What They Do: Pest control workers remove unwanted pests that infest buildings and surrounding areas.
Work Environment: Pest control workers must travel to a client’s home or business. Workers often kneel, bend, and crawl into tight spaces to inspect sites. Because there are health risks associated with pesticide use, workers are trained in pesticide safety and, if required by the product label, sometimes wear protective gear, including respirators, gloves, and goggles. Working evenings and weekends is common.
How to Become One: State laws require pest control workers to be licensed. Most workers need a high school diploma and receive moderate on-the-job training.
Salary: The median annual wage for pest control workers is $37,540.
Job Outlook: Employment of pest control workers is projected to grow 7 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of pest control workers with similar occupations.
Pest control workers remove unwanted pests, such as roaches, rats, ants, bedbugs, mosquitoes, ticks, and termites that infest buildings and surrounding areas.
Pest control workers typically do the following:
Unwanted pests that infest buildings and surrounding areas can pose serious risks to the health and safety of occupants. Pest control workers control, manage, and remove these creatures from homes, apartments, offices, and other structures to protect people and to maintain the structural integrity of buildings.
To design and carry out integrated pest management plans, pest control workers must know the identity and biology of a wide range of pests. They must also know the best ways to control and remove the pests.
Although roaches, rats, ants, bedbugs, ticks, and termites are the most common pests, some pest control workers also remove birds, squirrels, and other wildlife from homes and buildings.
Pest control workers' position titles and job duties often vary by state.
The following are examples of types of pest control workers:
Pest control technicians identify potential and actual pest problems, conduct inspections, and design control strategies. They work directly with customers and, as entry-level workers, use only a limited range of pesticides.
Applicators use a wide range of pesticides and may specialize in a particular area of pest control:
Pest control workers hold about 90,600 jobs. The largest employers of pest control workers are as follows:
| Exterminating and pest control services | 92% |
| Self-employed workers | 2% |
Pest control workers must travel to a client's home or business. They work both indoors and outdoors, in all types of weather. To inspect and treat sites, workers must often kneel, bend, and crawl into tight spaces.
When working with pesticides, pest control workers must wear protective gear, including gloves, goggles, and, when required, respirators.
All pesticide products are reviewed and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and workers must follow label directions. Some pest control chemicals are toxic and can be harmful to humans, so care should be taken when using such chemicals. Workers are trained and licensed for pesticide usage and wear protective equipment as necessary based on label requirements. However, some injuries and illnesses from pesticide exposure may still occur. Pest control workers are also susceptible to strains and sprains because workers must often kneel, bend, and crawl into tight spaces.
Most pest control workers are employed full time. Working evenings and weekends is common. Some work more than 40 hours per week.
Get the education you need: Find schools for Pest Control Workers near you!
State laws require pest control workers to be licensed. Most workers need a high school diploma and receive moderate on-the-job training.
Many pest control companies require that employees have good driving records.
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically the minimum qualification for most pest control jobs.
Most pest control workers begin as technicians, receiving both formal technical instruction and moderate-term on-the-job training from employers. They often study specialties such as rodent control, termite control, and fumigation. Technicians also must complete general training in pesticide use and safety. Pest control training can usually be completed in less than 3 months.
After completing the required training, workers are qualified to provide pest control services. Because pest control methods change, workers often attend continuing education classes.
Most states require pest control workers to be licensed. Licensure requirements vary by state, but workers usually must complete training and pass an exam. Some states have additional requirements, such as having a high school diploma or equivalent, completing an apprenticeship, and passing a background check. States may have additional requirements for applicators.
Pest control workers typically advance as they gain experience. Applicators with several years of experience often become supervisors. Some experienced workers start their own pest management company.
Bookkeeping skills. Pest control workers must keep accurate records of the hours they work, chemicals they use, and payments they collect. Self-employed workers, in particular, need these skills in order to run their business.
Customer-service skills. Pest control workers should be friendly and polite when they interact with customers at their homes or businesses.
Detail oriented. Because pest control workers apply pesticides, they need to be able to follow instructions carefully in order to prevent harm to residents, pets, the environment, and themselves.
Physical stamina. Pest control workers may spend hours on their feet, often crouching, kneeling, and crawling. They also must be able to withstand uncomfortable conditions, such as heat when they climb into attics in the summertime and cold when they enter crawl spaces during winter.
The median annual wage for pest control workers is $37,540. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,620, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $58,660.
The median annual wages for pest control workers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Exterminating and pest control services | $37,460 |
Most pest control workers are employed full time. Working evenings and weekends is common. Some work more than 40 hours per week.
Employment of pest control workers is projected to grow 7 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 13,300 openings for pest control workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The growing number of invasive insect species, such as stink bugs, is expected to further increase demand for pest control services. Although some people may choose to control pests themselves, most customers prefer to hire professional pest control services.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Pest control workers | 90,600 | 96,700 | 7 | 6,100 |
For information about state licensing requirements, contact state licensing officials.
For information on pest control officials, visit
Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials
For information on the pest management industry, visit
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.