US Pest Control Industry Statistics
16,535 establishments, 139,150 employees, $19.56 billion in receipts. Every national figure with its federal source and year attached.
The US structural pest control industry ran 16,535 establishments employing 139,150 people in 2023, and collected $19.56 billion in receipts in 2022. It is overwhelmingly a small-business industry, with 8,882 of 13,603 firms employing fewer than five people, yet three companies alone take 27.8% of revenue. Every figure here is sourced to a named federal dataset.
This is a reference page for the national numbers, kept in one place with the source and year attached to each. It is not a state ranking: for that see our Market Density Index, which maps establishments per 100,000 residents across all 50 states.
Industry size
| Measure | Figure | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Establishments | 16,535 | Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 561710 | 2023 |
| Firms | 13,603 | Census Statistics of U.S. Businesses | 2022 |
| Industry employment | 139,150 | Census County Business Patterns | 2023 |
| Industry receipts | $19.56 billion | Census Statistics of U.S. Businesses | 2022 |
| Annual payroll | $7.04 billion | Census Statistics of U.S. Businesses | 2022 |
| Pest control workers (occupation) | 102,620 | BLS OEWS, SOC 37-2021 | May 2025 |
The distinction that trips people up. Census counts 139,150 people employed by the industry, including office, sales and management staff. BLS counts 102,620 in the pest control worker occupation, wherever they work. These are different populations measuring different things and should never be used interchangeably.
Cost structure
| Measure | Figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll as share of receipts | 36.0% | The largest single cost line |
| Revenue per employee | $139,825 | What one person must generate annually |
| Revenue per establishment | $1,216,664 | Typical branch scale |
| Revenue per working day, per employee | About $560 | Calculated across roughly 250 working days |
Full workings are in our analysis of where pest control money goes.
Concentration and firm size
| Enterprise size | Firms | Employees | Receipts | Revenue per employee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 employees | 8,882 | 15,528 | $2.10B | $135,371 |
| 5 to 9 employees | 2,491 | 16,540 | $1.84B | $110,988 |
| Under 20 employees | 12,746 | 50,894 | $6.12B | $120,194 |
| 5,000 or more employees | 3 | 30,384 | $5.44B | $178,927 |
The three largest firms employ 21.7% of the industry workforce and collect 27.8% of receipts, while 65% of all firms employ fewer than five people. Our analysis of industry consolidation covers why that shape attracts acquirers.
Wages
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Median wage | $45,250 | $21.75 |
| Mean wage | $46,400 | $22.31 |
| 10th percentile | $34,680 | Not published |
| 90th percentile | $61,890 | Not published |
Against comparable trades, pest control pays less: plumbers $63,800, electricians $63,190, HVAC technicians $61,010 and carpenters $60,580, all BLS May 2025 national medians. General maintenance and repair workers earn $49,590, only 9.6% more, with roughly fifteen times as many positions and no certification requirement. Detail in the trade pay gap, and state and metro breakdowns in technician pay by state.
Direction of travel
Between 2022 and 2023 the industry added 455 establishments, a 2.8% rise, while employment fell by 767, a 0.5% decline. Payroll rose 5.7%, faster than headcount. Average employees per establishment fell from 8.70 to 8.42.
A single year is not a trend, and we will revisit when the 2024 file publishes. The direction is worth naming: more locations, each slightly thinner.
What does not exist
There is no federal price index for pest control services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no Producer Price Index series for NAICS 561710 and no Consumer Price Index item covering pest control alone. We checked both.
Any national average price for a pest control service is therefore not sourced from federal data. The figures that circulate come from contractor surveys run by home services marketplaces, which generally do not publish a sample size or method. We cite them where useful and label them as market signals rather than measurements.
Cite this page
The Pest Control Brief, “US pest control industry statistics,” September 2026. Compiled from U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022 and Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the US pest control industry?
16,535 establishments employing 139,150 people in 2023, with receipts of $19.56 billion in 2022 and annual payroll of $7.04 billion. Separately, BLS counts 102,620 people in the pest control worker occupation, which is a different population from industry employment.
How many pest control companies are there in the US?
Census recorded 13,603 firms operating 16,535 establishments with paid employees. Firms are companies and establishments are physical locations, so a multi-branch company counts once as a firm and several times as establishments. Non-employer sole operators are counted in a separate Census programme.
Is the pest control industry concentrated?
At both ends simultaneously. Three companies employ 21.7% of the workforce and collect 27.8% of receipts, while 8,882 of 13,603 firms employ fewer than five people and together account for about 11% of revenue. There is comparatively little in the middle.
What is the average price of pest control in the US?
No authoritative federal figure exists. BLS publishes no Producer Price Index for NAICS 561710 and no Consumer Price Index item for pest control alone. Circulating national averages come from contractor surveys run by home services marketplaces that generally do not disclose sample size or method.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 561710. www2.census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, NAICS 561710. www2.census.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-2021 and comparison trades. bls.gov/oes
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Producer Price Index and Consumer Price Index programmes. Confirmed no published series for NAICS 561710.