AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 37-2021.00

Will AI replace Pest Control Workers?

Pest Control Workers: AI can already handle 1 of 13 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 13 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Pest Control Workers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service. 80 Estimated Standard 3.7
Record work activities performed. 40 Observed Efficient 4.6
Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients. 40 Observed Frontier 4.3
Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Post warning signs and lock building doors to secure area to be fumigated. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Clean work site after completion of job. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infestation. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Set mechanical traps, or place poisonous paste or bait in sewers, burrows, or ditches. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Cut or bore openings in building or surrounding concrete, access infested areas, insert nozzle, and inject pesticide to impregnate ground. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5
Clean and remove blockages from infested areas to facilitate spraying procedures and provide drainage, using brooms, mops, shovels, or rakes. 15 Estimated No tier 3.4
Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment. 8 Estimated No tier 3.9

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 13 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 11 of 13. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 34% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 34% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 66% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
102,620
Median annual wage
$45,250
Middle half of earners
$37,440 to $49,600
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+4.9%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Pest Control Workers and AI

Will AI replace Pest Control Workers?

AI already handles 1 of the 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 24 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +4.9% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Pest Control Workers?

24 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 13 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 11 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Pest Control Workers tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 34% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 66% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Pest Control Workers, and what do they earn?

102,620 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $45,250 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +4.9% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Pest Control Workers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/pest-control-workers

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