How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Rochester, MN?

The median hourly wage is $37.26. The middle half earn between $29.91 and $40.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Rochester, MN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.28 an hour ($48,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.91.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Rochester or Minneapolis?

Pay is about the same: the median is $77,500 in Rochester and $77,490 in Minneapolis.

How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?

The Rochester median of $77,500 is 2% more than the Minnesota median of $76,350.

HVAC technician salary in Rochester, MN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Rochester, MN area earn a median of $77,500 a year, or $37.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $94,600. Statewide, HVAC technicians earn a median of $76,350; Rochester is 2% above it.

Median yearly pay$77,500

Bottom 10% under$48,410Top 10% over$94,600

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.28/hr
Jobs in this area: 190
After cost of living: $85,330
Median hourly pay: $37.26/hr
vs U.S. median: +27%
vs Minnesota median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40340, Rochester, MN). 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	$48,410–$62,210$23.28–$29.91/hr
Experienced technician	$77,500$37.26/hr
Senior / top earners	$83,260–$94,600$40.03–$45.48/hr

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

How Rochester, MN compares

Rochester has the highest HVAC technician median of the 9 Minnesota metro areas with published pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Rochester area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.59 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $94,600, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,410: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Minnesota metro areas

Other trades in Rochester, MN

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Rochester, MN?: HVAC technicians in the Rochester, MN area earn a median of $77,500 a year, or $37.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $94,600.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Rochester, MN?: The median hourly wage is $37.26. The middle half earn between $29.91 and $40.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Rochester, MN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.28 an hour ($48,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.91.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Rochester or Minneapolis?: Pay is about the same: the median is $77,500 in Rochester and $77,490 in Minneapolis.
How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?: The Rochester median of $77,500 is 2% more than the Minnesota median of $76,350.

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 40340 (Rochester, MN). 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 (90.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures