Do HVAC technicians make more in Des Moines or Davenport?

Davenport pays more: the median is $62,640 in Des Moines and $65,190 in Davenport, a 4% difference.

HVAC technician salary in Des Moines, IA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA area earn a median of $62,640 a year, or $30.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $98,460. Across all of Iowa, the median is $60,680, so Des Moines pays 3% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$62,640

Bottom 10% under$46,020Top 10% over$98,460

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.13/hr
Jobs in this area: 900
After cost of living: $68,310
Median hourly pay: $30.11/hr
vs U.S. median: +3%
vs Iowa median: +3%
Mean (average) pay: $66,600 a year · $32.02 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19780, Des Moines-West Des Moines, 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.

Pay by percentile

What HVAC technicians in Des Moines, IA 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	$22.13	$46,020
25th percentile	$23.82	$49,540
Median (50th)	$30.11	$62,640
75th percentile	$38.50	$80,080
90th percentile	$47.34	$98,460

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Des Moines, IA compares

Des Moines ranks 3rd of 9 Iowa metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Des Moines area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.85 times the U.S. share.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Des Moines, IA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Millwright

Questions

Do HVAC technicians make more in Des Moines or Davenport?: Davenport pays more: the median is $62,640 in Des Moines and $65,190 in Davenport, a 4% difference.

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 19780 (Des Moines-West Des Moines, 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 (91.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures