HVAC salary by percentile
HVAC technicians earn $61,010 at the national median, and the middle half earn between $48,360 and $77,060 a year.[onet_hvac][oews] BLS counts installers and service technicians for heating, air conditioning and commercial refrigeration in one occupation (SOC 49-9021), with 409,670 jobs in May 2025.[oews_api]
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | Take-home* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $40,050 | $19.25 | $34,360 |
| 25th | $48,360 | $23.25 | $41,037 |
| Median (50th) | $61,010 | $29.33 | $51,202 |
| 75th | $77,060 | $37.05 | $63,042 |
| 90th | $95,210 | $45.77 | $75,810 |
*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.
A new technician usually starts near the 10th percentile ($40,050). Commercial refrigeration, building-controls work and a contractor license push pay toward the 75th and 90th percentiles. Owners of HVAC companies are self-employed and fall outside these figures.[oews_faq]
HVAC tech hourly pay and summer overtime
HVAC tech hourly pay is $29.33 at the median, $19.25 at the 10th percentile and $45.77 at the 90th.[onet_hvac] Cooling season brings long weeks: at the median rate, 10 overtime hours add about $440 to a week’s gross pay, because hours over 40 are paid at time and a half.[flsa]
| Percentile | Hourly | 40 h week | 50 h week | 55 h week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $19.25 | $770 | $1,059 | $1,203 |
| 25th | $23.25 | $930 | $1,279 | $1,453 |
| Median | $29.33 | $1,173 | $1,613 | $1,833 |
| 75th | $37.05 | $1,482 | $2,038 | $2,316 |
| 90th | $45.77 | $1,831 | $2,518 | $2,861 |
HVAC salary by state
District of Columbia pays HVAC technicians the most at a median of $84,390, then Alaska ($77,430) and Illinois ($77,410); Arkansas pays the least at $48,110.[onet_hvac][oews_api] The Sun Belt has many of the jobs but not the top pay: Florida’s median is $56,670 with 39,160 jobs, and Arizona’s $59,400.
| State | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. District of Columbia | $84,390 | $40.57 | $49,940 | $108,240 | 400 |
| 2. Alaska | $77,430 | $37.23 | $48,580 | $105,140 | 610 |
| 3. Illinois | $77,410 | $37.22 | $46,690 | $117,550 | 9,740 |
| 4. Massachusetts | $77,300 | $37.16 | $50,820 | $102,410 | 8,200 |
| 5. Connecticut | $76,610 | $36.83 | $45,280 | $100,160 | 3,800 |
| 6. Minnesota | $76,350 | $36.71 | $48,220 | $100,030 | 4,200 |
| 7. Washington | $75,660 | $36.38 | $48,810 | $120,360 | 7,370 |
| 8. North Dakota | $74,490 | $35.81 | $46,610 | $94,060 | 970 |
| 9. New Jersey | $74,450 | $35.79 | $48,020 | $116,550 | 10,330 |
| 10. New York | $74,430 | $35.78 | $48,560 | $100,680 | 24,430 |
| 11. New Hampshire | $73,850 | $35.50 | $47,520 | $97,140 | 2,560 |
| 12. California | $72,560 | $34.88 | $46,950 | $109,060 | 35,130 |
| 13. Maryland | $70,020 | $33.66 | $46,180 | $106,740 | 8,560 |
| 14. Rhode Island | $67,370 | $32.39 | $38,100 | $104,080 | 1,450 |
| 15. Hawaii | $65,450 | $31.47 | $43,120 | $99,430 | 1,300 |
| 16. Colorado | $65,200 | $31.35 | $48,220 | $103,640 | 8,940 |
| 17. Maine | $63,170 | $30.37 | $47,090 | $82,090 | 2,250 |
| 18. Oregon | $62,940 | $30.26 | $46,990 | $94,520 | 3,980 |
| 19. Ohio | $62,510 | $30.05 | $38,630 | $98,310 | 14,150 |
| 20. Pennsylvania | $62,400 | $30.00 | $45,970 | $89,440 | 15,880 |
| 21. Delaware | $62,320 | $29.96 | $45,000 | $97,600 | 1,730 |
| 22. Vermont | $62,150 | $29.88 | $50,280 | $93,110 | 970 |
| 23. Wisconsin | $61,710 | $29.67 | $45,930 | $98,070 | 6,630 |
| 24. South Dakota | $61,390 | $29.51 | $48,420 | $75,190 | 1,610 |
| 25. Michigan | $60,850 | $29.25 | $40,210 | $95,290 | 12,590 |
| 26. Montana | $60,850 | $29.25 | $41,900 | $81,230 | 1,230 |
| 27. Iowa | $60,680 | $29.17 | $43,040 | $86,280 | 3,840 |
| 28. Nevada | $60,510 | $29.09 | $41,040 | $89,750 | 4,170 |
| 29. Kansas | $60,460 | $29.07 | $43,660 | $83,500 | 3,770 |
| 30. Indiana | $60,430 | $29.05 | $40,460 | $97,800 | 8,530 |
| 31. Missouri | $59,950 | $28.82 | $39,180 | $88,760 | 7,220 |
| 32. Nebraska | $59,850 | $28.77 | $43,540 | $81,110 | 3,020 |
