How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in New Orleans, LA?

The median hourly wage is $30.53. The middle half earn between $22.49 and $33.96 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in New Orleans, LA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.41 an hour ($38,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.49.

Do HVAC technicians make more in New Orleans or Baton Rouge?

New Orleans pays more: the median is $63,500 in New Orleans and $62,940 in Baton Rouge, a 1% difference.

How does New Orleans pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?

The New Orleans median of $63,500 is 8% more than the Louisiana median of $58,650.

HVAC technician salary in New Orleans, LA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the New Orleans–Metairie, LA area earn a median of $63,500 a year, or $30.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $81,610. That's 8% more than the Louisiana median of $58,650.

Median yearly pay$63,500

Bottom 10% under$38,300Top 10% over$81,610

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.41/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,280
After cost of living: $68,580
Median hourly pay: $30.53/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs Louisiana median: +8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 35380, New Orleans-Metairie, LA). 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	$38,300–$46,790$18.41–$22.49/hr
Experienced technician	$63,500$30.53/hr
Senior / top earners	$70,640–$81,610$33.96–$39.24/hr

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

How New Orleans, LA compares

New Orleans has the highest HVAC technician median of the 10 Louisiana metro areas with published pay.
HVAC technicians hold about the same share of jobs in the New Orleans area as nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $81,610, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,300: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Other trades in New Orleans, LA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in New Orleans, LA?: HVAC technicians in the New Orleans–Metairie, LA area earn a median of $63,500 a year, or $30.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $81,610.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in New Orleans, LA?: The median hourly wage is $30.53. The middle half earn between $22.49 and $33.96 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in New Orleans, LA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.41 an hour ($38,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.49.
Do HVAC technicians make more in New Orleans or Baton Rouge?: New Orleans pays more: the median is $63,500 in New Orleans and $62,940 in Baton Rouge, a 1% difference.
How does New Orleans pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?: The New Orleans median of $63,500 is 8% more than the Louisiana median of $58,650.

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 35380 (New Orleans-Metairie, LA). 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 (92.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures