A 10 percent growth in the demand for exterminators in Missouri will create around 113 new jobs in the field in the ten years to 2018, predicts the Missouri Economic Research and Development Center. When combined with openings due to job changes and retirements, around 511 new jobs should open for pest control workers in the state during that time frame, says the center.
Statewide
Pest control workers are often paid by the hour and in Missouri, exterminators earned hourly wages of $16.20 as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries for exterminators in the state averaged $33,320 per year, exceeding the U.S. national average of $32,100 by nearly 4 percent. Missouri was the 23rd-highest paying state for exterminators at the time, tying with Delaware, which featured the same average annual wages for pest control workers.
South and Central Cities
Exterminators working in St. Louis earned the highest average annual wages of those in the cities of central and southern Missouri as of May 2009, reports BLS. Wages in the city averaged $35,100 per year, roughly 5 percent above the Missouri average. In the portions of Missouri considered in the Fayetteville, Arkansas, metropolitan area, exterminators earned an average of $32,300 annually. Pest control workers in Springfield made $23,690 per year, the lowest average annual wages statewide.
Other Cities and Rural Areas
Featuring average annual salaries of $36,490, Columbia was the highest-paying city for exterminators in Missouri, as of May 2009, according to BLS. Pest control workers in Kansas City earned an average of $33,380, only $60 above Missouri's mean rate of pay. Rural southeastern Missouri was the second highest paying area for exterminators with salaries averaging $35,270 per year. The rural portions of central Missouri had the second lowest average annual wages statewide at $27,390.
Requirements
All exterminators in Missouri must gain a license from the Missouri Department of Agriculture prior to working in the field. Three primary types of certification are for exterminators in commercial buildings, for residences and for working in both types of buildings. For each certification, prospective exterminators must pass at least one written examination. In addition, they must complete an application and pay a fee.
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