How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Rockford, IL?

The median hourly wage is $36.09. The middle half earn between $28.67 and $48.30 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Rockford, IL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.58 an hour ($46,960 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.67.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Rockford or Peoria?

Peoria pays more: the median is $75,070 in Rockford and $78,710 in Peoria, a 5% difference.

How does Rockford pay compare with the rest of Illinois?

The Rockford median of $75,070 is 3% less than the Illinois median of $77,410.

HVAC technician salary in Rockford, IL

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Rockford, IL area earn a median of $75,070 a year, or $36.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $117,550. Statewide, HVAC technicians earn a median of $77,410; Rockford is 3% below it.

Median yearly pay$75,070

Bottom 10% under$46,960Top 10% over$117,550

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.58/hr
Jobs in this area: 190
After cost of living: $81,460
Median hourly pay: $36.09/hr
vs U.S. median: +23%
vs Illinois median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40420, Rockford, IL). Excludes self-employed HVAC technicians. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Apprentice to senior HVAC technician pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice / entry level	$46,960–$59,640$22.58–$28.67/hr
Experienced technician	$75,070$36.09/hr
Senior / top earners	$100,470–$117,550$48.30–$56.51/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Rockford, IL compares

Rockford ranks 4th of 12 Illinois metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Rockford area than nationally: 1.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.54 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $117,550, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,960: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Rockford, IL

Electrician Welder Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Rockford, IL?: HVAC technicians in the Rockford, IL area earn a median of $75,070 a year, or $36.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $117,550.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Rockford, IL?: The median hourly wage is $36.09. The middle half earn between $28.67 and $48.30 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Rockford, IL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.58 an hour ($46,960 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.67.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Rockford or Peoria?: Peoria pays more: the median is $75,070 in Rockford and $78,710 in Peoria, a 5% difference.
How does Rockford pay compare with the rest of Illinois?: The Rockford median of $75,070 is 3% less than the Illinois median of $77,410.

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), area code 40420 (Rockford, IL). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed HVAC technicians and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (92.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures