Skilled Trades
Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns, or crops. Usually requires specific training and state or federal certification.
Median salary
$45,200
Typical range
$35k – $59k
Job outlook
+4% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Entry / Junior
$34,590
~2 yrs to advance
Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Established
$45,200
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Senior
$52,055
Key skills
A typical day
- •Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops.
- •Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas.
- •Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas.
- •Identify lawn or plant diseases to determine the appropriate course of treatment.
- •Cover areas to specified depths with pesticides, applying knowledge of weather conditions, droplet sizes, elevation-to-distance ratios, and obstructions.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.