| 33. Virginia | $59,730 | $28.72 | $39,760 | $83,420 | 14,690 |
| 34. Arizona | $59,400 | $28.56 | $37,950 | $80,160 | 10,860 |
| 35. Utah | $58,730 | $28.24 | $37,570 | $80,500 | 5,580 |
| 36. Louisiana | $58,650 | $28.20 | $36,950 | $78,210 | 5,380 |
| 37. Kentucky | $58,620 | $28.18 | $38,790 | $80,020 | 5,100 |
| 38. Texas | $57,760 | $27.77 | $38,100 | $81,860 | 34,730 |
| 39. Oklahoma | $57,560 | $27.67 | $36,050 | $79,660 | 5,650 |
| 40. North Carolina | $57,260 | $27.53 | $37,780 | $77,160 | 15,230 |
| 41. Florida | $56,670 | $27.25 | $38,370 | $78,210 | 39,160 |
| 42. South Carolina | $56,610 | $27.22 | $39,170 | $75,530 | 6,920 |
| 43. Georgia | $56,390 | $27.11 | $36,990 | $79,130 | 12,290 |
| 44. Idaho | $56,240 | $27.04 | $38,660 | $80,780 | 4,550 |
| 45. Tennessee | $55,490 | $26.68 | $38,540 | $81,590 | 9,740 |
| 46. Wyoming | $54,700 | $26.30 | $37,840 | $79,050 | 690 |
| 47. New Mexico | $50,270 | $24.17 | $37,380 | $75,770 | 1,950 |
| 48. West Virginia | $48,850 | $23.49 | $36,160 | $72,640 | 1,690 |
| 49. Mississippi | $48,680 | $23.40 | $36,160 | $76,240 | 2,700 |
| 50. Alabama | $48,370 | $23.25 | $36,510 | $65,690 | 8,260 |
| 51. Arkansas | $48,110 | $23.13 | $37,040 | $69,290 | 4,960 |
Jobs: BLS OEWS employment estimate, May 2025.
Highest-paying metro areas for HVAC techs
Fairbanks-College, AK has the highest HVAC median of any area, $93,820.[onet_hvac]
| Area | Median | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fairbanks-College, AK | $93,820 | $45.11 |
| 2. Anchorage, AK | $85,620 | $41.16 |
| 3. Napa, CA | $84,570 | $40.66 |
| 4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $82,050 | $39.45 |
| 5. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $80,100 | $38.51 |
| 6. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $79,510 | $38.23 |
| 7. Peoria, IL | $78,710 | $37.84 |
| 8. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $78,640 | $37.81 |
| 9. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,530 | $37.75 |
| 10. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $78,490 | $37.74 |
HVAC vs electrician and plumber pay
HVAC technicians earn $2,180 less than electricians and $2,790 less than plumbers at the national medians.[onet_hvac][onet_elec][onet_plumb] HVAC is also the fastest-growing of the three in BLS projections, 11% from 2025 to 2035 against 3% for all jobs.[ooh_hvac] The entry path is usually shorter, though: many technicians start after a certificate program of a year or less, covered with real prices on HVAC school cost. Compare all trades on the electrician salary page or see plumber salary. Paid training is covered on HVAC apprenticeship.
Frequently asked questions
How much do HVAC techs make an hour?
$29.33 at the national median (BLS, May 2025); $19.25 at the 10th percentile and $45.77 at the 90th, before overtime.
What is the average HVAC salary?
The BLS median, the midpoint of all HVAC technician wages, is $61,010 a year. BLS publishes the median rather than a simple average because a few very high earners would pull an average up.
What state pays HVAC technicians the most?
District of Columbia ($84,390 median), then Alaska and Illinois. Arkansas pays the least.
How much does an HVAC tech take home?
About $51,202 a year, or $4,267 a month, for a single filer at the national median after 2026 federal income tax and FICA, before state tax.
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
- Local Wages: 49-9021.00 Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (state and metro percentiles)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates
- OEWS May 2025 employment and median wage series (OEUN/OEUS), Public Data API v2
- OEWS Frequently Asked Questions (wage definition; 2,080-hour year)
- Overtime Pay (Fair Labor Standards Act: time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek)
- Local Wages: 47-2111.00 Electricians (state and metro percentiles)
- Local Wages: 47-2152.00 Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (state and metro percentiles)
- IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)