How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Seattle, WA?

The median hourly wage is $38.51. The middle half earn between $29.98 and $48.65 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Seattle, WA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.70 an hour ($51,380 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.98.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Seattle or Olympia?

Seattle pays more: the median is $80,100 in Seattle and $76,260 in Olympia, a 5% difference.

How does Seattle pay compare with the rest of Washington?

The Seattle median of $80,100 is 6% more than the Washington median of $75,660.

HVAC technician salary in Seattle, WA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA area earn a median of $80,100 a year, or $38.51 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $129,390 a year. Across all of Washington, the median is $75,660, so Seattle pays 6% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$80,100

Bottom 10% under$51,380Top 10% over$129,390

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.70/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,940
After cost of living: $72,080
Median hourly pay: $38.51/hr
vs U.S. median: +31%
vs Washington median: +6%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 42660, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA). 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	$51,380–$62,360$24.70–$29.98/hr
Experienced technician	$80,100$38.51/hr
Senior / top earners	$101,190–$129,390$48.65–$62.21/hr

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

How Seattle, WA compares

Seattle has the highest HVAC technician median of the 13 Washington metro areas with published pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Seattle area than nationally: 1.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.72 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $129,390, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $51,380: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Washington metro areas

Other trades in Seattle, WA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Seattle, WA?: HVAC technicians in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA area earn a median of $80,100 a year, or $38.51 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $129,390 a year.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Seattle, WA?: The median hourly wage is $38.51. The middle half earn between $29.98 and $48.65 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Seattle, WA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.70 an hour ($51,380 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.98.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Seattle or Olympia?: Seattle pays more: the median is $80,100 in Seattle and $76,260 in Olympia, a 5% difference.
How does Seattle pay compare with the rest of Washington?: The Seattle median of $80,100 is 6% more than the Washington median of $75,660.

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 42660 (Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA). 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 (111.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures