Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 37-2021

Pest Control Workers

O*NET task statements lead this Pest Control Workers card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Tree Trimmers and Pruners, Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Pest Control Workers: Tree Trimmers and Pruners ($51K) , Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners ($37K) , Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers ($39K) , Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation ($46K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Pest Control Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 37-2021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Record work activities performed
  2. 2. Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations
  3. 3. Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients
  4. 4. Post warning signs and lock building doors to secure area to be fumigated
  5. 5. Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catc…
  6. 6. Clean work site after completion of job
  7. 7. Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment
  8. 8. Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service
  9. 9. Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infes…
  10. 10. Set mechanical traps, or place poisonous paste or bait in sewers, burrows, or ditches
  11. 11. Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds
  12. 12. Cut or bore openings in building or surrounding concrete, access infested areas, insert nozzle, and inject pesticide to impregnate ground

Pest Control Workers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 37-2021 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.8
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.8
  3. 3. Writing 3.6
  4. 4. Speaking 3.6
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.6
  6. 6. Time Management 3.5
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.4
  8. 8. Service Orientation 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.8
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.1
  3. 3. English Language 3.1
  4. 4. Chemistry 3.0
  5. 5. Biology 2.9
  6. 6. Law and Government 2.9
National median after O*NET task lead
$45,250
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Record work activities performed
$45K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
13,400
Annual openings
102,620
Estimated US jobs
Tree Trimmers and Pruners
Highest-pay peer · $51K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Pest Control Workers

1. Nevada $49,240
2. New York $48,530
3. Connecticut $49,010
4. South Dakota $49,920
5. Hawaii $48,570
6. Washington $51,300
7. Colorado $48,650
8. North Dakota $48,020
9. Maine $48,340
10. New Jersey $48,780

Other Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations titles

  1. 1. Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $36,840
  2. 2. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $39,150
  3. 3. Tree Trimmers and Pruners $50,960
  4. 4. Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation $46,340
  5. 5. Building Cleaning Workers, All Other $44,040
  6. 6. Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other $46,860

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021). The national OEWS median is $45,250 inside Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Tree Trimmers and Pruners, Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation. Lead published task: Record work activities performed.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 13,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Nevada at $49,240. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Tree Trimmers and Pruners at $50,960. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Pest Control Workers pay-rank #6 in Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations

Pest Control Workers sits at pay-rank #6 of 10 detailed Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 37-2021 · national median $45,250 · middle third of Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations (#6/10). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Pest Control Workers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 37-2021

Nevada · top state for Pest Control Workers

$49K published median

New York · #2 state pay

$49K · behind Nevada

Tree Trimmers and Pruners

Highest-pay peer vs Pest Control Workers · $51K

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Lower-pay peer beside Pest Control Workers · $37K

Compare Pest Control Workers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Pest Control Workers with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Pest Control Workers full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pest Control Workers mid-table among Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #6 of 10 detailed Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation ($46K), Building Cleaning Workers, All Other ($44K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do pest control workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Pest Control Workers. Leading ones include: Record work activities performed; Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations; Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients; Post warning signs and lock building doors to secure area to be fumigated. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for pest control workers? ▼
For SOC 37-2021, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.8), Writing (3.6), Speaking (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Pest Control Workers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $45,250 as the national median for Pest Control Workers. The published 10th-90th range is $34,680 to $61,890. Beside Tree Trimmers and Pruners ($50,960), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Pest Control Workers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Pest Control Workers is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 13,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Pest Control Workers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Pest Control Workers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Pest Control Workers? ▼
Nevada ($49,240), New York ($48,530), Connecticut ($49,010) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Pest Control Workers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 37-2021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Pest Control Workers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics