Pest Control Companies by County: Where the Industry Is Concentrated
Los Angeles County has the most pest control establishments; Florida has 10 of the 12 densest large counties. County Business Patterns data mapped for the first time.
Los Angeles County has the most pest control establishments of any US county at 435, followed by Maricopa County, Arizona at 369. Adjusted for population the picture belongs to Florida: 10 of the 12 densest large counties are Florida counties, led by Palm Beach at 13.97 per 100,000 residents. The top 25 counties hold 25.3% of all county-located establishments.
State rankings flatten the real market. Pest control is sold street by street, so we took Census County Business Patterns down to county level for the first time on this site, and matched it to 2024 county population estimates.
Key findings
- 974 counties have at least one pest control establishment with paid employees.
- Los Angeles County leads on count at 435, with Maricopa at 369, Broward at 228 and Palm Beach at 221.
- Florida owns density. 10 of the 12 densest counties with 250,000 or more residents are in Florida. Charleston County, South Carolina and Cherokee County, Georgia are the exceptions.
- Harris County, Texas has 174 establishments for five million people, just 3.47 per 100,000, a fraction of Florida’s large counties.
- The top 25 counties hold 3,847 of 15,182 county-located establishments, about a quarter of the national footprint.
Counties with the most pest control establishments
| County | Establishments | Population 2024 | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, California | 435 | 9,757,179 | 4.46 |
| Maricopa County, Arizona | 369 | 4,673,096 | 7.90 |
| Broward County, Florida | 228 | 2,037,472 | 11.19 |
| Palm Beach County, Florida | 221 | 1,582,055 | 13.97 |
| Miami-Dade County, Florida | 195 | 2,838,461 | 6.87 |
| San Diego County, California | 182 | 3,298,799 | 5.52 |
| Riverside County, California | 178 | 2,529,933 | 7.04 |
| Harris County, Texas | 174 | 5,009,302 | 3.47 |
| Orange County, California | 169 | 3,170,435 | 5.33 |
| Clark County, Nevada | 155 | 2,398,871 | 6.46 |
| Hillsborough County, Florida | 125 | 1,581,426 | 7.90 |
| Lee County, Florida | 119 | 860,959 | 13.82 |
| Pinellas County, Florida | 116 | 965,870 | 12.01 |
| Dallas County, Texas | 113 | 2,656,028 | 4.25 |
| Suffolk County, New York | 112 | 1,535,909 | 7.29 |
The densest large counties
Among the 290 counties with at least 250,000 residents:
| County | Establishments | Population 2024 | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Beach County, Florida | 221 | 1,582,055 | 13.97 |
| Lee County, Florida | 119 | 860,959 | 13.82 |
| Marion County, Florida | 57 | 428,905 | 13.29 |
| Volusia County, Florida | 80 | 602,772 | 13.27 |
| Seminole County, Florida | 64 | 494,605 | 12.94 |
| St. Lucie County, Florida | 50 | 390,670 | 12.80 |
| Sarasota County, Florida | 59 | 476,604 | 12.38 |
| Charleston County, South Carolina | 53 | 431,001 | 12.30 |
| Pinellas County, Florida | 116 | 965,870 | 12.01 |
| Collier County, Florida | 47 | 416,233 | 11.29 |
| Lake County, Florida | 50 | 444,204 | 11.26 |
| Cherokee County, Georgia | 33 | 293,513 | 11.24 |
This is the county-level version of what our Market Density Index found for states. Warm, humid coastal markets carry far more operators per resident, and competition there is correspondingly intense.
The thinnest large counties
| County | Establishments | Population 2024 | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washtenaw County, Michigan | 3 | 373,875 | 0.80 |
| Dakota County, Minnesota | 4 | 453,156 | 0.88 |
| Clayton County, Georgia | 3 | 297,703 | 1.01 |
| Suffolk County, Massachusetts | 8 | 793,144 | 1.01 |
| Ramsey County, Minnesota | 6 | 542,015 | 1.11 |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | 11 | 924,740 | 1.19 |
| Wayne County, Michigan | 24 | 1,771,063 | 1.36 |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut | 4 | 282,602 | 1.42 |
| Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania | 5 | 350,935 | 1.42 |
| San Francisco County, California | 12 | 827,526 | 1.45 |
A thin county is not necessarily an underserved one. Dakota and Ramsey counties in Minnesota sit beside Hennepin County, and suburban counties are routinely served by operators based a county or two away. Low establishment counts describe where companies are located, not where they work.
What this means for operators
County density is the closest public proxy for local competitive pressure, and it varies far more than state averages suggest. Within Florida alone the large counties run above 11 establishments per 100,000, while large Texas and Midwest counties often sit below 4.
- Use county density to sanity-check an expansion, then look at neighbouring counties, since that is where cross-border competitors are based.
- Read thin counties carefully. A low count beside a dense metro core often means the market is served from next door.
- Weigh it against labour cost, which runs the opposite way at state and metro level. Our opportunity index combines the two.
- Remember route density beats county totals. A tight cluster of accounts inside a crowded county can outperform a scattered book in a thin one. See buying a pest control route.
Methodology
Establishment counts are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns 2023 county file (cbp23co.txt), NAICS 561710 Exterminating and Pest Control Services. Population is Census Vintage 2024 county estimates (co-est2024-alldata.csv), field POPESTIMATE2024. Density is establishments divided by population, times 100,000. The large-county rankings are restricted to counties with 250,000 or more residents to avoid small-denominator distortion. The District of Columbia is excluded from county rankings.
Data limitations
- The county file does not reconcile exactly to the state file. County-located establishments in this file sum to 15,182 against 16,535 in the state file for the same year. Census publishes the files separately, and we use the county figures only for comparisons between counties.
- Location, not service area. Establishments are counted where they are based. Many serve neighbouring counties.
- Employer establishments only. Sole operators with no payroll are excluded, which understates activity in rural counties in particular.
- Establishments are not companies. A national firm’s branches each count separately.
- 2023 is the latest county file published as of this writing.
Frequently asked questions
Which county has the most pest control companies?
Los Angeles County, California, with 435 pest control establishments with paid employees in 2023, followed by Maricopa County, Arizona at 369, Broward County, Florida at 228 and Palm Beach County, Florida at 221. Establishments are physical locations, so multi-branch companies count more than once.
Where are pest control companies most concentrated?
Florida. Among US counties with at least 250,000 residents, 10 of the 12 densest are in Florida, led by Palm Beach County at 13.97 establishments per 100,000 residents and Lee County at 13.82. Warm, humid coastal markets carry the most operators per resident.
Why do some big counties have so few pest control companies?
Often because they are served from next door. Counties such as Dakota and Ramsey in Minnesota sit beside a larger metro core where operators are based. Census counts establishments where they are located, not where they work, and excludes sole operators with no payroll.
How concentrated is pest control geographically?
The top 25 counties hold 3,847 of 15,182 county-located pest control establishments, roughly a quarter of the national footprint, while 974 counties have at least one establishment with paid employees.
Cite this analysis
The Pest Control Brief, “Pest control companies by county,” September 2026. Analysis of U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 and Vintage 2024 county population estimates.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, county file, NAICS 561710. www2.census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county population estimates. www2.census.gov