The average pest control technician in the United States earns $46,400 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $45,250. That works out at about $22.31 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: Nevada averages $54,110 and West Virginia $38,920. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a pest control technician actually does for that money
Pest control workers is a cleanly counted occupation with genuine licensing behind it, which is why the figures are more reliable here than in most home service trades. Most work for pest control firms on recurring contracts, and termite and fumigation specialists sit well above the median.
What pest control technicians earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $34,680 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $37,440 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $45,250 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $49,600 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $61,890 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Pest Control salary by state
Nevada pays the most at $54,110 a year, and West Virginia the least at $38,920. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $54,110 | $49,240 | $26.02 | 790 |
| 2 | Colorado | $53,770 | $48,650 | $25.85 | 970 |
| 3 | New York | $53,500 | $48,530 | $25.72 | 4,220 |
| 4 | South Dakota | $53,490 | $49,920 | $25.72 | 190 |
| 5 | Washington | $53,220 | $51,300 | $25.59 | 1,430 |
| 6 | Alaska | $52,680 | $46,900 | $25.33 | 40 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $52,670 | $48,020 | $25.32 | 120 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $51,780 | $48,780 | $24.90 | 2,270 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $50,900 | $48,570 | $24.47 | 740 |
| 10 | Maine | $50,830 | $48,340 | $24.44 | 320 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $50,790 | $48,000 | $24.42 | 260 |
| 12 | Maryland | $50,570 | $47,360 | $24.31 | 1,670 |
| 13 | California | $50,360 | $47,190 | $24.21 | n/a |
| 14 | Connecticut | $49,750 | $49,010 | $23.92 | 880 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $49,420 | $45,030 | $23.76 | 270 |
| 16 | Oregon | $49,200 | $46,570 | $23.65 | 740 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $49,030 | $45,560 | $23.57 | 1,900 |
| 18 | Vermont | $48,780 | $46,320 | $23.45 | 80 |
| 19 | Delaware | $48,130 | $45,300 | $23.14 | 300 |
| 20 | Virginia | $47,860 | $45,950 | $23.01 | 3,040 |
| 21 | Arizona | $47,640 | $44,430 | $22.90 | 3,200 |
| 22 | Illinois | $47,510 | $46,450 | $22.84 | 2,470 |
| 23 | Michigan | $47,020 | $44,470 | $22.61 | 1,460 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $46,160 | $45,350 | $22.19 | 1,060 |
| 25 | Florida | $46,060 | $44,320 | $22.15 | 12,400 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $45,980 | $45,720 | $22.11 | 2,260 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $45,670 | $41,640 | $21.96 | 670 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $45,570 | $44,500 | $21.91 | 50 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $45,520 | $44,740 | $21.89 | 4,870 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $45,160 | $38,960 | $21.71 | 460 |
| 31 | Montana | $44,930 | $41,730 | $21.60 | 100 |
| 32 | Indiana | $44,780 | $38,600 | $21.53 | 1,670 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $44,780 | $43,130 | $21.53 | 2,660 |
| 34 | Iowa | $44,210 | $45,290 | $21.26 | 540 |
| 35 | Ohio | $44,160 | $40,110 | $21.23 | 2,170 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $43,520 | $42,310 | $20.92 | 1,030 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $43,260 | $44,570 | $20.80 | 1,930 |
| 38 | Georgia | $43,030 | $37,860 | $20.69 | 5,770 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $42,880 | $39,690 | $20.62 | 3,340 |
| 40 | Missouri | $42,800 | $42,690 | $20.58 | 1,440 |
| 41 | Utah | $42,760 | $44,740 | $20.56 | 1,050 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $42,740 | $39,050 | $20.55 | 1,310 |
| 43 | Idaho | $42,060 | $40,220 | $20.22 | 620 |
| 44 | Kansas | $41,840 | $38,690 | $20.11 | 760 |
| 45 | Texas | $41,400 | $37,660 | $19.90 | 9,470 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $41,310 | $37,710 | $19.86 | 1,030 |
| 47 | Alabama | $41,220 | $38,410 | $19.82 | 2,540 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $41,030 | $37,200 | $19.73 | 960 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $41,010 | $37,070 | $19.72 | 320 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $38,920 | $37,510 | $18.71 | 460 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying pest control technicians the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $60,600 | $29.14 |
| 2 | Reno, NV | $57,870 | $27.82 |
| 3 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $57,650 | $27.71 |
| 4 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $57,630 | $27.71 |
| 5 | Vallejo, CA | $57,290 | $27.54 |
| 6 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $56,380 | $27.11 |
| 7 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $55,960 | $26.91 |
| 8 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $54,870 | $26.38 |
| 9 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $54,800 | $26.35 |
| 10 | Kingston, NY | $54,350 | $26.13 |
What moves the number
- Applicators are licensed by the state in every state, with category-specific exams and continuing education. It is the most consistently enforced licensing in this list.
- Recurring quarterly and monthly contracts make the income unusually stable, with a summer peak and termite season on top.
- Termite work, fumigation and commercial food-safety accounts pay well above general residential pest service.
- The bottom ten percent of pest control technicians earn under $34,680 and the top ten percent clear $61,890. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed pest control technicians on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a pest control technician wage and an owner income opens up.
Pest Control salary FAQs
- How much do pest control technicians make a year?
- The median pest control technician in the United States earns $45,250 a year and the average is $46,400, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do pest control technicians make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $22.31. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays pest control technicians the most?
- Nevada pays the most at an average of $54,110 a year, followed by Colorado at $53,770 and New York at $53,500. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay pest control technicians the most?
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA tops the list at an average of $60,600 a year, with Reno, NV at $57,870. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can pest control technicians earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $61,890. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed pest control technicians?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this pest control salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Pest Control Workers" (SOC 37-2021). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
