How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Ames, IA?

The median hourly wage is $29.05. The middle half earn between $23.96 and $35.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Ames, IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.85 an hour ($41,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.96.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Ames or Davenport?

Davenport pays more: the median is $60,430 in Ames and $65,190 in Davenport, a 7% difference.

How does Ames pay compare with the rest of Iowa?

The Ames median of $60,430 is about the same as the Iowa median of $60,680.

HVAC technician salary in Ames, IA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Ames, IA area earn a median of $60,430 a year, or $29.05 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,890. Across all of Iowa, the median is $60,680, so Ames pays about the same as the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$60,430

Bottom 10% under$41,290Top 10% over$79,890

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.85/hr
Jobs in this area: 190
After cost of living: $68,030
Median hourly pay: $29.05/hr
vs U.S. median: −1%
vs Iowa median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 11180, Ames, IA). 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	$41,290–$49,840$19.85–$23.96/hr
Experienced technician	$60,430$29.05/hr
Senior / top earners	$73,540–$79,890$35.36–$38.41/hr

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

How Ames, IA compares

Ames ranks 7th of 9 Iowa metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Ames area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,890, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,290: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Ames, IA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Ames, IA?: HVAC technicians in the Ames, IA area earn a median of $60,430 a year, or $29.05 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,890.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Ames, IA?: The median hourly wage is $29.05. The middle half earn between $23.96 and $35.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Ames, IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.85 an hour ($41,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.96.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Ames or Davenport?: Davenport pays more: the median is $60,430 in Ames and $65,190 in Davenport, a 7% difference.
How does Ames pay compare with the rest of Iowa?: The Ames median of $60,430 is about the same as the Iowa median of $60,680.

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 11180 (Ames, IA). 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 (88.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures