HVAC Technician Salary: BLS Median Pay by State
Half of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earned more than $61,010 a year and half earned less, per the May 2025 BLS OEWS release. State medians in this guide run from $48,110 to $77,430.
$61,010
Median annual wage
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, May 2025 OEWS
$29.33
Median hourly wage
Official OEWS hourly median
8.1%
Projected growth, 2024–2034
all occupations: 3.1%
409,670
OEWS employment, May 2025
wage and salary workers
Wage figures are medians for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021). May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026. The OEWS mean is $64,780 per year ($31.14 per hour), which is a different statistic from the median.
HVAC technicians install, maintain, and repair heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. BLS reports them as a single occupation, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, under SOC 49-9021. The May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release put the median annual wage at $61,010, or $29.33 an hour, across the 409,670 wage and salary workers the survey covered. The median is the midpoint of the distribution, so half earned more and half earned less; the arithmetic mean was $64,780 a year, a separate statistic that sits above the midpoint. State medians vary considerably, from $48,110 in Arkansas to $77,430 in Alaska among the states listed here. For employment, BLS projects the occupation to grow from 425,200 in 2024 to 459,700 in 2034, a net increase of 34,500 positions, with an average of 40,100 openings a year once retirements and moves to other occupations are included. This guide reports those published figures and states plainly where BLS publishes nothing.
HVAC Technician wage benchmark lookup
Look up the official BLS median wage for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers nationally or in a listed state. This is a published benchmark, not a personalized salary estimate, and it applies no adjustment for experience, employer, or credentials.
Only states with a published OEWS median for this occupation are listed.
Median annual wage, United States (national)
$61,010/year
Median hourly wage: $29.33/hr
Source: May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026. Half of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in this area earned more than this amount and half earned less. OEWS covers wage and salary workers. It excludes self-employed people and owners or partners of unincorporated firms, so it does not measure owner earnings, draws, or business profit.
HVAC Technician median wages by state
Across the 32 states listed here, the May 2025 OEWS median for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers runs from $48,110 in Arkansas to $77,430 in Alaska. Both the annual and hourly columns are published medians; neither is derived from the other.
States with the highest median pay
| State | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $77,430 | $37.23/hr |
| Illinois | $77,410 | $37.21/hr |
| Massachusetts | $77,300 | $37.16/hr |
| Connecticut | $76,610 | $36.83/hr |
| Minnesota | $76,350 | $36.71/hr |
| Washington | $75,660 | $36.38/hr |
| New Jersey | $74,450 | $35.79/hr |
| New York | $74,430 | $35.78/hr |
| California | $72,560 | $34.88/hr |
| Maryland | $70,020 | $33.67/hr |
| Hawaii | $65,450 | $31.47/hr |
States with the lowest median pay
| State | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $58,620 | $28.18/hr |
| Texas | $57,760 | $27.77/hr |
| North Carolina | $57,260 | $27.53/hr |
| Florida | $56,670 | $27.24/hr |
| South Carolina | $56,610 | $27.22/hr |
| Georgia | $56,390 | $27.11/hr |
| Tennessee | $55,490 | $26.68/hr |
| West Virginia | $48,850 | $23.49/hr |
| Mississippi | $48,680 | $23.41/hr |
| Alabama | $48,370 | $23.26/hr |
| Arkansas | $48,110 | $23.13/hr |
Career path and progression
What the work involves at each stage. BLS publishes wages for the occupation as a whole, not by years of experience or license tier, so no pay figures are shown here.
Trainee or helper
Assists on installations and service calls, learns diagnostics and safe refrigerant handling, and works toward the federal refrigerant credential needed to work on charged systems.
Service technician
Runs residential and light commercial calls independently, diagnoses mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration faults, and completes maintenance agreements.
Senior or commercial technician
Handles rooftop units, chillers, controls, and commercial refrigeration, and takes on start-up and commissioning work on larger systems.
Lead, installer supervisor, or contractor
Sequences crews and equipment, handles inspections and code questions, and where a jurisdiction requires a license class to hold permits or run a contracting business, holds that license.
Specialties and work settings
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers is a single BLS occupation, so the published wage data does not break out these specialties. They are described here for career planning only.
Residential service and replacement
Furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, and ductwork in housing. High call volume with pronounced seasonal peaks in most markets.
Commercial HVAC
Packaged rooftop units, split systems, air handlers, and chiller plants in offices, retail, and institutional buildings.
Commercial refrigeration
Walk-in coolers and freezers, display cases, and ice machines in grocery and food service. Covered by the same BLS occupation as heating and cooling work.
Controls and building automation
Sensors, actuators, and control sequences that tie mechanical equipment into a building management system.
Critical environments
Process cooling and tightly controlled spaces in hospitals, laboratories, data centers, and pharmaceutical facilities.
Sheet metal and ductwork
Fabrication and installation of duct systems. BLS reports Sheet Metal Workers separately under SOC 47-2211.
Licenses and credentials in this trade
Federal law requires a refrigerant credential to work on systems containing regulated refrigerants. Everything else below is either a state or local license, whose requirements differ between jurisdictions, or a voluntary industry credential. BLS does not publish a wage premium for any of them.
| Credential | Full name | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| EPA 608 | EPA Section 608 Technician Certification | Required under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act before a technician may maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release regulated refrigerants. Issued in Type I, Type II, Type III, and Universal categories according to the equipment worked on. |
| EPA 609 | EPA Section 609 Technician Certification | The separate federal credential for servicing motor vehicle air conditioning systems. |
| NATE | North American Technician Excellence | A voluntary industry credential with specialty exams for installation and service across gas heating, air conditioning, heat pumps, and commercial refrigeration. |
| State or local license | HVAC or mechanical trade license | Some jurisdictions license HVAC work at journey and master or contractor levels, some regulate it only at the contractor level, and some leave it to counties or cities. Check the authority for the state and locality where you plan to work. |
| OSHA 10 | OSHA 10-Hour Construction Outreach Training | Voluntary safety outreach training on common construction hazards. It is a training course rather than a credential OSHA issues, and general contractors often ask for it before site access. |
HVAC Technician pay compared with related occupations
Every row is a single BLS detailed occupation with its own SOC code, May 2025 OEWS medians, and 2024–2034 projected growth. Rows are not adjusted for hours, region, or self-employment.
| Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Growth 2024–2034 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVACR technicianThis guideHeating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers | $61,010 | $29.33 | 8.1% |
| ElectricianElectricians | $63,190 | $30.38 | 9.5% |
| Plumber and pipefitterPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $63,800 | $30.67 | 4.5% |
| Sheet metal workerSheet Metal Workers | $61,800 | $29.71 | 2.4% |
| Appliance repairerHome Appliance Repairers | $50,990 | $24.51 | 2.6% |
| General maintenance workerMaintenance and Repair Workers, General | $49,590 | $23.84 | 3.8% |
| WelderWelders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $53,750 | $25.84 | 2.2% |
Employment projections, 2024–2034
Projection figures come from the BLS National Employment Matrix for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers. They use a broader employment concept than the OEWS wage-and-salary count above, so the two employment figures are not interchangeable.
425,200
Employment, 2024
National Employment Matrix base year
459,700
Projected employment, 2034
National Employment Matrix projection
+34,500
Net employment change, 2024–2034
BLS published net change
8.1%
Projected growth, 2024–2034
percent change in employment
40,100
Average annual openings, 2024–2034
includes growth plus separations
3.1%
All occupations, 2024–2034
benchmark growth rate
BLS projects 8.1% employment growth for this occupation from 2024 to 2034, above the 3.1% BLS projects for all occupations.
BLS projects employment of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers to rise from 425,200 in 2024 to 459,700 in 2034, a net increase of 34,500 positions, with an average of 40,100 openings a year across the decade. Openings exceed net new positions because the projection also counts workers who retire or move into other occupations. BLS attributes demand in this occupation to construction activity and to the installation, maintenance, and replacement of climate-control and refrigeration equipment in existing buildings. It does not publish how much of the projected change is attributable to any individual factor, so no share is assigned here to heat pump adoption or to any particular incentive program.
Methodology and sources
- Occupation:
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021)
- Wage source:
- May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026; reviewed July 2026.
- Projection source:
- BLS Employment Projections and National Employment Matrix, 2024–2034, released August 28, 2025.
- Median vs mean:
- The median is the midpoint of the wage distribution. The mean is the arithmetic average and is usually higher. Headline figures on this page are medians.
- Scope:
- OEWS covers wage and salary workers. It excludes self-employed people and owners or partners of unincorporated firms, so it does not measure owner earnings, draws, or business profit.
- Occupation scope:
- One BLS occupation covers heating, air conditioning, and commercial refrigeration work together, so the figures are not specific to any one of those three.
- Note:
- All wage figures are the 49-9021 rows of the May 2025 OEWS national and state cross-industry files. All projection figures are the 49-9021 row of the BLS 2024-2034 occupational projections table.
- Note:
- Duct fabrication and installation is largely reported under Sheet Metal Workers (47-2211), a separate occupation, so that work is not reflected in the wages above.
- Coverage caveat:
- State tables list only the states with a published OEWS median for this occupation. BLS suppresses estimates that do not meet its disclosure or reliability standards, and published employment levels are rounded, so a published net change can differ slightly from the difference between the rounded 2024 and 2034 levels.
- Last reviewed:
- July 2026
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers pay, answered from the published data.
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median annual wage for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers was $61,010, or $29.33 an hour. Half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. The separate arithmetic mean was $64,780 a year.
The published median hourly wage was $29.33. The mean hourly wage was $31.14. The median is the better answer to what a typical technician earns, because the mean is pulled upward by the top of the distribution.
Among the states in this guide, the highest May 2025 OEWS annual medians were Alaska at $77,430, Illinois at $77,410, Massachusetts at $77,300, Connecticut at $76,610, and Minnesota at $76,350. These are occupation-wide state medians rather than pay for a specific role.
BLS projects 8.1% growth between 2024 and 2034, from 425,200 to 459,700 positions. That is above the 3.1% projected for all occupations. The projection also implies an average of 40,100 openings a year.
Section 608 of the Clean Air Act requires EPA technician certification before a person may maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release regulated refrigerants. It comes in Type I, Type II, Type III, and Universal categories depending on the equipment. Motor vehicle air conditioning work is covered by the separate Section 609 credential.
It depends on the jurisdiction. Some states license HVAC work at journey and contractor levels, some regulate only contractors, and some leave licensing to counties or cities. Check the licensing authority for the state and locality where you plan to work.
No. OEWS publishes wage percentiles for the occupation as a whole. It does not break wages out by credential, by years of experience, or by residential, commercial, and refrigeration specialties, so this guide does not attach a dollar figure to any of them.
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