- The middle half earn between $20.26 and $27.24 an hour.
- Rhode Island ranks 24th of the 50 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- Rhode Island pays less than both neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 270 pest control technicians on payrolls in Rhode Island.
- At the state median wage, a pest control company needs to bill about $108.61 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Pest Control Technician pay in Rhode Island, bottom to top
The BLS group is pest control workers: the technicians who inspect, treat and set traps in homes and businesses.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.75 | $36,920 | $16.67 |
| 25th percentile | $20.26 | $42,140 | $18.00 |
| Median | $21.65 | $45,030 | $21.75 |
| 75th percentile | $27.24 | $56,650 | $23.85 |
| 90th percentile | $31.37 | $65,250 | $29.75 |
| Average (mean) | $23.76 | $49,420 | $22.31 |
From the bottom tenth ($17.75) to the top tenth ($31.37), the top of the scale pays about 1.8 times the bottom in Rhode Island, close to the 1.8 times spread for pest control technicians nationwide.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $17.75 against $16.67 at the bottom tenth, and $31.37 against $29.75 at the top.
The average wage, $23.76, sits 10% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical pest control technician makes.
How Rhode Island compares with other states
Over a full year the gap to the national median is small: $45,030 in Rhode Island against $45,250 nationally, $220 less.
In the state ranking, Rhode Island sits 24th, between Iowa ($21.78) and North Carolina ($21.51). The range runs from $17.82 in New Mexico to $24.66 in Washington.
Every one of the neighboring states pays pest control technicians more than Rhode Island. The closest is Massachusetts at $21.90, and the biggest gap is with Connecticut.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $21.65 | $45,030 | |
| Connecticut | $23.56 | $49,010 | +$1.91 an hour |
| Massachusetts | $21.90 | $45,560 | +$0.25 an hour |
How many pest control technicians work in Rhode Island
About 270 pest control technicians work on payrolls in Rhode Island, 0.3% of the 102,620 nationwide, the 42nd largest count among the states.
That is 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in Rhode Island, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a pest control company in Rhode Island should charge
Say you run a pest control company in Rhode Island and pay the state median of $21.65 an hour. Here is the labor rate calculator's math on its starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $21.65 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $48,477 |
| Break-even rate | ($48,477 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $92.32 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $92.32 ÷ 0.85 | $108.61 |
That is $108.61 per billable hour, 5 times the wage, and almost the same as the $108.78 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $27.24 in Rhode Island, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $118.43.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $20.26, the rate only drops to $106.17.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a pest control technician in Rhode Island
- Licensing. What Rhode Island asks for before you can work on your own: Pest control license in Rhode Island.
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how pest control companies run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 37-2021, pest control workers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: pest control technician salary by state.