Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

37-3012 Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

Occupational Description:
Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops. Usually requires specific training and State or Federal certification. Excludes "Commercial Pilots" (53-2012) who dust or spray crops from aircraft.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	950	163	$24.48/hr	$18.78/hr	$22.46/hr	$24.17/hr	$27.93/hr	$29.31/hr

Leading Industries for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	N/A	N/A
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	580	$24.52/hr
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	350	$22.10/hr
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Central Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	10	$23.67/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	20	$23.98/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	20	$23.21/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	30	$23.33/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	70	$24.42/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	80	$22.88/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	110	$24.20/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	140	$24.38/hr	-3.1%
Southwest Balance of State	140	$24.31/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	140	$24.04/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	170	$23.99/hr	1.1%
Southwest Minnesota	180	$24.31/hr	-2.1%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	320	$23.45/hr	N/A
Minnesota	950	$24.17/hr	3.8%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	580	$22.72/hr	-1.9%
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	560	$22.98/hr	-11.6%
Pest Control Workers	670	$20.53/hr	N/A

Task for Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation

Clean or service machinery to ensure operating efficiency, using water, gasoline, lubricants, or hand tools.
Connect hoses and nozzles selected according to terrain, distribution pattern requirements, types of infestations, and velocities.
Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas.
Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops.
Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas.
Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops.
Cover areas to specified depths with pesticides, applying knowledge of weather conditions, droplet sizes, elevation-to-distance ratios, and obstructions.
Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment.
Provide driving instructions to truck drivers to ensure complete coverage of designated areas, using hand and horn signals.
Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas.