How much is my pest control business worth? Real 2026 numbers

Small pest control businesses have sold for an average of about 2.4 times what the owner takes home each year. BizBuySell reports average earnings multiples between 2.16 and 2.60 over the past five years, with a median sale price of $249,000 (BizBuySell pest control benchmarks). Larger companies with dense routes and a manager in place sell for far more, because national buyers compete for them.

What the numbers look like

Pest control prices split into two very different markets. Most local operators sell to an individual or a nearby competitor. A smaller group of larger companies sell to national consolidators.

Market	Typical buyer	What the data shows
Small owner-run business	Individual buyer or local competitor	Median sale price $249,000, about 2.4x SDE on average (BizBuySell)
Large regional company	National consolidator	Saela Pest Control, with over $65 million in yearly revenue, sold to Rollins for $207.1 million in April 2025 (Rollins)

That second row works out to about 3.2 times yearly revenue. That’s not a number a small operator should expect. It shows how much buyers will pay for a large book of steady customers.

A quick way to run your own number

Take your average SDE over the last three years. Multiply it by 2 for a cautious figure and 3 for a strong one.

If your business pays you $200,000 a year on average, a rough range is $400,000 to $600,000. A business with mostly contract customers and a technician team that runs without you can push past the top of that range.

Why the type of customer matters more than the count

Two pest control businesses can have the same number of customers and very different values. The difference is how those customers pay.

• Service agreement customers: Monthly, quarterly, or yearly plans that renew on their own. This is what buyers pay the most for.
• Termite and bond renewals: Yearly renewals that tend to stick for years. Buyers value these highly.
• Commercial accounts: Restaurants, property managers, and warehouses on a schedule. Steady, but watch for one account getting too big.
• One-time calls: A customer who calls once for ants and never again. This counts as revenue, but buyers give it little weight.

For more on why buyers pay up for this kind of income, see what recurring revenue is and why it matters.

What else pushes the price up

• Route density: Customers packed close together means less drive time per stop. Buyers look at stops per day, not just total customers.
• Low cancellation rate: If most customers stay year after year, buyers trust the revenue. Track how many you lose each year.
• Technicians who stay: Licensed techs who have been with you for years and know the customers.
• Clean licensing and records: Up-to-date pesticide licenses, chemical use records, and no open complaints with your state agency.
• Someone other than you running the day: A service manager who handles scheduling and customer calls.

What pulls the price down

1. Mostly one-time work: If customers aren’t on plans, the buyer has to win them all over again.
2. The owner is the business: You answer the phone, you run the routes, you hold the key license. Buyers discount that heavily.
3. High technician turnover: New techs every few months tells a buyer customers may leave too.
4. One large commercial account: If one customer is a big share of revenue, see how customer concentration affects your value.
5. Pending claims: Termite damage claims or open complaints come out in due diligence. Buyers will hold back money to cover them.

Who buys pest control businesses

Pest control is one of the most active corners of small business buying. National companies grow by buying local ones, and private equity groups build their own regional companies the same way. That’s called a rollup. Read what a PE rollup means for your business.

Buyer type	What they want	How they usually pay
Individual buyer	A steady business to run themselves	SBA loan plus a seller note
Local competitor	Your customers and routes	Cash, sometimes paid over time
National or PE-backed company	Customers in a new market, or more density in one they’re in	Cash, often with a holdback or earnout tied to customer retention

Larger buyers often tie part of the price to how many customers stay after closing. Make sure you understand how an earnout works before you agree to one.

What to have ready before you get a number

1. Revenue split by type: Service plans, termite renewals, commercial, and one-time work.
2. Customer count and cancellation rate for each of the last three years.
3. Route map or stops per day for each technician.
4. Three years of tax returns and profit and loss statements, with your add-backs listed.
5. License and compliance records for the business and every technician.

Then talk to a broker who has sold pest control companies before. They’ll know which buyers are active in your area and which ones pay for your kind of customer base. If you’re in Florida, start with our guide to finding the right broker to sell your pest control business. For more on value, browse the Business Value section.

If you want a real number, talk to someone who sells businesses like yours. Find a business broker and ask what they’d list it for.