AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 37-3012.00

Will AI replace Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation?

Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 10 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 10 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas. 50 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Identify lawn or plant diseases to determine the appropriate course of treatment. 50 Estimated Standard 4.3
Provide driving instructions to truck drivers to ensure complete coverage of designated areas, using hand and horn signals. 50 Estimated Standard 3.6
Plant grass with seed spreaders, and operate straw blowers to cover seeded areas with mixtures of asphalt and straw. 50 Estimated Efficient 2.8
Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Cover areas to specified depths with pesticides, applying knowledge of weather conditions, droplet sizes, elevation-to-distance ratios, and obstructions. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Connect hoses and nozzles selected according to terrain, distribution pattern requirements, types of infestations, and velocities. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Clean or service machinery to ensure operating efficiency, using water, gasoline, lubricants, or hand tools. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 10 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 10 of 10. 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 standard-tier model or lower covers 37% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 37% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 63% 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
27,050
Median annual wage
$46,340
Middle half of earners
$39,160 to $51,240
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+3.8%

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 Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation and AI

Will AI replace Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation?

Not on current evidence. None of the 10 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 28 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.

What is the AI exposure of Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation?

28 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. 0 of the 10 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 10 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation tasks can AI already do?

None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas, at 50 out of 100.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 37% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 63% 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 Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation, and what do they earn?

27,050 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $46,340 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.8% 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: Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation. 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/pesticide-handlers-sprayers-and-applicators-vegetation

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