Pest Control Job Outlook: Why 96% of Openings Are Replacements
BLS projects 6% growth and 13,700 openings a year to 2035. Only about 600 of those are new jobs; the rest replace people who leave.
Employment of pest control workers is projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, from 108,700 to 114,700, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS also projects about 13,700 openings a year. Growth accounts for only around 600 of those. Roughly 96% of annual openings come from replacing workers who leave, which makes this a turnover story rather than an expansion story.
Career guides quote the growth rate and stop. The more useful number is the split between new jobs and replacement openings, because it says what the industry’s hiring problem actually is.
The projection
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 108,700 |
| Projected employment, 2035 | 114,700 |
| Change over the decade | +6,000, or 6% |
| Projected openings per year | About 13,700 |
| Median annual wage, May 2025 | $45,250 |
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Pest Control Workers.
Where the openings actually come from
Openings have two sources: new jobs created by growth, and existing jobs vacated by people who retire, change occupation or leave the labour force.
| Source of openings | Per year, approximately | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Growth (6,000 over ten years) | About 600 | About 4% |
| Replacement | About 13,100 | About 96% |
| Total openings | About 13,700 | 100% |
The replacement figure is our calculation: total annual openings minus average annual growth. Over the decade that is roughly 137,000 openings against 6,000 net new jobs, in an occupation of around 110,000 people.
Put differently, the industry needs to fill the equivalent of about one in eight of its jobs every year just to stand still.
Why the two employment figures differ
BLS reports 108,700 pest control workers in its Employment Projections and 102,620 in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. They are different programmes. Employment Projections includes self-employed workers; OEWS surveys establishments and excludes them. The gap is roughly the owner-operator layer of the trade.
That matters in an industry where 8,882 of 13,603 firms employ fewer than five people, covered in our industry statistics reference. We use each figure only in its own context.
What it means for someone considering the trade
- Openings are steady and constant, at around 13,700 a year, and the entry bar is a high school diploma plus moderate on-the-job training.
- Employers often fund certification, and noncertified applicators may work under direct supervision while studying. Our guide to becoming a pest control technician covers the route.
- Pay depends heavily on where you work. Metro medians run from $37,200 in Houston to $58,380 in Seattle, covered in technician pay by metro area.
- High replacement demand cuts both ways. It means jobs are available, and it signals that many people leave, which is worth asking an employer about directly.
What it means for employers
A 6% growth rate does not describe the hiring pressure an operator feels. Replacement does. With roughly 96% of openings coming from departures, retention moves the numbers far more than expansion.
- Measure technician turnover as closely as revenue. Industry sources report 45 to 60 days to fill a technician role.
- Benchmark pay against local alternatives, since maintenance and repair work pays more than pest control in most large metros. See pest control against maintenance pay by metro.
- Fund certification and categories, which is cheap against a two-month vacancy.
- Protect route density, because less driving is a real quality-of-work improvement. Our analysis of the trade pay gap covers the wider hiring picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is pest control a growing career?
Modestly. BLS projects pest control worker employment to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, from 108,700 to 114,700. About 13,700 openings are projected each year, but only around 600 of those come from growth; roughly 96% come from replacing workers who leave the occupation.
How many pest control jobs open each year?
About 13,700 on average over the 2025 to 2035 decade, according to BLS. That is roughly one in eight jobs in an occupation of around 110,000 people, with the large majority driven by retirements and people moving to other occupations rather than new positions.
What education do you need to be a pest control worker?
BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education, with moderate-term on-the-job training. Commercial application of pesticides also requires state certification, and noncertified applicators can work under the direct supervision of a certified applicator while they qualify.
Why do BLS figures for pest control employment differ?
Different programmes count differently. Employment Projections reports 108,700 and includes self-employed workers. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics reports 102,620 and surveys establishments, excluding the self-employed. Each figure is valid in its own context but they should not be combined.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Pest Control Workers, projections 2025 to 2035. bls.gov/ooh
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-2021.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, NAICS 561710.