# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pesticide-handlers-sprayers-and-applicators-vegetation
- SOC code: 37-3012.00
- Career family: Building and grounds
- Median annual pay: $46,340 (10th percentile $35,570, 90th percentile $61,420)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.9%
- Openings a year: 3,300
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 92 |
| Investigative (I) | 29 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 16 |
| Enterprising (E) | 7 |
| Conventional (C) | 45 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 84/100)
- Scheduling Work and Activities (importance 82/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 79/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 75/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 74/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 74/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 72/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 70/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 69/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 68/100)

## Skills

Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Operation and Control, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Speaking

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Chemistry, Sales and Marketing, Biology, Production and Processing, Education and Training, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics

## Also called

Applicator, Applicator Sprayer, Certified Pesticide Applicator, Chemical Applicator, Crop Applicator, Custom Applicator, Eradicator, Fertilizer Applicator, Fruit Sprayer, Garden Technician (Garden Tech)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0106) (CIP 0106, 283 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-provo-byu-utah-302) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | $49,925 | $71,066 | not reported |
| [Colorado State University-Fort Collins](https://www.collegesref.com/college/colorado-state-university-fort-collins-644) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | $57,269 | $66,984 | not reported |
| [University of Nebraska-Lincoln Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-nebraska-lincoln-main-campus-2975) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | $52,966 | $59,376 | not reported |
| [Texas A & M University-College Station](https://www.collegesref.com/college/texas-a-m-university-college-station-2694) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | $39,805 | $54,128 | $19,250 |
| [Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/abraham-baldwin-agricultural-college-3) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | $46,897 | $52,757 | $18,750 |
| [University of Rhode Island URI](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-rhode-island-uri-3025) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | not reported | $48,403 | $16,668 |
| [Southern Illinois University-Carbondale](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southern-illinois-university-carbondale-2495) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | not reported | $45,177 | not reported |
| [Brigham Young University-Idaho](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-idaho-304) | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | $30,584 | $39,752 | $12,115 |

## Related careers

- [Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/landscaping-and-groundskeeping-workers): $39,150 median pay
- [Agricultural Equipment Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/agricultural-equipment-operators): $41,730 median pay
- [Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/water-and-wastewater-treatment-plant-and-system-operators): $60,020 median pay
- [Pest Control Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pest-control-workers): $45,250 median pay
- [Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cleaners-of-vehicles-and-equipment): $35,830 median pay
- [Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/farmworkers-and-laborers-crop-nursery-and-greenhouse): $35,660 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.