Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving Memphis.
Memphis has 62% more pest control workers per job than the country as a whole, about 650 in the metro. BLS counts 78 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 Memphis.
BLS counts about 650 pest control workers in the Memphis metro. Relative to the size of the local economy, pest control workers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.62). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Pest Control hub.
Commercial Pest Control Technician
Memphis: 650 employed · $39,860 median, 82nd-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
Memphis: 3,330 employed · $59,140 median, 81st-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
Memphis: 1,570 employed · $106,170 median, 45th-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
Memphis: 9,730 employed · $102,510 median, 59th-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
Memphis: 4,290 employed · $61,430 median, 97th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in Memphis.
Pest control workers in Memphis earn a median $39,860, 12% under the $45,250 national figure, and 82nd of 109 metros. Pay runs $30,950 at the tenth percentile to $55,090 at the ninetieth.
| Role | Memphis median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $39,860 | $30,950–$55,090 | $45,250 | −12% | 650 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $59,140 | $34,270–$110,480 | $69,990 | −16% | 3,330 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $106,170 | $62,680–$179,940 | $107,230 | −1% | 1,570 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $102,510 | $50,180–$231,770 | $105,770 | −3% | 9,730 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $61,430 | $34,070–$124,790 | $72,080 | −15% | 4,290 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Memphis 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 Memphis's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
Memphis had 78 pest control companies in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. Headcount at those firms went down 12%, to about 683 people. Average annual pay there went from $43,828 to $54,950 (+25%), faster than the 22% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 78 | 78 | +0% |
| Pest control companies: employment | 780 | 683 | −12% |
| Pest control companies: average annual pay | $43,828 | $54,950 | +25% |
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
Memphis runs 62% more commercial pest control workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Memphis's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Memphis ranks 29th for headcount, 75th for median pay and 22nd for concentration for pest control workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | 1,050 | $44,350 | 1.45 | 131 |
| Memphis | 650 | $39,860 | 1.62 | 78 |
| Knoxville | 460 | $41,710 | 1.64 | 75 |
| Chattanooga | 280 | $38,410 | 1.60 | 36 |
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 Memphis, the pool is deep but local employers have been cutting headcount. Experienced people are here, and some will be open to a move, so a clear offer and a defined path up usually beat a higher posted rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Memphis metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Pest Control licensing in Tennessee.
Tennessee requires a Charter for each business location offering pest control for hire, backed by a surety bond and liability insurance, plus individual credentials. Individuals are either licensed, which requires two years of verifiable experience under a licensee in that category or a qualifying four-year degree and a 70 percent exam score, or commercially certified as technicians and solicitors working under a licensee. Structural work sits in Category 7, with separate designations for general pest and rodent control, structural fumigation, and Wood Destroying Organisms, which is its own certification for termite and wood borer inspection and treatment. At least one commercially certified person must be on site at each application. Verify the charter is active for the specific location and that WDO is listed if the role includes termite inspections. Governed by T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 21. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, so candidates licensed there can work in Memphis without re-qualifying. The Memphis metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Regulatory Services. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Memphis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Little Rock, about 130 miles away, with roughly 310 pest control workers (0.5 times Memphis's 650). St. Louis pays the most nearby, a $45,230 median, 13% above Memphis. That is the number any Memphis offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Nashville has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | – | 650 | $39,860 |
| Little Rock | 130 mi | 310 | $37,310 |
| Nashville | 196 mi | 1,050 | $44,350 |
| Huntsville | 198 mi | 280 | $39,300 |
| Birmingham | 217 mi | 660 | $39,300 |
| St. Louis | 240 mi | 670 | $45,230 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Memphis crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Memphis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- FedEx "Hercules" sorting facility$400MGroundwork permit filed Aug 2026
A 5-story, 1.6M sq ft automated small-package sorting facility at Memphis International Airport, connected by an elevated bridge to FedEx's recently completed Secondary 25 sorting center. First-phase groundwork includes site demolition, drainage, underground utilities, paving, and foundation work.
- FedEx Memphis World Hub overhaul~$1BMulti-year, phased
FedEx's broader modernization of its Memphis air-cargo hub, the largest in the world. Sustained materials-handling electrical, structural, and industrial mechanical demand across multiple concurrent projects.
- FedEx International Priority Freight Shipment Facility expansion$18.1M3-phase, completing summer 2028
A ~500,000 sq ft commercial addition to an existing freight canopy at the World Hub - smaller in scale than Hercules but adds to the steady drumbeat of FedEx-driven construction demand in this market.
These are the 3 projects we track in Memphis. The Memphis market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in Memphis.
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 Memphis.
What do pest control workers earn in Memphis?
BLS puts the Memphis median for pest control workers at $39,860 a year, 12% below the $45,250 national median. That ranks 82nd of 109 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $30,950 and $55,090, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Tennessee, Nashville pays more, at $44,350.
Is it hard to hire pest control workers in Memphis?
Not by national standards. Pest control workers make up 62% more of the Memphis workforce than they do nationally, about 650 people. The 78 pest control companies here average about 8.8 employees per location.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in Memphis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Branch / Route Manager pays the most in Memphis, a $106,170 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $39,860, 62% below it. Commercial Account Manager trails national pay the most (16% below).
How many pest control companies operate in Memphis?
BLS counted 78 pest control companies in Memphis in 2023, employing about 683 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (78). That averages 8.8 people per location. They pay about the national average of $54,678.
Which nearby metros compete with Memphis for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Little Rock (130 miles, about 310, $37,310 median), Nashville (196 miles, about 1,050, $44,350 median) and Huntsville (198 miles, about 280, $39,300 median). Nashville has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Nashville pays 11% more, which is where Memphis employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Memphis has one of the deeper pools of pest control workers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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