Home › Occupations › HVAC Technician
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary by State
There were an estimated 396,870 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers working in the United States in May 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey. The typical (median) hvac technician earned $59,810 a year, or $28.75 an hour, while the mean annual wage was $62,690. Pay spans a wide range even inside the same occupation: the lowest-paid 10% of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earned $39,130 or less, the bottom quarter earned $47,850 or less, the top quarter earned at least $74,820, and the top 10% earned at least $91,020. Where a hvac technician works matters almost as much as the job itself, as the state table below shows.
Where heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn the most — and least
The highest median pay for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers is in Alaska, at $83,660 a year — 39.9% higher than the national median of $59,810. Next are District of Columbia at $83,390 and Massachusetts at $76,990. At the other end, West Virginia posts the lowest published median, $46,040, which is 23.0% lower than the national figure. That is a top-to-bottom spread of about 1.8 times between the highest- and lowest-paying states for the same occupation — a gap driven by local labor markets, licensing, employer mix, and cost of living rather than by differences in the job title itself.
Where the hvac technician jobs are
Employment is concentrated in a handful of large states. Florida alone employs 38,290 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, and the three largest states — Florida, California, and Texas — together account for 26% of all U.S. jobs in this occupation. Pay in the largest market, Florida, runs at a median of $50,580, 15.4% lower than the national median, so the biggest job market is not the highest-paying option. Smaller states can still be attractive: several low-population states post medians close to the national figure with far less competition for each opening.
HVAC Technician salary by state — full table
Median and mean annual wages for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in every state where BLS publishes an estimate for May 2024, ranked by median pay. The 90th-percentile column shows what the top-earning tenth of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in each state make. Follow a state link for that state's full wage tables, or open a detailed guide where one is available.
| State | Employment | Median hourly | Median annual | Mean annual | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 790 | $40.22 | $83,660 | $81,800 | $104,100 |
| District of Columbia | 370 | $40.09 | $83,390 | $83,780 | $105,480 |
| Massachusetts | 7,960 | $37.02 | $76,990 | $79,390 | $109,220 |
| Connecticut | 4,440 | $35.53 | $73,910 | $71,260 | $97,940 |
| Minnesota | 5,190 | $35.29 | $73,390 | $71,780 | $94,420 |
| Illinois | 8,510 | $34.44 | $71,620 | $72,860 | $110,570 |
| New Jersey | 10,680 | $33.56 | $69,800 | $71,490 | $102,050 |
| Washington | 7,090 | $32.51 | $67,630 | $74,000 | $108,800 |
| North Dakota | 1,100 | $32.10 | $66,770 | $68,440 | $92,650 |
| New York | 22,710 | $32.05 | $66,670 | $70,480 | $98,530 |
| California | 34,020 | $31.39 | $65,290 | $74,470 | $107,600 |
| Maryland | 6,380 | $31.25 | $65,000 | $68,890 | $100,760 |
| New Hampshire | 2,120 | $30.97 | $64,410 | $66,520 | $87,920 |
| Hawaii | 1,110 | $30.67 | $63,780 | $67,280 | $89,900 |
| Rhode Island | 1,320 | $30.57 | $63,580 | $63,330 | $86,290 |
| Colorado | 8,870 | $30.49 | $63,420 | $68,100 | $100,790 |
| Oregon | 3,690 | $30.16 | $62,740 | $67,380 | $93,620 |
| Maine | 2,110 | $29.87 | $62,130 | $63,580 | $80,330 |
| Wisconsin | 5,930 | $29.82 | $62,030 | $66,360 | $96,970 |
| Pennsylvania | 16,930 | $29.38 | $61,120 | $63,250 | $84,190 |
