Pest Control Workers Salary — Santa Cruz, California

The average Pest Control Workers in Santa Cruz, California earns $60,600 a year.

$60,600 / year, mean
↑ 29.5% above national average 100th percentile in California

Santa Cruz sits at the very top of the range for this role in California — among the highest-paying cities in the state for this occupation. That's a substantial premium — this metro pays far more for pest control workers than the U.S. average. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within California

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
50
Estimate confidence
RSE 2.8%
Cost of living 110 #10 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2124 #140 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $1,157,157 #2 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $109,266 #6 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Santa Cruz ranks #10 for cost of living and #2 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

Santa Cruz $60,600 San Jose $57,630 Vallejo $57,290 Seattle $56,380 San Francisco $55,960 New York $54,870 Kingston $54,350 Santa Rosa $52,720 Lansing $52,700 Modesto $52,240 El Centro $52,110 San Luis Obispo $51,490 Naples $50,990 Trenton $50,950 Syracuse $50,890 Spokane $50,870 Yuba City $50,660 Atlantic City $50,470 San Diego $50,390 Portland $50,380 Dover $50,370 Santa Maria $50,250 Los Angeles $50,080 Baltimore $49,910 Stockton $49,850 Olympia $49,440 Salinas $49,420 Buffalo $49,400 Oxnard $49,350 Chicago $49,000 Salem $48,950 Chico $48,820 Kiryas Joel $48,810 Fresno $48,760 Sacramento $48,680 Sebastian $48,680 Crestview $48,580 Lafayette $48,500 Bakersfield $48,350 Philadelphia $48,170 Harrisburg $48,160 Rochester $48,100 Palm Bay $47,890 Riverside $47,890 Roanoke $47,430 Grand Rapids $47,270 Albany $47,210 Traverse City $47,120 Miami $46,970 Allentown $46,840 Detroit $46,800 Medford $46,790 Eugene $46,750 Gainesville $46,750 Sarasota $46,700 Punta Gorda $46,550 Port St. Lucie $46,540 Orlando $46,520 Redding $46,410 Jacksonville $46,290 Richmond $46,210 Tampa $46,130 Champaign $46,050 Fort Myers $46,020 Ocala $45,950 Springfield $45,880 Merced $45,830 Kalamazoo $45,760 Virginia Beach $45,720 Lexington $45,670 Austin $45,640 Louisville $45,630 Indianapolis $45,520 Deltona $45,370 Fort Wayne $45,210 Homosassa Springs $45,080 York $44,830 Hagerstown $44,740 Lakeland $44,580 Scranton $44,560 Visalia $44,460 Rockford $44,450 Lancaster $44,370 Panama City $44,370 Peoria $44,350 South Bend $44,100 Pensacola $44,080 Evansville $44,060 Terre Haute $44,040 Blacksburg $43,920 Tallahassee $43,460 Pittsburgh $43,400 Texarkana $43,260 Reading $43,200 Amarillo $43,160 Lynchburg $43,080 Dallas $42,550 Elizabethtown $42,300 San Antonio $42,280 Corpus Christi $40,950 Waco $40,880 Beaumont $40,780 Houston $40,620 Muncie $40,580 Sebring $39,530 Lubbock $38,980 College Station $38,940 Killeen $38,300 Huntington $37,320 Tyler $37,240 Charleston $36,550 Wichita Falls $36,280 Brownsville $35,890 El Paso $35,390 McAllen $35,060 Laredo $31,740
CityMean salaryvs. Santa Cruz
Albany, New York$47,210-22.1%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$46,840-22.7%
Amarillo, Texas$43,160-28.8%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$50,470-16.7%
Austin, Texas$45,640-24.7%
Bakersfield, California$48,350-20.2%
Baltimore, Maryland$49,910-17.6%
Beaumont, Texas$40,780-32.7%
Blacksburg, Virginia$43,920-27.5%
Brownsville, Texas$35,890-40.8%
Buffalo, New York$49,400-18.5%
Fort Myers, Florida$46,020-24.1%
Champaign, Illinois$46,050-24.0%
Charleston, West Virginia$36,550-39.7%
Chicago, Illinois$49,000-19.1%
Chico, California$48,820-19.4%
College Station, Texas$38,940-35.7%
Corpus Christi, Texas$40,950-32.4%
Crestview, Florida$48,580-19.8%
Dallas, Texas$42,550-29.8%
Deltona, Florida$45,370-25.1%
Detroit, Michigan$46,800-22.8%
Dover, Delaware$50,370-16.9%
El Centro, California$52,110-14.0%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$42,300-30.2%
El Paso, Texas$35,390-41.6%
Eugene, Oregon$46,750-22.9%
Evansville, Indiana$44,060-27.3%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$45,210-25.4%
