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

The median hourly wage is $30.56. The middle half earn between $24.47 and $37.99 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Rochester, NY?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.05 an hour ($45,860 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.47.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Rochester or New York?

New York pays more: the median is $63,570 in Rochester and $77,990 in New York, a 18% difference.

How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of New York?

The Rochester median of $63,570 is 15% less than the New York median of $74,430.

HVAC technician salary in Rochester, NY

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Rochester, NY area earn a median of $63,570 a year, or $30.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $91,190. Across all of New York, the median is $74,430, so Rochester pays 15% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$63,570

Bottom 10% under$45,860Top 10% over$91,190

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.05/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,850
After cost of living: $65,510
Median hourly pay: $30.56/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs New York median: −15%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40380, Rochester, NY). 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	$45,860–$50,890$22.05–$24.47/hr
Experienced technician	$63,570$30.56/hr
Senior / top earners	$79,020–$91,190$37.99–$43.84/hr

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

How Rochester, NY compares

Rochester ranks 6th of 13 New York metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Rochester area than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $91,190, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,860: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other New York metro areas

Other trades in Rochester, NY

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Rochester, NY?: HVAC technicians in the Rochester, NY area earn a median of $63,570 a year, or $30.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $91,190.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Rochester, NY?: The median hourly wage is $30.56. The middle half earn between $24.47 and $37.99 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Rochester, NY?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.05 an hour ($45,860 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.47.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Rochester or New York?: New York pays more: the median is $63,570 in Rochester and $77,990 in New York, a 18% difference.
How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of New York?: The Rochester median of $63,570 is 15% less than the New York median of $74,430.

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 40380 (Rochester, NY). 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 (97.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures