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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

37-3012 Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

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. Crop dusters are included in “Commercial Pilots” (53-2012).


National estimates for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Industry profile for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Geographic profile for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

National estimates for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
22,740 5.0 % $ 20.46 $ 42,560 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.07 $ 17.18 $ 19.93 $ 23.16 $ 27.12
Annual Wage (2) $ 29,270 $ 35,730 $ 41,440 $ 48,170 $ 56,400


Industry profile for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Services to Buildings and Dwellings 11,070 0.50 $ 20.70 $ 43,060
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only) 4,380 0.81 $ 20.89 $ 43,450
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 2,020 0.04 $ 20.63 $ 42,910
Support Activities for Crop Production 1,580 0.46 $ 20.10 $ 41,800
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 680 0.97 $ 21.52 $ 44,760

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 680 0.97 $ 21.52 $ 44,760
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only) 4,380 0.81 $ 20.89 $ 43,450
Services to Buildings and Dwellings 11,070 0.50 $ 20.70 $ 43,060
Support Activities for Crop Production 1,580 0.46 $ 20.10 $ 41,800
Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers 290 0.15 $ 21.21 $ 44,120

Top paying industries for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Elementary and Secondary Schools 60 (7) $ 22.05 $ 45,860
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $ 21.93 $ 45,620
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (8) (8) $ 21.53 $ 44,780
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 680 0.97 $ 21.52 $ 44,760
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 60 (7) $ 21.44 $ 44,590


Geographic profile for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Florida 3,740 0.41 2.64 $ 18.49 $ 38,460
California 2,410 0.14 0.89 $ 21.62 $ 44,970
Indiana 1,400 0.45 2.94 $ 20.51 $ 42,660
Minnesota 990 0.35 2.27 $ 21.81 $ 45,370
Illinois 910 0.15 1.01 $ 20.89 $ 43,460


Map of location quotient of pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota 750 1.73 11.28 $ 19.89 $ 41,370
North Dakota 320 0.80 5.18 $ 21.72 $ 45,170
Montana 380 0.78 5.10 $ 18.76 $ 39,020
Wyoming 190 0.70 4.58 $ 16.98 $ 35,310
New Hampshire 320 0.48 3.11 $ 20.46 $ 42,550


Map of annual mean wages of pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts (8) (8) (8) $ 26.54 $ 55,200
New Jersey 150 0.04 0.24 $ 26.21 $ 54,520
Washington 640 0.19 1.22 $ 24.14 $ 50,210
New Mexico 40 0.05 0.34 $ 24.07 $ 50,060
Oregon 240 0.13 0.84 $ 23.77 $ 49,450



Map of employment of pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 880 0.34 2.18 $ 19.59 $ 40,740
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 580 0.55 3.59 $ 20.29 $ 42,210
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 490 0.37 2.43 $ 18.91 $ 39,330
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 480 0.35 2.28 $ 17.47 $ 36,340
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 470 0.18 1.14 $ 26.32 $ 54,740
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 320 0.03 0.23 $ 21.43 $ 44,580
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 300 0.29 1.91 $ 21.80 $ 45,330
Jacksonville, FL 290 0.41 2.66 $ 17.71 $ 36,840
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 290 0.15 1.00 $ 23.10 $ 48,040
Salinas, CA 270 1.47 9.53 $ 18.81 $ 39,120


Map of location quotient of pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Salinas, CA 270 1.47 9.53 $ 18.81 $ 39,120
Madera, CA 60 1.11 7.20 $ 19.49 $ 40,530
Great Falls, MT 30 0.89 5.77 $ 16.59 $ 34,520
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 50 0.88 5.74 $ 19.13 $ 39,790
Port St. Lucie, FL 130 0.84 5.49 $ 18.50 $ 38,470
Punta Gorda, FL 40 0.79 5.12 $ 18.01 $ 37,460
Sioux Falls, SD 120 0.77 5.00 $ 20.80 $ 43,270
Fargo, ND-MN 100 0.73 4.77 $ 19.26 $ 40,060
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 70 0.69 4.49 $ 19.74 $ 41,050
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 110 0.69 4.47 $ 18.69 $ 38,870


Map of annual mean wages of pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 150 0.13 0.82 $ 26.42 $ 54,950
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 470 0.18 1.14 $ 26.32 $ 54,740
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 190 0.10 0.62 $ 26.21 $ 54,520
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 26.17 $ 54,440
Toledo, OH 30 0.11 0.72 $ 25.05 $ 52,090
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 200 0.05 0.34 $ 25.02 $ 52,050
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 230 0.05 0.33 $ 24.96 $ 51,920
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 160 0.14 0.91 $ 24.77 $ 51,520
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 120 0.04 0.26 $ 24.49 $ 50,940
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 140 0.05 0.33 $ 23.93 $ 49,770

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 420 3.24 21.05 $ 19.78 $ 41,150
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 230 1.96 12.73 $ 21.14 $ 43,970
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 200 0.53 3.46 $ 19.32 $ 40,180
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area 200 1.25 8.11 $ 19.27 $ 40,080
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 180 1.23 7.97 $ 21.62 $ 44,980

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 420 3.24 21.05 $ 19.78 $ 41,150
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 140 2.29 14.90 $ 19.16 $ 39,850
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 230 1.96 12.73 $ 21.14 $ 43,970
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 90 1.52 9.89 $ 23.29 $ 48,440
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 110 1.42 9.25 $ 19.26 $ 40,060

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Florida nonmetropolitan area 50 0.59 3.85 $ 24.59 $ 51,140
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 90 1.52 9.89 $ 23.29 $ 48,440
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 70 0.38 2.45 $ 23.15 $ 48,160
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 110 1.04 6.78 $ 22.34 $ 46,470
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 70 0.23 1.51 $ 22.32 $ 46,420


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023