Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving Scranton.
Pest control workers are scarcer in Scranton than in most of the country, 51% fewer per job, so the roughly 80 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 16 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 Scranton.
BLS counts about 80 pest control workers in the Scranton metro. Relative to the size of the local economy, pest control workers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.49). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Pest Control hub.
Commercial Pest Control Technician
Scranton: 80 employed · $45,740 median, 36th-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
Scranton: 1,070 employed · $56,330 median, 94th-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
Scranton: 460 employed · $99,540 median, 84th-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
Scranton: 6,010 employed · $93,820 median, 94th-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
Scranton: 2,040 employed · $61,340 median, 100th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in Scranton.
Pest control workers in Scranton earn a median $45,740, level with the $45,250 national figure, and 36th of 109 metros. Pay runs $36,920 at the tenth percentile to $48,670 at the ninetieth.
| Role | Scranton median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $45,740 | $36,920–$48,670 | $45,250 | +1% | 80 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $56,330 | $33,660–$110,330 | $69,990 | −20% | 1,070 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $99,540 | $62,520–$157,570 | $107,230 | −7% | 460 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $93,820 | $46,860–$196,360 | $105,770 | −11% | 6,010 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $61,340 | $37,860–$123,160 | $72,080 | −15% | 2,040 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Scranton 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 Scranton's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
The number of pest control companies in Scranton rose from 12 in 2018 to 16 in 2023, up 33%, ahead of the 16% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 11%, to about 108 people. Average annual pay there went from $49,063 to $55,517 (+13%), slower than the 22% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 12 | 16 | +33% |
| Pest control companies: employment | 97 | 108 | +11% |
| Pest control companies: average annual pay | $49,063 | $55,517 | +13% |
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
Scranton runs 51% 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 Scranton's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Scranton ranks 96th for headcount, 31st for median pay and 88th for concentration for pest control workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1,350 | $47,260 | 0.70 | 264 |
| Pittsburgh | 420 | $44,370 | 0.57 | 67 |
| Harrisburg | 190 | $44,910 | 0.87 | 17 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 100 | $46,100 | 0.42 | 28 |
| Lancaster | 90 | $45,290 | 0.53 | 22 |
| Scranton | 80 | $45,740 | 0.49 | 16 |
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 Scranton, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Scranton metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Pest Control licensing in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania requires a pesticide application business license, individual commercial applicator certification, and a lower Registered Technician tier. The relevant categories are 11, Household and Health Related, for general structural pest work, 12, Wood Destroying Pests, for termite and related work, and 13, Structural Fumigation. Certification exams are 50 questions with a 70 percent passing score and there are no prerequisites to sit for them, while a Registered Technician is trained over a minimum 30-day program administered by a certified applicator who has held certification for at least one year, may only make applications covered by that training, must renew registration each February 28, and cannot transfer the registration to another business. Recertification is on a three-year cycle. Governed by the Pennsylvania Pesticide Control Act of 1973 and 7 Pa. Code Chapter 128. The same state rules apply in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg and Lancaster, so candidates licensed there can work in Scranton without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial pest control search in Scranton 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 Scranton than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC TechnicianA senior technician across commercial and industrial HVAC and refrigeration.
Nearby markets competing for Scranton talent.
The closest metro we cover is Allentown-Bethlehem, about 55 miles away, with roughly 100 pest control workers (1.3 times Scranton's 80). New York pays the most nearby, a $49,940 median, 9% above Scranton. That is the number any Scranton offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. New York has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton | – | 80 | $45,740 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 56 mi | 100 | $46,100 |
| New York | 99 mi | 4,380 | $49,940 |
| Lancaster | 100 mi | 90 | $45,290 |
| Harrisburg | 101 mi | 190 | $44,910 |
| Philadelphia | 104 mi | 1,350 | $47,260 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Scranton crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Scranton in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center expansion$900MStructural steel complete July 2026; tower opens Q1 2028; renovations through 2030
An 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower increasing capacity from 356 to 500 beds and operating rooms from 12 to 18, plus an expanded emergency department.
- AWS data center (Salem Township)Part of a $20B combined AWS Pennsylvania investmentUnder development
One of two Amazon Web Services data centers in the state, with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed.
- NorthPoint Development data center campus (Hazle Township)UndisclosedPermit denied Nov 2025, developer appealing
A 15-building data center campus proposed on approximately 1,280 acres. Hazle Township supervisors voted 3-0 to deny the plan; the developer is now pursuing litigation/appeal, so this remains a proposal, not an active project.
These are the 3 projects we track in Scranton. The Scranton market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in Scranton.
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 Scranton.
What do pest control workers earn in Scranton?
BLS puts the Scranton median for pest control workers at $45,740 a year, about the same as the $45,250 national median. That ranks 36th of 109 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $36,920 to $48,670 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.3x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Pennsylvania, Philadelphia pays more, at $47,260.
Is it hard to hire pest control workers in Scranton?
Yes. Scranton has 51% fewer pest control workers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 80 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 16 pest control companies here average about 6.8 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 33% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in Scranton?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Branch / Route Manager pays the most in Scranton, a $99,540 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $45,740, 54% below it. Commercial Account Manager trails national pay the most (20% below).
How many pest control companies operate in Scranton?
BLS counted 16 pest control companies in Scranton in 2023, employing about 108 people between them. Up from 12 in 2018, a 33% increase against 16% growth nationally. That averages 6.8 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay about the national average of $54,678.
Which nearby metros compete with Scranton for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Allentown-Bethlehem (56 miles, about 100, $46,100 median), New York (99 miles, about 4,380, $49,940 median) and Lancaster (100 miles, about 90, $45,290 median). New York has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. New York pays 9% more, which is where Scranton employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With pest control workers this scarce in Scranton, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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