Pest Control Technicians in the Fort Smith area earn a median of $38,410 a year, 14% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #182 of 243 metros for pest control technicians nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Fayetteville and Tulsa, but less in Little Rock.
It's one of 4 Arkansas metros with published pay for this trade; see pest control technician pay in Arkansas.
Pest Control Technician pay in Fort Smith at a glance
- Pest control technicians in the Fort Smith, AR metro earn a median $38,410 a year ($18.47 an hour), #182 of 243 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $31,070 and $50,950.
- After local prices, that median buys what $44,721 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $748 a month, 23% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among pest control technicians in Fort Smith.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for pest control technicians here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (4.1%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 12 one-person pest control businesses averaging $38,500 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $56/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Fort Smith scorecard for pest control technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Fort Smith with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($44,460).
Pay over time
The median pay for pest control technicians in the Fort Smith area went from $32,010 in 2020 to $38,410 in 2025, up 20.0%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -4.3% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Fort Smith Our calculation
Prices in Fort Smith run 14% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $44,721 would in a typical place, ranking #124 of 242 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Fort Smith from this pay, local rent and prices.
What pest control technicians do
Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Record work activities performed.
- Clean work site after completion of job.
- Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service.
- Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
- Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, pest control technician jobs are projected to grow 5.5% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 13,700 openings a year. About 5% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often pest control technicians deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Arkansas Official source
The main state licensing office in Arkansas is the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Home of the Contractors Licensing Board; some trades are licensed by other state agencies. It can point you to the right license for pest control technicians.
Official Arkansas licensing site ↗
Requirements for pest control technicians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, pest control technicians have 150 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.7× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying AR metros for pest control technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| JonesboroARKANSAS · AR | $47,070 | $54,812 | 30 |
| FayettevilleARKANSAS · AR | $40,150 | $43,950 | 220 |
| Fort SmithARKANSAS · AR | $38,410 | $44,721 | 70 |
| Little RockARKANSAS · AR | $37,310 | $41,751 | 310 |
See every metro in Arkansas.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Fort Smith area's unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2025 (all workers, not just pest control technicians), equal to the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Fort Smith area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 0% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Fort Smith area's population grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025 (227,210 → 234,140), ranking #167 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +7,985) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Fort Smith
The Fort Smith area has about 102,705 homes. 43% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 11% were built in 2010 or later. 66% of households own their home, and the median home value is $207,000.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Fort Smith are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (662 → 663).
In 2025 the Fort Smith area approved permits for 663 new homes (245 single-family), or 2.9 per 1,000 residents, ranking #229 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 12 one-person businesses (no employees) in pest control, averaging $38,500 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Fort Smith compares among the best cities to start a pest control technician business.
They compete with 15 pest control companies that have employees (about 100 workers in total). 53% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Fort Smith Government data
In an average year, Fort Smith has 78 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 11 at 100°F or more, 63 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 66 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 3 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 92°F and winter nights 32°F. That matters for pest control technicians: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Ft Smith Rgnl Airport, AR station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $38,410 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get pest control technician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Fort Smith with another city →
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ToolFort Smith budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Fort Smith metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Fort Smith against every other metro for pest control technicians. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.