Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving Columbus.
Pest control workers are scarcer in Columbus than in most of the country, 31% fewer per job, so the roughly 500 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 73 business locations of pest control companies across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Columbus.
BLS counts about 500 pest control workers in the Columbus metro. Relative to the size of the local economy, pest control workers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.69). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Pest Control hub.
Commercial Pest Control Technician
Columbus: 500 employed · $40,460 median, 81st-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
Columbus: 8,350 employed · $59,390 median, 80th-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
Columbus: 2,060 employed · $105,360 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
Columbus: 29,070 employed · $102,590 median, 58th-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
Columbus: 8,900 employed · $67,410 median, 52nd-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in Columbus.
Pest control workers in Columbus earn a median $40,460, 11% under the $45,250 national figure, and 81st of 109 metros. Pay runs $36,930 at the tenth percentile to $59,480 at the ninetieth.
| Role | Columbus median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $40,460 | $36,930–$59,480 | $45,250 | −11% | 500 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $59,390 | $35,760–$130,000 | $69,990 | −15% | 8,350 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $105,360 | $64,110–$186,800 | $107,230 | −2% | 2,060 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $102,590 | $50,440–$221,270 | $105,770 | −3% | 29,070 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $67,410 | $39,450–$136,650 | $72,080 | −6% | 8,900 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Columbus metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Columbus's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
The number of pest control companies in Columbus rose from 64 in 2018 to 73 in 2023, up 14%, close to the 16% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 17%, to about 802 people. Average annual pay there went from $45,419 to $53,894 (+19%), slower than the 22% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 64 | 73 | +14% |
| Pest control companies: employment | 683 | 802 | +17% |
| Pest control companies: average annual pay | $45,419 | $53,894 | +19% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Commercial Pest Control hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Commercial Pest Control · 2026 Commercial Pest Control Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Commercial Pest Control
Columbus runs 31% fewer commercial pest control workers per job than the country as a whole — well below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Pest Control Workers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Columbus's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Columbus ranks 41st for headcount, 74th for median pay and 73rd for concentration for pest control workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 500 | $40,460 | 0.69 | 73 |
| Cincinnati | 430 | $42,890 | 0.59 | 89 |
| Cleveland | 310 | $42,150 | 0.45 | 70 |
| Dayton | 170 | $39,310 | 0.69 | 32 |
| Akron | 140 | $44,520 | 0.65 | 26 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial pest control employers in Columbus, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Columbus metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Pest Control licensing in Ohio.
Ohio issues a commercial pesticide applicator license and allows unlicensed staff to work as a Trained Serviceperson. Structural work is category 10, Domestic, institutional, structural and health-related pest control, with subcategory 10a general pest control, 10b termite control, 10c fumigation and 10d mosquito, house fly and other vector control, and there is a separate category 12, Wood-destroying insect diagnostic inspection. A Trained Serviceperson must complete training before first handling pesticides, must be employed by the same company as the supervising licensed applicator, must be within 25 miles or two hours of that supervisor during an application, and cannot work in the wood-destroying insect inspection or aerial categories. For termite or real estate inspection work, confirm the candidate holds 10b and, for diagnostic inspections, category 12. Governed by ORC Chapter 921 and OAC 901:5-11. The same state rules apply in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Columbus without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Ohio Department of Agriculture, Pesticide and Fertilizer Regulation Section. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Columbus talent.
The closest metro we cover is Dayton, about 65 miles away, with roughly 170 pest control workers (0.3 times Columbus's 500). Akron pays the most nearby, a $44,520 median, 10% above Columbus. That is the number any Columbus offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Columbus is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | – | 500 | $40,460 |
| Dayton | 65 mi | 170 | $39,310 |
| Cincinnati | 99 mi | 430 | $42,890 |
| Akron | 110 mi | 140 | $44,520 |
| Cleveland | 126 mi | 310 | $42,150 |
| Pittsburgh | 162 mi | 420 | $44,370 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Columbus crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Columbus in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Nationwide Children's Hospital expansionLargest capital investment in the hospital's historyMulti-year, phased
Hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction - steady healthcare-sector demand alongside the industrial boom.
- Meta "Prometheus" data centerMulti-billion, undisclosedCompleting construction in 2026
New Albany campus that will be the world's first data center requiring over 1 gigawatt of power. Massive electrical distribution and mechanical cooling scope, concentrated in a single build.
- Intel Ohio One semiconductor fab$28BUnder construction, multi-year buildout
New Albany chip fab campus - crews have logged 6.4M+ work hours, poured 200,000+ cubic yards of concrete, and installed sub-utility trenches. The single largest private capital project in Ohio history and the anchor of the region's industrial-trades demand.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Columbus market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in Columbus.
The 2 credentials that gate the work and the 3 things that most often end a commercial pest control offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Commercial Pest Control credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Commercial Pest Control hiring in Columbus.
What do pest control workers earn in Columbus?
BLS puts the Columbus median for pest control workers at $40,460 a year, 11% below the $45,250 national median. That ranks 81st of 109 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $36,930 to $59,480 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Ohio, Akron pays more, at $44,520.
Is it hard to hire pest control workers in Columbus?
Yes. Columbus has 31% fewer pest control workers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 500 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 73 pest control companies here average about 11 employees per location. With 14% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in Columbus?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Branch / Route Manager pays the most in Columbus, a $105,360 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $40,460, 62% below it. Commercial Account Manager trails national pay the most (15% below).
How many pest control companies operate in Columbus?
BLS counted 73 pest control companies in Columbus in 2023, employing about 802 people between them. Up from 64 in 2018, a 14% increase against 16% growth nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay about the national average of $54,678.
Which nearby metros compete with Columbus for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Dayton (65 miles, about 170, $39,310 median), Cincinnati (99 miles, about 430, $42,890 median) and Akron (110 miles, about 140, $44,520 median). Cincinnati pays 6% more, which is where Columbus employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With pest control workers this scarce in Columbus, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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