Commercial Pest Control recruiters serving St. Louis.
St. Louis has about 670 pest control workers, 26th of the 108 we cover, and still 25% fewer per job than the country - so they are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 125 business locations of pest control companies across the metro. We recruit Commercial Pest Control talent in St. Louis from a standing, credential-verified pipeline. 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 St. Louis.
BLS counts about 670 pest control workers in the St. Louis metro. Relative to the size of the local economy, pest control workers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.75). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Pest Control hub.
Commercial Pest Control Technician
St. Louis: 670 employed · $45,230 median, 50th-highest of 109 metros
Licensed Pest Control Applicator
Termite / WDI Inspector
Fumigation Technician
Commercial Account Manager
St. Louis: 7,750 employed · $60,860 median, 70th-highest of 111 metros
Pest Control Branch / Route Manager
St. Louis: 2,090 employed · $110,070 median, 33rd-highest of 112 metros
Pest Control Service Manager
St. Louis: 46,410 employed · $93,140 median, 97th-highest of 112 metros
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist
Bird / Wildlife Exclusion Technician
Pest Control Sales / Business Development Rep
St. Louis: 10,710 employed · $64,590 median, 62nd-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Pest Control roles earn in St. Louis.
Pest control workers in St. Louis earn a median $45,230, level with the $45,250 national figure, and 50th of 109 metros. Pay runs $35,480 at the tenth percentile to $52,920 at the ninetieth.
| Role | St. Louis median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pest Control Technician · Licensed Pest Control Applicator · Termite / WDI InspectorPest Control Workers (37-2021) | $45,230 | $35,480–$52,920 | $45,250 | 0% | 670 |
| Commercial Account ManagerSales Representatives of Services (41-3091) | $60,860 | $35,990–$124,800 | $69,990 | −13% | 7,750 |
| Pest Control Branch / Route ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $110,070 | $62,500–$181,260 | $107,230 | +3% | 2,090 |
| Pest Control Service ManagerGeneral and Operations Managers (11-1021) | $93,140 | $45,690–$210,790 | $105,770 | −12% | 46,410 |
| Pest Control Sales / Business Development RepSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (41-4012) | $64,590 | $36,970–$128,290 | $72,080 | −10% | 10,710 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, St. Louis 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 St. Louis's commercial pest control market has changed since 2018.
The number of pest control companies in St. Louis rose from 120 in 2018 to 125 in 2023, up 4%, behind the 16% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 26%, to about 1,169 people. Average annual pay there went from $43,658 to $52,284 (+20%), in step with the 22% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pest control companies: business locations | 120 | 125 | +4% |
| Pest control companies: employment | 925 | 1,169 | +26% |
| Pest control companies: average annual pay | $43,658 | $52,284 | +20% |
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
St. Louis runs 25% 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 St. Louis's commercial pest control market compares
Among the 98 metros we cover with published BLS figures, St. Louis ranks 26th for headcount, 44th for median pay and 67th for concentration for pest control workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 670 | $45,230 | 0.75 | 125 |
| Kansas City | 580 | $43,500 | 0.80 | 117 |
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 St. Louis, 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, St. Louis metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Pest Control licensing in Missouri.
Missouri has certified commercial applicators, noncommercial certified applicators and pesticide technicians. Structural categories are 7A General Structural Pest Control, 7B Termite Pest Control for wood-destroying organisms, and 7C Fumigation Pest Control. A certified commercial applicator passes the core exam plus at least one category exam and must show proof of financial responsibility, while a pesticide technician completes at least eight hours of classroom training and sixteen hours of on-the-job practical training per category, must complete at least one category within 45 days of employment, and must work under the direct supervision of a certified commercial applicator employed by the same business at the same location. Licenses expire annually and technicians retrain every three years. Governed by RSMo Chapter 281 and 2 CSR 70-25. The same state rules apply in Kansas City, so candidates licensed there can work in St. Louis without re-qualifying. The St. Louis metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Missouri Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Pesticide Control. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial pest control search in St. Louis 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 St. Louis than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Senior Freight DispatcherA decade of carrier relationships and margin management, placed on a freight desk in three weeks.
- Local CDL Class A DriverScreened, offered, onboarded and driving the same day - two weeks end to end.
- Sprinkler Layout TechnicianNICET Level II and eight years of fire protection design - a specialist, not a generalist.
Nearby markets competing for St. Louis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Indianapolis, about 230 miles away, with roughly 590 pest control workers (0.9 times St. Louis's 670). St. Louis pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($45,230 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Indianapolis at $38,740. Nashville has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | – | 670 | $45,230 |
| Indianapolis | 230 mi | 590 | $38,740 |
| Kansas City | 238 mi | 580 | $43,500 |
| Memphis | 240 mi | 650 | $39,860 |
| Louisville | 242 mi | 400 | $44,170 |
| Nashville | 253 mi | 1,050 | $44,350 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for St. Louis crews.
Not commercial pest control work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into St. Louis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- BJC HealthCare / WashU Medicine campus renewal + SSM HealthMulti-billion combinedRolling through 2028
Healthcare is the steadiest demand engine in the metro. Medical-gas plumbers, isolation-room HVAC, and hospital-grade electrical crews in the tightest supply.
- Energizer Park (formerly CITYPARK) stadium & surrounding district (St. Louis CITY SC)District-scale, ongoingStadium complete; surrounding district build-out ongoing
The stadium itself has been complete since Nov 2022 and was renamed Energizer Park Jan 1, 2025 (naming rights sold) - only the surrounding district is still active. Continued demand for hospitality, mixed-use, and commercial finish trades.
- NGA West campus (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency)$1.7BMain building opened September 26, 2025; staff move-in ongoing
The single largest federal investment in north St. Louis in a generation. Secure-facility construction drove years of specialty MEP, controls, and finish work - and the surrounding redevelopment keeps commercial trades demand elevated past the main building's completion.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The St. Louis market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial pest control, and what kills offers in St. Louis.
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 St. Louis.
What do pest control workers earn in St. Louis?
BLS puts the St. Louis median for pest control workers at $45,230 a year, about the same as the $45,250 national median. That ranks 50th of 109 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $35,480 to $52,920 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Missouri metro we cover pays more for this work (Kansas City: $43,500).
Is it hard to hire pest control workers in St. Louis?
Yes. St. Louis has 25% fewer pest control workers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 670 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 125 pest control companies here average about 9.4 employees per location.
Which commercial pest control roles pay the most in St. Louis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Pest Control Branch / Route Manager pays the most in St. Louis, a $110,070 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Commercial Pest Control Technician at $45,230, 59% below it. Commercial Account Manager trails national pay the most (13% below).
How many pest control companies operate in St. Louis?
BLS counted 125 pest control companies in St. Louis in 2023, employing about 1,169 people between them. Up from 120 in 2018, a 4% increase against 16% growth nationally. That averages 9.4 people per location. They pay an average of $52,284, 4% below the $54,678 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with St. Louis for pest control workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Indianapolis (230 miles, about 590, $38,740 median), Kansas City (238 miles, about 580, $43,500 median) and Memphis (240 miles, about 650, $39,860 median). St. Louis out-pays Indianapolis and Memphis, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Deep pool. Heavily fished.
St. Louis has 670 pest control workers, 26th of the 108 metros we cover, and still 25% fewer per job than the country. The pool is deep and every employer here is fishing it. Let's get to the ones worth moving first.
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