Building & Grounds Maintenance
Pest Control Workers
Also called: Commercial Pest Control Technician (Commercial Pest Control Tech), Exterminator, Pest Control Applicator, Pest Control Chemical Technician (Pest Control Chemical Tech)
US median pay
$45,250
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+5.5%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
13,700
108,700 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infestation.
- Cut or bore openings in building or surrounding concrete, access infested areas, insert nozzle, and inject pesticide to impregnate ground.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Time Management3.5/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.4/5
- Service Orientation3.2/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.2/5
- Persuasion3.1/5
- Negotiation3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Coordination3.1/5
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service4.4/5
- Chemistry3.6/5
- Mathematics3.5/5
- Biology3.2/5
- Law and Government3.2/5
- Public Safety and Security3.1/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.