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Aaron Ashbrook, Penn, Jerrod, Fannin, J. Matthew "Matt"
Download Publication ID: 4003
By Gerardo Guevara-Milla, J. Matthew Fannin, Jerrod Penn and Aaron Ashbrook
The Louisiana pest management industry (PMI) plays a vital role in maintaining safe and healthy environments for households and businesses across various sectors such as real estate, service-based industries, healthcare and retail trade. These sectors represent some of the largest contributors in the state, and the PMI is essential to their operations. This brief highlights the current economic contribution of PMI to the economy of Louisiana.
Pest Management companies contribute $639 million to the Louisiana economy.
The total economic contribution of the PMI in Louisiana was almost $639 million in 2024. This significant contribution includes $360 million in direct effects (output generated by the PMI) as well as an additional $279 million in indirect and induced effects, which accounts for the economic activity of businesses supplying the PMI and spending by households connected to the industry.
The value added by the PMI includes new value created and applied to the state from output generated and sold by the sector. This totaled over $307 million in 2024. Value added reflects the PMI’s contribution to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP). In addition to the $152 million in direct value added, an additional $82 million in indirect effects highlights the industry's role in supporting the GDP for other sectors that supply pest management businesses with inputs. Over $71 million in induced effects represents additional GDP generated by household spending linked to the PMI.
Over $307 million was added to Louisiana’s GDP from PMI businesses.
Figure 1. Breakdown of top industry contributions in 2024. Source: IMPLAN.
Figure 2. 2024 Distribution of employment by job type. Source: Lightcast and IMPLAN.
Figure 3. Employment growth in the pest management industry, 2001–2024. Source: Lightcast.Employment in Louisiana´s PMI has demonstrated steady growth for more than two decades from just over 2,500 direct jobs in 2001 to nearly 3,100 direct jobs in 2024. This positive trend represents the expansion of the sector and its growing demand for more professionals in the industry. This total employment includes paid employees, full-time and part-time self-employed.
In 2022, the number of pest management business establishments were distributed across the entire state. Business establishments were concentrated in metropolitan centers including key urban and suburban parishes around New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport. These include a mix of stand-alone business establishments as well as branch establishments. Smaller suburban and rural parishes in the state have fewer options locally with typically less than five businesses per parish. These parishes are not limited in their pest management options as some businesses will have service areas that cover nearby parishes.
When evaluating long-term trends, PMI establishments and employment are highly connected to population growth and urban concentration. If urbanization trends change for Louisiana, the industry will need to consider what strategic steps it may take in the future to maintain the growth path it has witnessed in recent years.
P4003 EcContofPestMgmtinLa2024_rh725pdf / 0.93MB