Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving Rochester.
About 310 pest control workers work in the Rochester metro, at a $47,350 median. BLS counts 40 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 Rochester.
BLS counts about 310 pest control workers in the Rochester metro. Relative to the size of the local economy, pest control workers are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 0.96). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Pest Control hub.
Commercial Pest Control Technician
Rochester: 310 employed · $47,350 median, 20th-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
Rochester: 3,510 employed · $67,400 median, 30th-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
Rochester: 410 employed · $107,190 median, 41st-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
Rochester: 9,230 employed · $103,690 median, 53rd-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
Rochester: 3,220 employed · $75,450 median, 22nd-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in Rochester.
Pest control workers in Rochester earn a median $47,350, 5% over the $45,250 national figure, and 20th of 109 metros. Pay runs $35,620 at the tenth percentile to $60,540 at the ninetieth.
| Role | Rochester median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $47,350 | $35,620–$60,540 | $45,250 | +5% | 310 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $67,400 | $38,220–$132,010 | $69,990 | −4% | 3,510 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $107,190 | $76,290–$176,490 | $107,230 | 0% | 410 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $103,690 | $54,090–$234,220 | $105,770 | −2% | 9,230 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $75,450 | $45,440–$132,100 | $72,080 | +5% | 3,220 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Rochester 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 Rochester's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
The number of pest control companies in Rochester rose from 38 in 2018 to 40 in 2023, up 5%, behind the 16% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 33%, to about 305 people. Average annual pay there went from $44,688 to $56,771 (+27%), faster than the 22% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 38 | 40 | +5% |
| Pest control companies: employment | 229 | 305 | +33% |
| Pest control companies: average annual pay | $44,688 | $56,771 | +27% |
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
Rochester sits at about the national rate for commercial pest control — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Rochester's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Rochester ranks 63rd for headcount, 17th for median pay and 52nd for concentration for pest control workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 4,380 | $49,940 | 0.70 | 901 |
| Rochester | 310 | $47,350 | 0.96 | 40 |
| Albany | 270 | $45,390 | 0.91 | 34 |
| Buffalo | 150 | $46,110 | 0.42 | 24 |
| Syracuse | 100 | $45,670 | 0.51 | 15 |
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 Rochester, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Rochester metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Pest Control licensing in New York.
New York has three commercial tiers, Commercial Apprentice, Commercial Technician and Commercial Applicator, and the business itself must be registered with the department. Structural work is category 7A, Structural and Rodent Control, which covers rodents, roaches, ants, fleas, ticks and stinging and biting insects but excludes food processing areas and termiticides, while termite work requires category 7C. An apprentice must be at least 16, complete eight hours of instruction and 40 hours of supervised pesticide use, and work under the direct supervision of a Commercial Applicator employed by the same business. A technician qualifies through an approved 30-hour course, a relevant associate degree, or two documented years of apprenticeship, and may apply general use products unsupervised but not restricted use products. Governed by ECL Article 33 and 6 NYCRR Part 325. The same state rules apply in New York, Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in Rochester without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Pest Management. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Rochester talent.
The closest metro we cover is Buffalo, about 65 miles away, with roughly 150 pest control workers (0.5 times Rochester's 310). Rochester pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($47,350 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Harrisburg at $44,910. Rochester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | – | 310 | $47,350 |
| Buffalo | 66 mi | 150 | $46,110 |
| Syracuse | 74 mi | 100 | $45,670 |
| Scranton | 157 mi | 80 | $45,740 |
| Albany | 198 mi | 270 | $45,390 |
| Harrisburg | 203 mi | 190 | $44,910 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Rochester crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Rochester in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- QED Technologies expansion$18.7MRibbon-cut August 5, 2026
Added up to 20,000 sq ft to the University Avenue facility for a new R&D center and expanded precision optics fabrication capacity.
- Sydor Optics manufacturing expansion$32M+New 100,000 sq ft facility, up to 36 new jobs
A new photonics manufacturing facility to accommodate continued growth - one of the largest single optics-manufacturing capital projects in the region's history.
- University of Rochester Institute of Optics research complex$200MGroundbreaking 2026
A major research facility anchoring the region's optics/photonics talent pipeline - lab-grade mechanical and electrical construction distinct from manufacturing-floor work.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Rochester market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in Rochester.
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 Rochester.
What do pest control workers earn in Rochester?
BLS puts the Rochester median for pest control workers at $47,350 a year, 5% above the $45,250 national median. That ranks 20th of 109 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $35,620 and $60,540, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within New York, New York pays more, at $49,940.
Is it hard to hire pest control workers in Rochester?
It is about average. Pest control workers are as common in Rochester as they are nationally (location quotient 0.96), with about 310 in the metro. The 40 pest control companies here average about 7.6 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in Rochester?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Branch / Route Manager pays the most in Rochester, a $107,190 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $47,350, 56% below it. Relative to national pay, Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Commercial Account Manager trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many pest control companies operate in Rochester?
BLS counted 40 pest control companies in Rochester in 2023, employing about 305 people between them. Up from 38 in 2018, a 5% increase against 16% growth nationally. That averages 7.6 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $56,771, 4% above the $54,678 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Rochester for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Buffalo (66 miles, about 150, $46,110 median), Syracuse (74 miles, about 100, $45,670 median) and Scranton (157 miles, about 80, $45,740 median).
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
40 pest control companies in Rochester are drawing on the same 310 pest control workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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