TradeSalary

HVAC technician salary in Watertown, NY

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Watertown–Fort Drum, NY area earn a median of $62,850 a year, or $30.22 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $83,560. That's 16% less than the New York median of $74,430.

Median yearly pay$62,850
Bottom 10% under$42,180Top 10% over$83,560
Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
$20.28/hr
Jobs in this area
130
After cost of living
$71,670
Median hourly pay
$30.22/hr
vs U.S. median
+3%
vs New York median
−16%
Mean (average) pay
$63,230 a year · $30.40 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48060, Watertown-Fort Drum, 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.

Pay by percentile

What HVAC technicians in Watertown, NY 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.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$20.28$42,180
25th percentile$24.00$49,910
Median (50th)$30.22$62,850
75th percentile$34.58$71,920
90th percentile$40.17$83,560

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

How Watertown, NY compares

  • Watertown ranks 7th of 13 New York metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
  • HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Watertown area than nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.

Other New York metro areas

Other trades in Watertown, NY

Questions

Do HVAC technicians make more in Watertown or New York?
New York pays more: the median is $62,850 in Watertown and $77,990 in New York, a 19% 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 48060 (Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 (87.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures