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Boston Career Explorer

Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance

Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns, or crops. Usually requires specific training and state or federal certification.

Also called: Applicator, Chemical Applicator, Herbicide Applicator, IPM Technician (Integrated Pest Management Technician), Lawn Specialist, Pesticide Applicator

Median pay in Greater Boston
$62,990
$30.28/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
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

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$50,580$59,080$62,990$63,320$82,350

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas.
  • Record information about pesticide applications, such as the type used and amount applied.
  • Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops.
  • Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment.
  • Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas.
  • Establish driving routes for pesticide applications.

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 exposure18 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 21
  • Language-model AIOE 20
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 14

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with paperwork, like keeping records of what was applied and how much. Mixing chemicals, running spray equipment, and aiming nozzles by hand are physical tasks that AI tools do not do.

Likely to change

  • Recording pesticide type and amount applied
  • Following mixing formulas and application records

Still relies on people

  • Handling spray equipment and nozzles on site
  • Safely mixing and filling chemical tanks

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.

  • Roofers

    You already know how to spray coatings and work safely with materials. Roofers waterproof surfaces by spraying, and pay is a bit higher at $66,350.

    Pay difference
    +$3,360 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
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  • Construction Laborers

    Running pumps and equipment carries over to tending pumps and generators. Training is short-term on the job, with 9.5% projected growth in Massachusetts.

    Pay difference
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  • Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

    Your experience with machinery and chemical safety carries over to following safety rules and avoiding hazards. Pay is $76,940 with on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$13,950 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
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    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

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.

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