BLS HVAC tech pay in every state and at every level, peak-season overtime, apprentice to top pay and take-home after 2026 tax
HVAC technicians — heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers — earned a median of $61,010 a year in May 2025, $29.33 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which counted 409,670 on payrolls. A trainee near the bottom tenth earns under $19.25 an hour; the top tenth over $45.78, more than twice as much. Peak-season overtime is not in those figures.
This is the BLS line for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021) on employers' payrolls. Self-employed technicians and contractors who own their business — 6% of the occupation (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook) — aren't in these figures. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.25 | $40,050 | $3,338 | $34,360 |
| 25th percentile | $23.25 | $48,360 | $4,030 | $41,037 |
| Median | $29.33 | $61,010 | $5,084 | $51,202 |
| 75th percentile | $37.05 | $77,060 | $6,422 | $63,042 |
| 90th percentile | $45.78 | $95,210 | $7,934 | $75,810 |
Washington, D.C. has the highest HVAC median, $84,390, then Alaska ($77,430) and Illinois ($77,410). Arkansas is lowest at $48,110. Florida employs more HVAC technicians than any other state, 39,160, at $56,670 — below California's $72,560 and close to Texas's $57,760.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $40.57 | $84,390 | 400 |
| Alaska | $37.23 | $77,430 | 610 |
| Illinois | $37.21 | $77,410 | 9,740 |
| Massachusetts | $37.16 | $77,300 | 8,200 |
| Connecticut | $36.83 | $76,610 | 3,800 |
| Minnesota | $36.71 | $76,350 | 4,200 |
| Washington | $36.38 | $75,660 | 7,370 |
| North Dakota | $35.81 | $74,490 | 970 |
| New Jersey | $35.79 | $74,450 | 10,330 |
| New York | $35.78 | $74,430 | 24,430 |
| New Hampshire | $35.51 | $73,850 | 2,560 |
| California | $34.88 | $72,560 | 35,130 |
| Maryland | $33.67 | $70,020 | 8,560 |
| Rhode Island | $32.39 | $67,370 | 1,450 |
| Hawaii | $31.47 | $65,450 | 1,300 |
| Colorado | $31.35 | $65,200 | 8,940 |
| Maine | $30.37 | $63,170 | 2,250 |
| Oregon | $30.26 | $62,940 | 3,980 |
| Ohio | $30.06 | $62,510 | 14,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $30.00 | $62,400 | 15,880 |
| Delaware | $29.96 | $62,320 | 1,730 |
| Vermont | $29.88 | $62,150 | 970 |
| Wisconsin | $29.67 | $61,710 | 6,630 |
| South Dakota | $29.51 | $61,390 | 1,610 |
| Michigan | $29.26 | $60,850 | 12,590 |
| Montana | $29.26 | $60,850 | 1,230 |
| Iowa | $29.17 | $60,680 | 3,840 |
| Nevada | $29.09 | $60,510 | 4,170 |
| Kansas | $29.07 | $60,460 | 3,770 |
| Indiana | $29.05 | $60,430 | 8,530 |
| Missouri | $28.82 | $59,950 | 7,220 |
| Nebraska | $28.77 | $59,850 | 3,020 |
| Virginia | $28.72 | $59,730 | 14,690 |
| Arizona | $28.56 | $59,400 | 10,860 |
| Utah | $28.24 | $58,730 | 5,580 |
| Louisiana | $28.20 | $58,650 | 5,380 |
| Kentucky | $28.18 | $58,620 | 5,100 |
| Texas | $27.77 | $57,760 | 34,730 |
| Oklahoma | $27.67 | $57,560 | 5,650 |
| North Carolina | $27.53 | $57,260 | 15,230 |
| Florida | $27.24 | $56,670 | 39,160 |
| South Carolina | $27.22 | $56,610 | 6,920 |
| Georgia | $27.11 | $56,390 | 12,290 |
| Idaho | $27.04 | $56,240 | 4,550 |
| Tennessee | $26.68 | $55,490 | 9,740 |
| Wyoming | $26.30 | $54,700 | 690 |
| New Mexico | $24.17 | $50,270 | 1,950 |
| West Virginia | $23.49 | $48,850 | 1,690 |
| Mississippi | $23.41 | $48,680 | 2,700 |
| Alabama | $23.26 | $48,370 | 8,260 |
| Arkansas | $23.13 | $48,110 | 4,960 |
Wholesale distributors pay HVAC techs the most, $71,190, then retailers ($62,830) and schools and universities ($62,520). Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors employ 68% of technicians at a median of $60,030 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | $71,190 |
| Retail trade | $62,830 |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | $62,520 |
| Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors | $60,030 |
Most HVAC technicians work full time, and schedules can include evenings or weekends. They may be on call for emergencies and sometimes work overtime or irregular hours in peak heating and cooling seasons. Many start the day with several service calls to drive between, and work in cramped spaces, outdoors in any weather, or in buildings whose heating or cooling has failed (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
HVAC technicians are skilled tradespeople, and the federal rules say the learned-professional exemption doesn't cover the mechanical arts or skilled trades (29 CFR 541.301), so techs are owed time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek (U.S. Department of Labor). That makes summer and winter peaks worth real money, and BLS's figures leave all of it out.
Peak heating and cooling seasons are when HVAC overtime happens. The table adds seasonal overtime at time and a half of the BLS median hourly wage to a year's pay, for a range of busy-season lengths and weekly overtime hours. The weeks and hours are examples, not BLS data — enter your own in the calculator's overtime field (spread across the year) to include them in take-home pay.
| Busy-season weeks | 5 overtime hours a week | 10 overtime hours a week | 15 overtime hours a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | $1,760 | $3,520 | $5,279 |
| 12 | $2,640 | $5,279 | $7,919 |
| 16 | $3,520 | $7,039 | $10,559 |
| 20 | $4,400 | $8,799 | $13,199 |
Most HVAC technicians complete a 6-month to 2-year program at a trade school or community college; some start with a high school diploma, and some train through a paid apprenticeship lasting several years. New hires work alongside experienced techs for a long period before working alone. The EPA requires nearly all technicians to be certified to handle refrigerants, some states and localities require a license, and many employers want a driver's license (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
More ways to work with your HVAC technician pay:
$61,010 a year ($29.33 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $48,360 to $77,060.
District of Columbia ($40.57 an hour, $84,390 a year), then Alaska and Illinois; Arkansas pays least among the 51 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
Yes, generally: HVAC is a skilled trade, which the learned-professional exemption doesn't cover (29 CFR 541.301), so time and a half is owed after 40 hours in a workweek. BLS's pay figures exclude overtime, so busy-season overtime is on top of them.
In the Occupational Outlook Handbook's industry table, wholesale trade has the highest median and plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors the lowest of the four listed, even though contractors employ 68% of HVAC technicians.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.