Career
Pest control workers
Keep pests out of homes and buildings.
$45,250
Median pay
+5.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
13,700
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Record work activities performed.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $45,250 a year and 13,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation$46,340 · +3.9%
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers$49,450 · +1.5%
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners$49,880 · +7.8%
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers$39,150 · +4.7%
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$60,020 · -5.7%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.