occupation as a whole and not pool work specifically.
- Note:
- All wage figures are the 37-2011 and 49-9071 rows of the May 2025 OEWS national and state cross-industry files. All projection figures are the 37-2011 and 49-9071 rows of the BLS 2024-2034 occupational projections table.
- Note:
- The two benchmarks are reported separately and are never averaged. Neither is a pool-technician statistic, and no figure on this page should be quoted as one.
- Note:
- The proxy occupations come from O*NET title matching for pool service technician against SOC 37-2011 and SOC 49-9071.
- Note:
- This guide publishes no pool-technician state ranking, experience ladder, or certification premium, because no transparent source measures any of them.
- 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 pool service technician pay, answered from the published data.
There is no official one. BLS does not publish a pool service technician occupation, so no federal statistic measures pool-technician pay. The two occupations closest to the work had May 2025 OEWS medians of $36,840 a year ($17.71 an hour) for janitors and cleaners and $49,590 a year ($23.84 an hour) for general maintenance and repair workers. Those describe the whole of each occupation, not pool work.
Because pool service spans two kinds of work that BLS counts separately. Chemical-service and cleaning routes match janitors and cleaners, SOC 37-2011. Pump, heater, and automation repair matches general maintenance and repair workers, SOC 49-9071. Averaging the two would produce a figure that measures neither occupation and still would not measure pool work.
BLS does not publish state wages for pool technicians, so this guide does not rank states for that job. The state table above shows published medians for the two benchmark occupations, each in its own column and each covering the whole occupation across all industries.
No published dataset supports a dollar figure. BLS does not break either benchmark occupation out by credential, and no transparent pool-industry compensation study is cited on this page, so this guide describes what the certification covers and claims no earnings premium.
No. OEWS covers wage and salary workers and excludes self-employed people and owners or partners of unincorporated firms. Owner income depends on route density, pricing, chemical and fuel costs, and overhead rather than on a wage rate, and this page publishes no figure for it.
There is no pool-specific projection. BLS projects 2% employment growth for janitors and cleaners between 2024 and 2034 and 3.8% for general maintenance and repair workers, against 3.1% for all occupations. Neither number isolates pool service work.
Treat them as published bounds rather than a target. A route-heavy role sits nearer the janitors and cleaners median, an equipment-heavy role nearer the general maintenance and repair median, and local labor market conditions matter more than either. For pricing, work from your own route costs rather than from a national wage figure.
ServBuilder helps pool service companies manage routes, invoices, and recurring service plans.
ServBuilder helps pool service technician businesses manage scheduling, invoicing, and dispatch, so you can focus on the work.