Short answer
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Pest Control Workers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places pest control workers in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +5.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 13,700 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 60/100Higher than 85% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +5.5%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 13,700BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed pest control workers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Pest Control Workers land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Working outdoors in all weather4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing for or working directly with the public3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Getting information4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Documenting/recording information3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repetitive motions3.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Repeating the same tasks3.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for pest control workers
- Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
- Record work activities performed.
- Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment.
- Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds.
- Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
- Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +5.5% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 13,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 102,620 people work in the job today, at a median of $45,250 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full pest control worker profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than pest control workers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Tree Trimmer and Pruner
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
- Median pay
- $50,960median a year
- Growth
- +4.2%
- Openings / yr
- 7,900
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 71/100
- resilience
Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree.
Septic Tank Servicer and Sewer Pipe Cleaner
Construction and Extraction
- Median pay
- $49,880median a year
- Growth
- +7.8%
- Openings / yr
- 2,800
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 63/100
- resilience
Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains.
Farmworker and Laborer, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
- Median pay
- $35,660median a year
- Growth
- −2.4%
- Openings / yr
- 72,500
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 63/100
- resilience
Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops.
Questions
Will AI Replace Pest Control Workers? FAQ
Will AI replace pest control workers?
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +5.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 13,700 openings a year.
How exposed are pest control workers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Pest Control Workers are in the moderate category, alongside 193 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a pest control worker's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are getting information, documenting/recording information and repetitive motions. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, working outdoors in all weather and operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a pest control worker a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, pest control workers score 60 out of 100, higher than 85% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $45,250 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to pest control workers are less exposed to AI?
Tree Trimmer and Pruner (low exposure, $50,960 median), Septic Tank Servicer and Sewer Pipe Cleaner (low exposure, $49,880 median), Farmworker and Laborer, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (low exposure, $35,660 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than pest control workers, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.