Do HVAC technicians make more in Baltimore or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $63,180 in Baltimore and $71,920 in Washington, a 12% difference.

HVAC technician salary in Baltimore, MD

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Baltimore–Columbia–Towson, MD area earn a median of $63,180 a year, or $30.38 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $103,320. Across all of Maryland, the median is $70,020, so Baltimore pays 10% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$63,180

Bottom 10% under$45,040Top 10% over$103,320

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.65/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,960
After cost of living: $60,470
Median hourly pay: $30.38/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs Maryland median: −10%
Mean (average) pay: $70,450 a year · $33.87 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 12580, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD). 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 Baltimore, MD 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	$21.65	$45,040
25th percentile	$25.54	$53,130
Median (50th)	$30.38	$63,180
75th percentile	$40.84	$84,950
90th percentile	$49.67	$103,320

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

How Baltimore, MD compares

Baltimore ranks 3rd of 6 Maryland metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Baltimore area than nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.

Other Maryland metro areas

Other trades in Baltimore, MD

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

Questions

Do HVAC technicians make more in Baltimore or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $63,180 in Baltimore and $71,920 in Washington, a 12% 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 12580 (Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD). 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 (104.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures