Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Also called: Applicator, Chemical Applicator, Pesticide Applicator, Spray Technician (Spray Tech)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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other grounds maintenance workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 60% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $43,440 | $38,420 to $46,370 | 320 |
| Arizona | $48,630 | $46,700 to $55,100 | 210 |
| Arkansas | $37,860 | $35,040 to $44,720 | 490 |
| California | $45,070 | $38,940 to $53,400 | 2,260 |
| Colorado | $47,020 | $44,780 to $60,370 | 960 |
| Delaware | $54,190 | $49,360 to $54,190 | 40 |
| Florida | $45,210 | $38,600 to $47,310 | 4,530 |
| Georgia | $39,080 | $36,190 to $46,340 | 1,300 |
| Hawaii | $51,240 | $39,310 to $54,540 | 60 |
| Idaho | $47,630 | $46,690 to $48,140 | 610 |
| Illinois | $48,280 | $43,660 to $50,760 | 1,040 |
| Indiana | $48,500 | $46,280 to $53,380 | 950 |
| Iowa | $46,740 | $40,040 to $48,520 | 600 |
| Kansas | $49,090 | $43,050 to $54,470 | 520 |
| Kentucky | $39,380 | $36,520 to $47,120 | 290 |
| Louisiana | $26,220 | $25,750 to $48,700 | 220 |
| Maine | $40,200 | $37,800 to $40,210 | 60 |
| Maryland | $44,440 | $38,910 to $46,330 | not published |
| Massachusetts | $62,980 | $51,850 to $63,320 | not published |
| Michigan | $44,460 | $37,500 to $47,630 | 860 |
| Minnesota | $49,030 | $45,570 to $56,650 | 950 |
| Mississippi | $35,770 | $26,970 to $50,470 | 650 |
| Missouri | $44,990 | $38,560 to $48,600 | 450 |
| Montana | $37,760 | $35,810 to $46,070 | 630 |
| Nebraska | $47,500 | $41,490 to $49,230 | 380 |
| Nevada | $48,030 | $42,930 to $70,540 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $44,330 | $41,120 to $49,010 | 320 |
| New Mexico | $38,740 | $32,660 to $46,940 | 120 |
| New York | $48,380 | $45,760 to $55,120 | 220 |
| North Carolina | $48,240 | $41,000 to $51,840 | 360 |
| North Dakota | $50,490 | $46,800 to $56,160 | 280 |
| Ohio | $50,060 | $40,560 to $55,020 | 490 |
| Oklahoma | $36,870 | $33,040 to $42,310 | 370 |
| Oregon | $51,590 | $48,020 to $61,260 | 290 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,870 | $44,760 to $52,330 | 360 |
| Rhode Island | $48,360 | $40,000 to $59,200 | 100 |
| South Carolina | $38,100 | $35,660 to $44,190 | 610 |
| South Dakota | $46,320 | $39,050 to $48,450 | 460 |
| Tennessee | $47,340 | $45,480 to $49,610 | not published |
| Utah | $45,430 | $41,600 to $58,460 | 360 |
| Virginia | $48,610 | $40,670 to $57,600 | 240 |
| Washington | $47,360 | $41,610 to $54,530 | 470 |
| Wisconsin | $46,190 | $44,280 to $55,350 | 540 |
| Wyoming | $49,190 | $46,780 to $50,990 | 120 |
Nationally: $46,340. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas. | Not published |
| Not rated | Record information about pesticide applications, such as the type used and amount applied. | Not published |
| Not much | Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas. | Not published |
| Not rated | Establish driving routes for pesticide applications. | Not published |
| Not much | Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean or service machinery to ensure operating efficiency, using water, gasoline, lubricants, or hand tools. | Not published |
See all 12 tasks
| Not much | Connect hoses and nozzles selected according to terrain, distribution pattern requirements, types of infestations, and velocities. | Not published |
| Not much | Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Cover areas to specified depths with pesticides, applying knowledge of weather conditions, droplet sizes, elevation-to-distance ratios, and obstructions. | Not published |
| Not much | Identify lawn or plant diseases to determine the appropriate course of treatment. | Not published |
| Not much | Plant grass with seed spreaders, and operate straw blowers to cover seeded areas with mixtures of asphalt and straw. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide driving instructions to truck drivers to ensure complete coverage of designated areas, using hand and horn signals. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 12 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 12 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate agricultural or forestry equipment | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Monitor environmental conditions |
Show all 11 activities
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Perform agricultural activities | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,417 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 5 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 3,717 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 7%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 5 Stockers and Order Fillers Moderate +8.9% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 17% less than high school
- 49% high school
- 15% some college
- 6% associate's
- 14% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other grounds maintenance workers” · 186 people surveyed.
3 programs: Landscaping and Groundskeeping, Plant Nursery Operations and Management and Turf and Turfgrass Management.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Agricultural Service Worker). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/37-3012.00