How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Knoxville, TN?

The median hourly wage is $27.30. The middle half earn between $22.21 and $30.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Knoxville, TN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.81 an hour ($39,120 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.21.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Knoxville or Nashville?

Nashville pays more: the median is $56,780 in Knoxville and $60,270 in Nashville, a 6% difference.

How does Knoxville pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Knoxville median of $56,780 is 2% more than the Tennessee median of $55,490.

HVAC technician salary in Knoxville, TN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Knoxville, TN area earn a median of $56,780 a year, or $27.30 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $84,810 a year. That's 2% more than the Tennessee median of $55,490.

Median yearly pay$56,780

Bottom 10% under$39,120Top 10% over$84,810

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.81/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,470
After cost of living: $61,340
Median hourly pay: $27.30/hr
vs U.S. median: −7%
vs Tennessee median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 28940, Knoxville, TN). 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	$39,120–$46,190$18.81–$22.21/hr
Experienced technician	$56,780$27.30/hr
Senior / top earners	$64,330–$84,810$30.93–$40.77/hr

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

How Knoxville, TN compares

Knoxville ranks 2nd of 9 Tennessee metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Knoxville area than nationally: 3.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $84,810, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,120: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Knoxville, TN

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Knoxville, TN?: HVAC technicians in the Knoxville, TN area earn a median of $56,780 a year, or $27.30 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $84,810 a year.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Knoxville, TN?: The median hourly wage is $27.30. The middle half earn between $22.21 and $30.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Knoxville, TN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.81 an hour ($39,120 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.21.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Knoxville or Nashville?: Nashville pays more: the median is $56,780 in Knoxville and $60,270 in Nashville, a 6% difference.
How does Knoxville pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Knoxville median of $56,780 is 2% more than the Tennessee median of $55,490.

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 28940 (Knoxville, TN). 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 (92.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures