Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving Dayton.
Pest control workers are scarcer in Dayton than in most of the country, 31% fewer per job, so the roughly 170 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 32 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 Dayton.
BLS counts about 170 pest control workers in the Dayton 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
Dayton: 170 employed · $39,310 median, 87th-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
Dayton: 2,270 employed · $61,640 median, 63rd-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
Dayton: 600 employed · $97,980 median, 88th-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
Dayton: 10,180 employed · $98,030 median, 79th-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
Dayton: 3,290 employed · $67,880 median, 51st-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in Dayton.
Pest control workers in Dayton earn a median $39,310, 13% under the $45,250 national figure, and 87th of 109 metros. Pay runs $36,550 at the tenth percentile to $59,210 at the ninetieth.
| Role | Dayton median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $39,310 | $36,550–$59,210 | $45,250 | −13% | 170 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $61,640 | $37,120–$128,300 | $69,990 | −12% | 2,270 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $97,980 | $58,090–$166,040 | $107,230 | −9% | 600 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $98,030 | $45,980–$218,010 | $105,770 | −7% | 10,180 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $67,880 | $39,260–$134,880 | $72,080 | −6% | 3,290 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Dayton 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 Dayton's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
The number of pest control companies in Dayton rose from 23 in 2018 to 32 in 2023, up 39%, ahead of the 16% national rise. BLS stops short of publishing headcount and pay for them here, which happens when a handful of firms account for most of the work.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 23 | 32 | +39% |
| Pest control companies: employment | 202 | – | – |
| Pest control companies: average annual pay | $39,602 | – | – |
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
Dayton 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 Dayton's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Dayton ranks 84th for headcount, 80th 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 Dayton, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Dayton 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, Columbus, Cleveland and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Dayton without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Ohio Department of Agriculture, Pesticide and Fertilizer Regulation Section. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Dayton talent.
The closest metro we cover is Cincinnati, about 45 miles away, with roughly 430 pest control workers (2.5 times Dayton's 170). Akron pays the most nearby, a $44,520 median, 13% above Dayton. That is the number any Dayton offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Indianapolis has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | – | 170 | $39,310 |
| Cincinnati | 47 mi | 430 | $42,890 |
| Columbus | 65 mi | 500 | $40,460 |
| Indianapolis | 104 mi | 590 | $38,740 |
| Louisville | 134 mi | 400 | $44,170 |
| Akron | 168 mi | 140 | $44,520 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Dayton crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Dayton in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Kettering Health Greene County investment$40M ($25M new medical center + $15M hospital renovation)Groundbreaking April 2026, complete late 2028
A new Xenia medical center plus renovations at Greene Memorial Hospital - healthcare-grade MEP work across two facilities.
- Convergence Research Center (Wright-Patterson AFB)$250MGroundbreaking underway; first building potentially complete 2027
A 43.5-acre research campus developed by Synergy under a federal enhanced use lease - a hub for academia, government, and industry collaboration on aerospace and defense research.
- Citywide Dayton development wave$1.3B+ across two dozen+ projectsOngoing
Private and public partners investing in Dayton at a level not seen in many years - the broadest capital-project signal in this metro.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Dayton market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in Dayton.
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 Dayton.
What do pest control workers earn in Dayton?
BLS puts the Dayton median for pest control workers at $39,310 a year, 13% below the $45,250 national median. That ranks 87th of 109 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $36,550 to $59,210 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 Dayton?
Yes. Dayton has 31% fewer pest control workers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 170 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. With 39% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in Dayton?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Service Manager pays the most in Dayton, a $98,030 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $39,310, 60% below it. Commercial Pest Control Technician trails national pay the most (13% below).
How many pest control companies operate in Dayton?
BLS counted 32 pest control companies in Dayton in 2023. Up from 23 in 2018, a 39% increase against 16% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Dayton for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Cincinnati (47 miles, about 430, $42,890 median), Columbus (65 miles, about 500, $40,460 median) and Indianapolis (104 miles, about 590, $38,740 median). Cincinnati has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Cincinnati pays 9% more, which is where Dayton employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With pest control workers this scarce in Dayton, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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