How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Detroit, MI?

The median hourly wage is $30.37. The middle half earn between $23.19 and $38.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Detroit, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.60 an hour ($42,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.19.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Detroit or Ann Arbor?

Ann Arbor pays more: the median is $63,170 in Detroit and $75,000 in Ann Arbor, a 16% difference.

How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Detroit median of $63,170 is 4% more than the Michigan median of $60,850.

HVAC technician salary in Detroit, MI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $63,170 a year, or $30.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $95,610 a year. Across all of Michigan, the median is $60,850, so Detroit pays 4% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$63,170

Bottom 10% under$42,840Top 10% over$95,610

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.60/hr
Jobs in this area: 5,740
After cost of living: $62,980
Median hourly pay: $30.37/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs Michigan median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19820, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI). 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	$42,840–$48,240$20.60–$23.19/hr
Experienced technician	$63,170$30.37/hr
Senior / top earners	$80,780–$95,610$38.84–$45.97/hr

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

How Detroit, MI compares

Detroit ranks 2nd of 16 Michigan metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Detroit area than nationally: 3.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $95,610, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,840: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Detroit, MI

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Detroit, MI?: HVAC technicians in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $63,170 a year, or $30.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $95,610 a year.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Detroit, MI?: The median hourly wage is $30.37. The middle half earn between $23.19 and $38.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Detroit, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.60 an hour ($42,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.19.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Detroit or Ann Arbor?: Ann Arbor pays more: the median is $63,170 in Detroit and $75,000 in Ann Arbor, a 16% difference.
How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Detroit median of $63,170 is 4% more than the Michigan median of $60,850.

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 19820 (Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI). 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 (100.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures