Pest Control Workers
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 37-2021.00United States
Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas.
- Median annual earnings
- $44,927
- Projected change
- +9.2%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 112.13K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
90.2% of the workforce
Growing to 122.42K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What pest control workers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Record work activities performed.
- Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
- Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
- Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
- Clean work site after completion of job.
- Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment.
- Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service.
- Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infestation.
- Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $33,251
- 25th percentile
- $36,444
- 50th percentile
- $44,927
- 75th percentile
- $50,968
- 90th percentile
- $67,080
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $44,927 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+9.2%faster than average
2025112,128 jobs
2035 projected122,416 jobs
10,288 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 90.2%
- Certificate
- 8.8%
- Some college
- 0.6%
- Associate degree
- 0.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Pest Control Technicians11,276 postings
- 02Pest Technicians1,558 postings
- 03Termite Technicians1,520 postings
- 04Commercial Pest Control Technicians1,134 postings
- 05Pest Control Service Technicians1,068 postings
- 06Store Scanning Specialists991 postings
- 07Mosquito Control Technicians952 postings
- 08Scanning Specialists674 postings
- 09Pest Control Specialists482 postings
- 10Innovation Technicians383 postings
- 11Field Collectors369 postings
- 12Wildlife Technicians332 postings
- 13Termite Pest Control Technicians300 postings
- 14Pest Control Service Professionals247 postings
- 15Professional Services Representatives211 postings
- 16Company Vehicle Drivers200 postings
- 17Pest Control Route Technicians189 postings
- 18Utility Technicians152 postings
- 19In Home Sales Representatives132 postings
- 20Professionals128 postings
Top employers
- 01Rentokil Initial3,435 postings
- 02Orkin1,963 postings
- 03Terminix1,206 postings
- 04Rdsolutions Systems1,053 postings
- 05RetailData981 postings
- 06Ecoshield Pest Solutions845 postings
- 07Greenix711 postings
- 08Ecolab581 postings
- 09Aptive Environmental494 postings
- 10Arrow Exterminators442 postings
- 11Massey Services396 postings
- 12Hawx Pest Control391 postings
- 13Viking Pest Control337 postings
- 14Fox Pest Control333 postings
- 15HomeTeam Pest Defense285 postings
- 16Go-Forth Pest Control254 postings
- 17Northwest Exterminating164 postings
- 18Pestco152 postings
- 19Mosquito-Joe150 postings
- 20Ehrlich Pest Control146 postings
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