- The middle half earn between $17.80 and $22.35 an hour.
- Tennessee ranks 39th of the 50 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- Tennessee pays more than 4 of its 8 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 3,340 pest control technicians on payrolls in Tennessee.
- At the state median wage, a pest control company needs to bill about $104.10 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Pest Control Technician pay in Tennessee, 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 | $14.70 | $30,570 | $16.67 |
| 25th percentile | $17.80 | $37,020 | $18.00 |
| Median | $19.08 | $39,690 | $21.75 |
| 75th percentile | $22.35 | $46,480 | $23.85 |
| 90th percentile | $27.05 | $56,270 | $29.75 |
| Average (mean) | $20.62 | $42,880 | $22.31 |
From the bottom tenth ($14.70) to the top tenth ($27.05), the top of the scale pays about 1.8 times the bottom in Tennessee, close to the 1.8 times spread for pest control technicians nationwide.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $1.97 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $2.70 less than the national top tenth.
The average wage, $20.62, sits 8% 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 Tennessee compares with other states
Over a full year, the Tennessee median of $39,690 is $5,560 less than the national $45,250.
In the state ranking, Tennessee sits 39th, between Ohio ($19.28) and Oklahoma ($18.77). The range runs from $17.82 in New Mexico to $24.66 in Washington.
Against its neighboring states, Tennessee is in the middle: Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia pay more, and Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi pay less.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | $19.08 | $39,690 | |
| Alabama | $18.47 | $38,410 | −$0.61 an hour |
| Arkansas | $18.13 | $37,710 | −$0.95 an hour |
| Georgia | $18.20 | $37,860 | −$0.88 an hour |
| Kentucky | $20.34 | $42,310 | +$1.26 an hour |
| Mississippi | $17.89 | $37,200 | −$1.19 an hour |
| Missouri | $20.53 | $42,690 | +$1.45 an hour |
| North Carolina | $21.51 | $44,740 | +$2.43 an hour |
| Virginia | $22.09 | $45,950 | +$3.01 an hour |
How many pest control technicians work in Tennessee
About 3,340 pest control technicians work on payrolls in Tennessee, 3.3% of the 102,620 nationwide, the 6th largest count among the states.
The trade is a bigger part of the local job market than it is nationally: 1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in Tennessee, 1.5 times the national share.
What a pest control company in Tennessee should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a pest control company in Tennessee paying the state median of $19.08, on the labor rate calculator's 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 | $19.08 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $42,722 |
| Break-even rate | ($42,722 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $88.48 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $88.48 ÷ 0.85 | $104.10 |
That is $104.10 per billable hour, 5.5 times the wage, and $4.69 less than the $108.78 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $22.35 in Tennessee, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $109.84.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $17.80, the rate only drops to $101.85.
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 Tennessee
- Licensing. What Tennessee asks for before you can work on your own: Pest control license in Tennessee.
- 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.