Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
Pest Control Workers
Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas.
Also called: Commercial Pest Control Technician (Commercial Pest Control Tech), Exterminator, Pest Control Applicator, Pest Control Chemical Technician (Pest Control Chemical Tech), Pest Control Operator, Pest Control Technician (Pest Control Tech)
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $45,570
- $21.91/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 1,170
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- Not published
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Moderate-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38,200 | $45,450 | $45,570 | $59,480 | $71,330 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- 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.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure31 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 26
- Language-model AIOE 26
- GPTs-are-GPTs 40
Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)
Pest control is mostly hands-on, so AI exposure is lower, though observed AI use is some. AI tools may help with record keeping, measuring and calculating treatment amounts, and estimating costs. They do not apply treatments, set traps, or inspect a site.
Likely to change
- Recording work activities and service notes
- Calculating treatment amounts and cost estimates
Still relies on people
- Applying treatments and setting traps safely
- Advising customers face to face
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Handling chemicals safely and following strict safety rules carry over to removing asbestos and lead, with moderate on-the-job training.
- Pay difference
- +$4,360 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +0.9%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Spraying skills and proper disposal of hazardous waste carry over to running spray equipment, which pays more in Boston.
- Pay difference
- +$8,990 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +3.4%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
Inspecting sites, keeping records, and working in many buildings carry over to general maintenance, which pays more and has 5.2% projected growth.
- Pay difference
- +$14,100 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.2%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
- First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
- Agricultural Inspectors
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach