HVAC technician salary
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
HVAC technicians in the U.S. earn a median of $61,010 a year, or $29.33 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $95,210.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.25/hr
- Jobs nationwide
- 409,670
- Median hourly pay
- $29.33/hr
- Mean (average) pay
- $64,780 a year · $31.14 an hour
Pay by percentile
What HVAC technicians in the U.S. earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.25 | $40,050 |
| 25th percentile | $23.25 | $48,360 |
| Median (50th) | $29.33 | $61,010 |
| 75th percentile | $37.05 | $77,060 |
| 90th percentile | $45.78 | $95,210 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
Pay over time
The median HVAC technician wage in the U.S. rose 25.5%, from $48,630 in May 2021 to $61,010 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 5.1%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $48,630 | $23.38/hr |
| May 2022 | $51,390 | $24.71/hr |
| May 2023 | $57,300 | $27.55/hr |
| May 2024 | $59,810 | $28.75/hr |
| May 2025 | $61,010 | $29.33/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
HVAC technician pay by state
- District of Columbia$84,390
- Alaska$77,430
- Illinois$77,410
- Massachusetts$77,300
- Connecticut$76,610
- Minnesota$76,350
- Washington$75,660
- North Dakota$74,490
- New Jersey$74,450
- New York$74,430
See all 50 states and DC
- New Hampshire$73,850
- California$72,560
- Maryland$70,020
- Rhode Island$67,370
- Hawaii$65,450
- Colorado$65,200
- Maine$63,170
- Oregon$62,940
- Ohio$62,510
- Pennsylvania$62,400
- Delaware$62,320
- Vermont$62,150
- Wisconsin$61,710
- South Dakota$61,390
- Michigan$60,850
- Montana$60,850
- Iowa$60,680
- Nevada$60,510
- Kansas$60,460
- Indiana$60,430
- Missouri$59,950
- Nebraska$59,850
- Virginia$59,730
- Arizona$59,400
- Utah$58,730
- Louisiana$58,650
- Kentucky$58,620
- Texas$57,760
- Oklahoma$57,560
- North Carolina$57,260
- Florida$56,670
- South Carolina$56,610
- Georgia$56,390
- Idaho$56,240
- Tennessee$55,490
- Wyoming$54,700
- New Mexico$50,270
- West Virginia$48,850
- Mississippi$48,680
- Alabama$48,370
- Arkansas$48,110
Top-paying metro areas
Every metro area ranked by HVAC technician pay after cost of living
Other trades in the U.S.
Questions
- Which state pays HVAC technicians the most?
- The District of Columbia, with a median of $84,390 a year, followed by Alaska ($77,430). Arkansas has the lowest median, $48,110.
- Which metro area pays HVAC technicians the most?
- The Fairbanks–College, AK area, with a median of $93,820 a year.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-9021 (Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed HVAC technicians and business owners aren't included. Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures