Building and grounds
Pest control worker
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 pay
$45,250
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
13,700
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Pest control worker
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Pest control worker: 45% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Record work activities performed.
- Clean work site after completion of job.
- Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service.
- Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
- Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
- Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
- Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment.
- Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds.
Also called: Commercial Pest Control Technician (Commercial Pest Control Tech) · Exterminator · Pest Control Applicator · Pest Control Chemical Technician (Pest Control Chemical Tech) · Pest Control Operator · Pest Control Technician (Pest Control Tech) · Pest Technician (Pest Tech) · Residential Pest Control Technician (Residential Pest Control Tech)
Outlook and AI
Pest control workers held 108,700 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 114,700 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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- Pest control worker vs. Hazardous materials removal worker
- Pest control worker vs. Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners
- Pest control worker vs. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Pest control worker vs. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Pest control worker vs. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Pest control worker vs. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
- Pest control worker vs. Agricultural technician
- Pest control worker vs. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Pest control worker vs. Agricultural inspector