Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving Portland.
Pest control workers are scarcer in Portland than in most of the country, 38% fewer per job, so the roughly 500 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 101 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 Portland.
BLS counts about 500 pest control workers in the Portland metro. Relative to the size of the local economy, pest control workers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.62). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Pest Control hub.
Commercial Pest Control Technician
Portland: 500 employed · $47,430 median, 19th-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
Portland: 7,530 employed · $74,900 median, 18th-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
Portland: 1,810 employed · $109,860 median, 35th-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
Portland: 21,070 employed · $121,050 median, 17th-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
Portland: 10,670 employed · $77,900 median, 14th-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Ogden, UT too.
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in Portland.
Pest control workers in Portland earn a median $47,430, 5% over the $45,250 national figure, and 19th of 109 metros. Pay runs $44,270 at the tenth percentile to $59,900 at the ninetieth.
| Role | Portland median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $47,430 | $44,270–$59,900 | $45,250 | +5% | 500 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $74,900 | $40,250–$143,330 | $69,990 | +7% | 7,530 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $109,860 | $68,950–$202,630 | $107,230 | +2% | 1,810 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $121,050 | $62,140–$280,300 | $105,770 | +14% | 21,070 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $77,900 | $45,980–$131,560 | $72,080 | +8% | 10,670 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland 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 Portland's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
The number of pest control companies in Portland rose from 86 in 2018 to 101 in 2023, up 17%, close to the 16% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Portland, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 86 | 101 | +17% |
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
Portland runs 38% 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 Portland's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Portland ranks 41st for headcount, 16th for median pay and 79th for concentration for pest control workers.
What this means for hiring:For commercial pest control employers in Portland, 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, Portland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Pest Control licensing in Oregon.
Oregon licenses the business as a Commercial Pesticide Operator and individuals as Commercial Pesticide Applicators, with two lower tiers, the Pesticide Apprentice and the Immediately Supervised Trainee. Structural work falls in the Industrial, Institutional, Health and Structural Pest Control category, within which the Structural Pest Control subcategory covers wood-destroying pests such as termites, carpenter ants and powder post beetles. A Commercial Pesticide Applicator passes the laws and safety exam plus at least one category exam and must be employed by a licensed operator. An Immediately Supervised Trainee takes no exam but the supervising applicator must be on site and reachable within five minutes, while an Apprentice passes the laws and safety exam and the supervisor need only be reasonably available by phone or radio. Neither lower tier may purchase restricted use pesticides. Governed by ORS Chapter 634 and OAR 603-057. The Portland metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Oregon Department of Agriculture, Pesticides Program. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial pest control search in Portland yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Portland than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Site SuperintendentTwenty years of construction and six as a superintendent, placed onto Portland-Vancouver jobsites in two weeks.
- Lead Fire Alarm TechnicianSeven weeks for an NFPA-licensed lead fire alarm technician - the right length for a life-safety role.
Nearby markets competing for Portland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Seattle, about 145 miles away, with roughly 670 pest control workers (1.3 times Portland's 500). Seattle pays the most nearby, a $58,380 median, 23% above Portland. That is the number any Portland offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
What else is competing for Portland crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Portland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- OHSU campus expansionPhased capital programVista Pavilion opening; further phases through 2029
Academic medical construction on a constrained hillside site. Med-gas plumbers, ICRA-trained mechanical crews, and superintendents who can run vertical work with near-zero laydown space.
- Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (I-5 Columbia River)$13.6B total program cost (as of Jan 2026 estimate; up from $5.5-7.5B in Dec 2022), including a $1.49B federal investmentDesign and early construction through the 2030s
Replaces the I-5 Columbia River crossing with a seismically resilient multimodal structure carrying light rail and bus rapid transit. The largest bi-state heavy civil program in the Northwest - marine, structural, and systems trades on a decade-long horizon.
- Semiconductor manufacturing, Washington CountyMulti-billion, CHIPS-supportedRolling through 2030
The Silicon Forest fab corridor in Hillsboro is the defining industrial employer in this metro. Cleanroom mechanical, process piping, high-purity welding, and controls work - the highest-paying trades work in Oregon and a skill set with very few qualified local candidates.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Portland market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in Portland.
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 Portland.
What do pest control workers earn in Portland?
BLS puts the Portland median for pest control workers at $47,430 a year, 5% above the $45,250 national median. That ranks 19th of 109 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $44,270 to $59,900 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.4x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire pest control workers in Portland?
Yes. Portland has 38% 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. With 17% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in Portland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Service Manager pays the most in Portland, a $121,050 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $47,430, 61% below it. Relative to national pay, Pest Control Service Manager is the strongest-paying role here (14% above).
How many pest control companies operate in Portland?
BLS counted 101 pest control companies in Portland in 2023. Up from 86 in 2018, a 17% 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 Portland for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Seattle (145 miles, about 670, $58,380 median) and Spokane (290 miles, about 200, $49,550 median). Seattle pays 23% more, which is where Portland employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With pest control workers this scarce in Portland, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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