| Virginia | 13,640 | $29.15 | $60,630 | $61,260 | $81,750 |
| Ohio | 13,570 | $29.08 | $60,490 | $62,140 | $91,710 |
| Missouri | 8,360 | $29.00 | $60,330 | $64,980 | $94,870 |
| Indiana | 7,620 | $28.99 | $60,310 | $62,530 | $93,080 |
| Vermont | 1,050 | $28.93 | $60,170 | $60,790 | $80,160 |
| Michigan | 13,720 | $28.89 | $60,090 | $61,120 | $84,070 |
| Delaware | 1,790 | $28.82 | $59,940 | $64,530 | $95,160 |
| Nebraska | 3,080 | $28.70 | $59,690 | $58,630 | $78,370 |
| Iowa | 3,990 | $28.60 | $59,490 | $60,160 | $85,760 |
| South Dakota | 1,130 | $28.59 | $59,460 | $59,070 | $77,280 |
| Nevada | 4,240 | $28.48 | $59,230 | $62,370 | $91,040 |
| Kentucky | 6,230 | $28.31 | $58,880 | $58,450 | $79,100 |
| Montana | 1,050 | $28.17 | $58,600 | $60,190 | $79,240 |
| Kansas | 4,100 | $27.29 | $56,750 | $57,210 | $77,570 |
| Arizona | 10,850 | $27.20 | $56,580 | $58,540 | $78,380 |
| Utah | 5,370 | $27.02 | $56,200 | $59,030 | $80,330 |
| South Carolina | 6,370 | $26.57 | $55,260 | $55,010 | $72,460 |
| Georgia | 12,210 | $26.45 | $55,020 | $55,340 | $77,580 |
| New Mexico | 1,820 | $26.45 | $55,020 | $56,190 | $77,980 |
| Texas | 32,070 | $25.99 | $54,050 | $58,120 | $82,870 |
| Louisiana | 5,040 | $25.73 | $53,510 | $55,140 | $77,940 |
| Idaho | 3,570 | $25.35 | $52,730 | $58,150 | $78,720 |
| North Carolina | 13,750 | $24.97 | $51,940 | $54,710 | $75,470 |
| Tennessee | 10,510 | $24.75 | $51,480 | $55,130 | $76,600 |
| Oklahoma | 4,820 | $24.48 | $50,920 | $55,400 | $79,580 |
| Wyoming | 570 | $24.48 | $50,920 | $54,570 | $78,730 |
| Florida | 38,290 | $24.32 | $50,580 | $55,110 | $74,670 |
| Alabama | 7,330 | $23.70 | $49,290 | $52,440 | $69,350 |
| Mississippi | 2,960 | $22.73 | $47,270 | $50,210 | $70,360 |
| Arkansas | 4,890 | $22.71 | $47,240 | $50,010 | $65,810 |
| West Virginia | 1,450 | $22.13 | $46,040 | $48,040 | $65,390 |
HVAC Technician wages in U.S. territories
| Area | Employment | Median hourly | Median annual | Mean annual | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Islands | 70 | $21.48 | $44,680 | $45,560 | $66,830 |
| Guam | 240 | $18.74 | $38,980 | $43,800 | $63,380 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,110 | $13.50 | $28,080 | $32,090 | $47,120 |
How to read these numbers
The median is the middle wage: half of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn more and half earn less. The mean is pulled up by the highest earners, which is why the mean of $62,690 sits above the median of $59,810 for this occupation. OEWS wages are gross pay before taxes and benefits, and BLS converts hourly rates to annual figures on a 2,080-hour, year-round full-time basis; part-time and seasonal workers' actual annual earnings can be lower. Figures marked with a plus sign are at or above the BLS reporting cap of $239,200 a year ($115.00 an hour).
HVAC Technician salary FAQ
What is the average hvac technician salary?
BLS put the mean annual wage for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers at $62,690 in May 2024, with a median of $59,810 ($28.75 an hour) across 396,870 U.S. jobs.
Which state pays heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers the most?
Alaska has the highest median pay for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, at $83,660 a year in May 2024 — 39.9% higher than the national median of $59,810.
Which state pays heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers the least?
Among states where BLS publishes an estimate, West Virginia has the lowest median for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, at $46,040 a year, 23.0% lower than the national median.
How many heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers are there in the United States?
BLS estimated 396,870 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers jobs in May 2024. The largest state market is Florida, with 38,290 jobs.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 — bls.gov/oes. Figures checked October 2026.