The short answer: A solo owner-operator running one route with no employees commonly nets $75,000, $130,000 in SDE. Owners of staffed, multi-technician companies doing $750K, $1.5M in revenue typically produce $135,000, $375,000 in SDE. That gap exists because a lean solo route can convert 50%, 65% of revenue to owner profit, while a staffed company runs an industry-typical 15%, 25% net margin, a lower percentage on a much bigger number. SDE, not salary, is what sets the price at roughly 2×, 5.5× SDE.
What pool service owners actually earn
Pool service earnings split cleanly into two very different economic models, and confusing them is the most common mistake buyers make when sizing up a target. A solo owner-operator who personally runs the truck and services every stop keeps the full value of both the labor and the profit, no payroll to pay. A staffed operator who has stepped back to manage the business pays technicians a market wage and keeps a smaller percentage of a larger pie.
For reference, ZipRecruiter puts the national average pool technician salary at $39,050 a year (about $18.77/hour), with most technicians earning between $33,000 and $50,000. An owner who does that same route work themselves effectively earns that wage plus the business's margin on top, which is why solo owner-operator SDE runs well above employee pay.
Owner earnings by revenue band
| Annual revenue | SDE range | Owner margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $75,000, $95,000 | 50%, 63% | Solo route, ~100 to 130 residential accounts, no employees |
| $350,000 | $175,000, $220,000 | 50%, 63% | Larger solo route or owner + one helper |
| $750,000 | $135,000, $188,000 | 18%, 25% | 2 to 4 technicians, residential + commercial mix |
| $1,500,000 | $270,000, $375,000 | 18%, 25% | Multi-route company, repair/install division, office staff |
IBISWorld pegs mean revenue per pool service company at roughly $562,000, with the typical owner-operator business closer to $180,000, $300,000, most operators sit in the solo-to-small-crew range, not the platform-scale end. Net margins for staffed operators run 15%, 25% per IBISWorld and Sageworks/Abrigo data; owner-operators who eliminate payroll (typically 30%, 40% of a staffed company's revenue) see a much higher effective SDE margin.
The technician's paycheck stops at the wage. The owner's paycheck starts where the wage ends.
Building SDE: the add-backs (and what isn't one)
When underwriting a target, rebuild SDE from the tax return. Legitimate add-backs in a pool service business typically include:
- Owner's salary / draw, added back, then a market replacement wage considered (use technician pay, roughly $39,000, as a floor if the owner also runs a route personally).
- Personal use of a company truck or phone, common in owner-operator setups.
- One-time equipment purchases, a new service vehicle, a software migration, a one-off legal or licensing fee.
- Family member on payroll who doesn't materially work, a recognized, defensible add-back if documented.
Chemicals and fuel are real costs, not add-backs
Chemical, fuel, and equipment-consumable costs scale directly with revenue and season. Treat chronic under-reporting of these line items as a red flag, not an add-back opportunity, a route that looks unusually profitable because chemical costs are missing from the books will surprise you in July.
How earnings become a purchase price
Price follows SDE, and the multiple moves with route quality. Using a ~3× SDE mid-market anchor (within the broader 2×, 5.5× range), the earnings bands above map to value like this:
| SDE | Price @ 3.0× | ~10% SBA down |
|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | $225,000 | $22,500 |
| $150,000 | $450,000 | $45,000 |
| $300,000 | $900,000 | $90,000 |
Push toward 4×, 5.5× for high-density, high-autopay, staff-run companies with a repair/install revenue line; expect closer to 2×, 2.75× for a solo, cash-heavy, seasonal route with no staff. See the full pricing breakdown and a worked deal in what it costs to buy a pool service business, and check current comps on the pool service multiples page.
See what that SDE is worth
Plug in earnings and a multiple to get a defensible price and down payment.
Frequently asked questions
A solo owner running one route with no employees commonly nets $75,000 to $130,000 in seller's discretionary earnings, since a lean route can convert 50%-65% of revenue to owner profit once labor is removed from the cost structure. Owners of staffed, multi-technician companies doing $750,000-$1,500,000 in revenue typically produce $135,000 to $375,000 in SDE at an 18%-25% margin, with the dollar amount rising even as the percentage margin falls.
It depends on the model. IBISWorld and Sageworks data put net margins for staffed pool service companies at roughly 15% to 25%. A true owner-operator who runs the route personally and carries no payroll can see a much higher effective SDE margin, commonly 50% to 65%, because labor is typically 30% to 40% of a staffed company's revenue.
ZipRecruiter puts the national average pool technician salary at about $39,050 a year, or roughly $18.77 an hour, with most technicians earning between $33,000 and $50,000. An owner-operator doing the same route work keeps that labor value plus the business's profit margin, which is why SDE for a solo route owner typically runs well above a single technician's wage.
Price is SDE times a multiple, and pool service multiples span roughly 2x to 5.5x depending on route density, autopay penetration, and owner dependence. Using a typical mid-market anchor of about 3x, $150,000 of SDE prices near $450,000. A denser, more systemized, less owner-dependent business justifies a multiple toward the top of the range.
Sources
- Pool service industry revenue, mean company revenue & net margins, IBISWorld (2025).
- Pool technician / pool service technician wage data, ZipRecruiter (2026).
- Pool route valuation, MRR multiples & margin structure, PoolFounder; PoolDial industry statistics.
- Pool service business profitability & margin benchmarks, KMF Business Advisors.
