How To Become A Chemical Applicator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chemical applicator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a chemical applicator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.76 an hour? That's $30,697 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 61,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreChemical ApplicatorUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,697

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.69%

Asian 0.38%

Black or African American 1.54%

Hispanic or Latino 15.77%

Unknown 3.08%

White 76.54%

Gender

female 7.89%

male 92.11%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chemical applicator

Explore chemical applicator education requirements

Most common chemical applicator degrees

Bachelor's

31.9 %

High School Diploma

28.6 %

Associate

26.9 %

Start to develop specific chemical applicator skills

Skills	Percentages
GPS	19.85%
OSHA	16.47%
General Maintenance	16.46%
Federal Regulations	13.38%
Local Laws	12.69%

Complete relevant chemical applicator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chemical applicators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a chemical applicator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chemical applicator resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed chemical applicator usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed chemical applicator in most of states. 29 states require chemical applicators to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Professional Fumigation Pest Control Operator (FC)
Alaska	-	State exam required	Pesticide Applicator
California	Specific course required	State exam required	Qualified Applicator Certificate
Colorado	-	State exam required	Commercial Applicator's License (Pesticides)
Georgia	-	State exam required	Pesticide Applicator

Research chemical applicator duties and responsibilities

Used hand saws and hand pruners as well as motorized saws to manage tree cuttings on the ground.
Preform all troubleshooting and diagnostics for termite infestations.
Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment.

Prepare your chemical applicator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chemical applicator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chemical applicator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable chemical applicator resume templates

Build a professional chemical applicator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your chemical applicator resume.