Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$46,340

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$39,160 – $51,240

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

27,050

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3.9%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

3,300

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns, or crops. Usually requires specific training and state or federal certification.

Main tasks

• Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas.
• Record information about pesticide applications, such as the type used and amount applied.
• Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops.
• Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment.
• Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas.
• Establish driving routes for pesticide applications.
• Clean or service machinery to ensure operating efficiency, using water, gasoline, lubricants, or hand tools.
• Connect hoses and nozzles selected according to terrain, distribution pattern requirements, types of infestations, and velocities.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 3 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

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