Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving Riverside.
Riverside has 36% more pest control workers per job than the country as a whole, about 1,540 in the metro. BLS counts 257 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 Riverside.
BLS counts about 1,540 pest control workers in the Riverside metro. Relative to the size of the local economy, pest control workers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.36). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Pest Control hub.
Commercial Pest Control Technician
Riverside: 1,540 employed · $45,250 median, 47th-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
Riverside: 9,270 employed · $62,230 median, 55th-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
Riverside: 3,550 employed · $98,700 median, 85th-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
Riverside: 23,090 employed · $102,260 median, 62nd-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
Riverside: 11,950 employed · $72,100 median, 44th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in Riverside.
Pest control workers in Riverside earn a median $45,250, level with the $45,250 national figure, and 47th of 109 metros. Pay runs $36,250 at the tenth percentile to $62,760 at the ninetieth.
| Role | Riverside median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $45,250 | $36,250–$62,760 | $45,250 | 0% | 1,540 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $62,230 | $35,920–$128,360 | $69,990 | −11% | 9,270 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $98,700 | $67,580–$165,030 | $107,230 | −8% | 3,550 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $102,260 | $51,710–$220,690 | $105,770 | −3% | 23,090 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $72,100 | $42,660–$130,530 | $72,080 | 0% | 11,950 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Riverside 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 Riverside's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
The number of pest control companies in Riverside rose from 227 in 2018 to 257 in 2023, up 13%, close to the 16% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 11%, to about 2,041 people. Average annual pay there went from $46,097 to $56,430 (+22%), in step with the 22% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 227 | 257 | +13% |
| Pest control companies: employment | 1,837 | 2,041 | +11% |
| Pest control companies: average annual pay | $46,097 | $56,430 | +22% |
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
Riverside runs 36% 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 Riverside's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Riverside ranks 12th for headcount, 42nd for median pay and 34th for concentration for pest control workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | 1,860 | $48,420 | 2.61 | 116 |
| Riverside | 1,540 | $45,250 | 1.36 | 257 |
| San Diego | 1,230 | $47,470 | 1.21 | 182 |
| San Francisco | 1,210 | $53,380 | 0.77 | 147 |
| San Jose | 590 | $53,050 | 0.79 | 65 |
| Fresno | 480 | $45,730 | 1.53 | 64 |
| Bakersfield | 320 | $45,260 | 1.44 | 61 |
| Stockton | 230 | $47,240 | 1.18 | 29 |
| Modesto | 160 | $47,480 | 1.22 | 34 |
| Los Angeles | – | $47,190 | – | 625 |
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 Riverside, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Riverside metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Pest Control licensing in California.
Individuals are licensed as Applicators (Branch 2 general pest or Branch 3 wood-destroying organisms), Field Representatives (inspections and contracting in any branch) or Operators (can own a company or serve as its qualifying manager), and Applicators and Field Representatives must work for a registered company. Each license requires passing a board exam and a Live Scan background check, and Operator candidates must also complete pre-operator courses. The same state rules apply in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in Riverside without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Structural Pest Control Board (California Department of Consumer Affairs). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Riverside talent.
The closest metro we cover is Los Angeles, about 50 miles away. Las Vegas pays the most nearby, a $49,240 median, 9% above Riverside. That is the number any Riverside offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Riverside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | – | 1,540 | $45,250 |
| Los Angeles | 49 mi | – | $47,190 |
| San Diego | 87 mi | 1,230 | $47,470 |
| Bakersfield | 135 mi | 320 | $45,260 |
| Las Vegas | 200 mi | 540 | $49,240 |
| Fresno | 235 mi | 480 | $45,730 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Riverside crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Riverside in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Inland Empire cold-storage & food-distribution build-outReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
E-commerce grocery + food distribution driving refrigerated warehouse construction - the largest single confirmed transaction is Walmart's $223M cold-storage acquisition. Ammonia/CO2 refrigeration and cold-storage specialty crews in tight supply.
- World Logistics Center (Moreno Valley)$25BTargeting ~2030, pending appeals
One of the largest master-planned logistics parks in the US - 40M+ sq ft of distribution/fulfillment. The project has a long history of court-voided permits and restarts since 2015, so any fixed completion date carries real uncertainty. Industrial MEP at massive scale, high-bay lighting, automation power. Multi-year demand for warehouse-experienced trades.
- Loma Linda University Medical Center rehab hospital$140MTargeting 2028
80-bed rehabilitation hospital - OSHPD/HCAI-regulated hospital construction. High-spec healthcare MEP, seismic requirements, medical gas. Specialty institutional trades.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Riverside market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in Riverside.
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 Riverside.
What do pest control workers earn in Riverside?
BLS puts the Riverside median for pest control workers at $45,250 a year, about the same as the $45,250 national median. That ranks 47th of 109 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $36,250 and $62,760, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within California, San Francisco pays more, at $53,380.
Is it hard to hire pest control workers in Riverside?
Not by national standards. Pest control workers make up 36% more of the Riverside workforce than they do nationally, about 1,540 people. The 257 pest control companies here average about 7.9 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 13% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in Riverside?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Service Manager pays the most in Riverside, a $102,260 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $45,250, 56% below it. Commercial Account Manager trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many pest control companies operate in Riverside?
BLS counted 257 pest control companies in Riverside in 2023, employing about 2,041 people between them. Up from 227 in 2018, a 13% increase against 16% growth nationally. That averages 7.9 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $56,430, 3% above the $54,678 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Riverside for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Los Angeles (49 miles, $47,190 median), San Diego (87 miles, about 1,230, $47,470 median) and Bakersfield (135 miles, about 320, $45,260 median).
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Riverside 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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