Pest Control Technicians in the San Diego area earn a median of $47,470 a year, 7% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #36 of 243 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Las Vegas, but less in El Centro.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for pest control technicians here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, but high local prices take back much of it: on buying power it's below average. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.6%) and the population is shrinking (-0.6% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 115 one-person pest control businesses averaging $69,391 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $64/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
San Diego scorecard for pest control technicians Our calculation
Grades compare San Diego 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 San Diego area went from $55,140 in 2020 to $47,470 in 2025, down 13.9%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -31.3% — 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 San Diego Our calculation
Prices in San Diego run 12% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $42,427 would in a typical place, ranking #173 of 242 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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 California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for pest control technicians.
Official California 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 CA metros for pest control technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $53,380 | $46,171 | 1,210 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $53,050 | $48,043 | 590 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $50,440 | $45,898 | 50 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $50,420 | $46,479 | 110 |
| SacramentoCALIFORNIA · CA | $48,420 | $45,392 | 1,860 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $48,140 | $44,663 | 220 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $48,000 | $44,201 | 120 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $47,860 | $43,891 | 130 |
| ModestoCALIFORNIA · CA | $47,480 | $45,606 | 160 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $47,470 | $42,427 | 1,230 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The San Diego area's unemployment rate was 4.6% in 2025 (all workers, not just pest control technicians), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.4% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the San Diego area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 68% drive alone, 2% take transit and 16% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The San Diego area's population shrank 0.6% from 2020 to 2025 (3,301,110 → 3,282,248), ranking #322 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -75,253).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in San Diego
The San Diego area has about 1,271,828 homes. 48% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 10% were built in 2010 or later. 54% of households own their home, and the median home value is $914,700.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in San Diego are up 17% from 2021 to 2025 (10,048 → 11,707).
In 2025 the San Diego area approved permits for 11,707 new homes (3,506 single-family), or 3.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #189 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 115 one-person businesses (no employees) in pest control, averaging $69,391 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 182 pest control companies that have employees (about 2,044 workers in total). 45% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $47,470 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 San Diego with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.