Pest Control Technicians in the Laredo area earn a median of $28,370 a year, 36% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #242 of 243 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in McAllen and Corpus Christi.
Laredo scorecard for pest control technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Laredo with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Laredo Our calculation
Prices in the Laredo area run 13% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $32,626 would in a typical place, ranking #242 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.
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 TX metros for pest control technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AustinTEXAS · TX | $43,600 | $44,460 | 1,100 |
| TexarkanaTEXAS · TX | $38,440 | $45,755 | 50 |
| DallasTEXAS · TX | $38,330 | $37,181 | 2,870 |
| San AntonioTEXAS · TX | $37,410 | $39,497 | 730 |
| Corpus ChristiTEXAS · TX | $37,270 | $40,218 | 120 |
| HoustonTEXAS · TX | $37,200 | $37,717 | 2,170 |
| BeaumontTEXAS · TX | $36,900 | $40,979 | 150 |
| LubbockTEXAS · TX | $36,780 | $40,277 | 100 |
| College StationTEXAS · TX | $36,450 | $40,077 | 80 |
| WacoTEXAS · TX | $36,420 | $39,352 | 70 |
See every metro in Texas.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Laredo 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 Laredo area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 81% drive alone, 1% take transit and 5% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Laredo are down 20% from 2021 to 2025 (1,684 → 1,340).
In 2025 the Laredo area approved permits for 1,340 new homes (1,029 single-family), or 5.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #136 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 14 one-person businesses (no employees) in pest control, averaging $80,643 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 13 pest control companies that have employees (about 61 workers in total). 77% 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 $28,370 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
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 Laredo with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- 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.
- 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.