Fresno, California$48,760-19.5%
Gainesville, Florida$46,750-22.9%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$47,270-22.0%
Hagerstown, Maryland$44,740-26.2%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$48,160-20.5%
Homosassa Springs, Florida$45,080-25.6%
Houston, Texas$40,620-33.0%
Huntington, West Virginia$37,320-38.4%
Indianapolis, Indiana$45,520-24.9%
Jacksonville, Florida$46,290-23.6%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$45,760-24.5%
Killeen, Texas$38,300-36.8%
Kingston, New York$54,350-10.3%
Kiryas Joel, New York$48,810-19.5%
Lafayette, Indiana$48,500-20.0%
Lakeland, Florida$44,580-26.4%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$44,370-26.8%
Lansing, Michigan$52,700-13.0%
Laredo, Texas$31,740-47.6%
Lexington, Kentucky$45,670-24.6%
Los Angeles, California$50,080-17.4%
Louisville, Kentucky$45,630-24.7%
Lubbock, Texas$38,980-35.7%
Lynchburg, Virginia$43,080-28.9%
McAllen, Texas$35,060-42.1%
Medford, Oregon$46,790-22.8%
Merced, California$45,830-24.4%
Miami, Florida$46,970-22.5%
Modesto, California$52,240-13.8%
Muncie, Indiana$40,580-33.0%
Naples, Florida$50,990-15.9%
New York, New York$54,870-9.5%
Sarasota, Florida$46,700-22.9%
Ocala, Florida$45,950-24.2%
Olympia, Washington$49,440-18.4%
Orlando, Florida$46,520-23.2%
Oxnard, California$49,350-18.6%
Palm Bay, Florida$47,890-21.0%
Panama City, Florida$44,370-26.8%
Pensacola, Florida$44,080-27.3%
Peoria, Illinois$44,350-26.8%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$48,170-20.5%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$43,400-28.4%
Portland, Oregon$50,380-16.9%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$46,540-23.2%
Punta Gorda, Florida$46,550-23.2%
Reading, Pennsylvania$43,200-28.7%
Redding, California$46,410-23.4%
Richmond, Virginia$46,210-23.7%
Riverside, California$47,890-21.0%
Roanoke, Virginia$47,430-21.7%
Rochester, New York$48,100-20.6%
Rockford, Illinois$44,450-26.7%
Sacramento, California$48,680-19.7%
Salem, Oregon$48,950-19.2%
Salinas, California$49,420-18.4%
San Antonio, Texas$42,280-30.2%
San Diego, California$50,390-16.8%
San Francisco, California$55,960-7.7%
San Jose, California$57,630-4.9%
San Luis Obispo, California$51,490-15.0%
Santa Maria, California$50,250-17.1%
Santa Rosa, California$52,720-13.0%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$44,560-26.5%
Seattle, Washington$56,380-7.0%
Sebastian, Florida$48,680-19.7%
Sebring, Florida$39,530-34.8%
South Bend, Indiana$44,100-27.2%
Spokane, Washington$50,870-16.1%
Springfield, Illinois$45,880-24.3%
Stockton, California$49,850-17.7%
Syracuse, New York$50,890-16.0%
Tallahassee, Florida$43,460-28.3%
Tampa, Florida$46,130-23.9%
Terre Haute, Indiana$44,040-27.3%
Texarkana, Texas$43,260-28.6%
Traverse City, Michigan$47,120-22.2%
Trenton, New Jersey$50,950-15.9%
Tyler, Texas$37,240-38.5%
Vallejo, California$57,290-5.5%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$45,720-24.6%
Visalia, California$44,460-26.6%
Waco, Texas$40,880-32.5%
Wichita Falls, Texas$36,280-40.1%
York, Pennsylvania$44,830-26.0%
Yuba City, California$50,660-16.4%
Gross salary
60,600/yr
Estimated take-home
49,044/yr
Est. total withheld
19.1%

Single filer, federal + California state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Pest Control Workers salaries in California → All Pest Control Workers salaries →
Community reality check

Community reality check for Santa Cruz

These notes add local color around Santa Cruz, California: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.

Relocation gap2.0× calculator gap
City comparison anecdotal

Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.

2.0×calculator multiplier10%HCOL premium cited$200KAtlanta TC example$450KBay Area TC example

Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 37-2021 SOC code
Official area Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 42100 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ca_ftb_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
Watsonville
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: California

Population (metro area)
266,021