How much do pest control technicians make in 2026?
Pest control technicians are counted in the BLS pest control workers series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 37-2021 national median as $45,250 a year ($21.75 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $34,680 and the top 10% at $61,890. The series is a close match, covering technicians and applicators broadly. The pay structure is what most published figures miss: technicians run a route of recurring service accounts and are commonly paid a base rate plus commission or production pay on completed stops and on new services sold during a visit, so annual earnings depend on route density and sales ability as much as on the hourly rate. Above the base band sit the licensed specialisms — termite inspection and treatment, fumigation, and commercial food-safety and pest-management accounts where documentation and audit requirements matter. State applicator licensing by category is the gate to all of it. Employment is projected to grow 4.9% through 2034 with roughly 13,400 openings a year. → Full pest control technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $45,250 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Pest Control Technicians earn a national median $45,250/yr ($21.75/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 37-2021); the P10 to P90 range is $34,680 to $61,890.
- BLS reports the pest control workers series, giving a $34,680 to $61,890 band, and this trade's pay is route-based with commission on completed stops and sold services.
- Route density and the ability to sell additional services during a visit affect annual earnings as much as the base hourly rate.
- Licensed specialisms — termite treatment, fumigation and audited commercial accounts — are the routes toward the $49,600 P75 and above.
US Pest Control Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do pest control technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 37-2021; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 37-2021, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a pest control technician earn at each career stage?
Pest control pay follows licence categories, route responsibility and specialisation. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 37-2021.
By State
Which states pay pest control technicians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. This trade is state-regulated in detail: applicator certification is issued by category, termite and fumigation work requires specific licensing, and record-keeping and notification rules differ. Climate matters commercially too — warm, humid states have year-round pest pressure and large termite markets, which supports denser routes and more specialist work.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($52,040), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay pest control technicians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a pest control technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does pest control technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Pest Control Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify pest control technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a pest control technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Pest Control Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Pest Control Technician career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring pest control technicians?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Pest Control Technician
Everything for pest control technicians in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full pest control technician cluster.