HVAC Technician Salary by State
Median and percentile wages for every state and the District of Columbia, May 2025, from the BLS OEWS state file.
Compare two states
California compared with United States
The median annual wage in California is $11,550 (18.9%) higher than in United States.
Data as of May 2025: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, released May 15, 2026.
The table below lists HVAC technician pay in each state for SOC 49-9021, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. Every cell comes from the official OEWS May 2025 state file published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Select a column heading to sort, or type a state name to filter. The last column compares the HVAC median with the median for all occupations in the same state, which shows how the trade pays against local wages in general.
24 of the 51 areas have a median above the national median of $61,010. The spread between states is wide: the top median is 75.4% higher than the lowest one. Within a state, the gap between the 10th and 90th percentiles is often wider still, because pay rises with experience, specialty, and the kind of employer.
51 of 51 rows shown
| Alabama | 8,260 | $23.26 | $48,370 | $36,510 | $65,690 | $51,320 | +5.9% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 610 | $37.23 | $77,430 | $48,580 | $105,140 | $80,150 | +26.9% |
| Arizona | 10,860 | $28.56 | $59,400 | $37,950 | $80,160 | $60,900 | +18.7% |
| Arkansas | 4,960 | $23.13 | $48,110 | $37,040 | $69,290 | $51,150 | +10.3% |
| California | 35,130 | $34.88 | $72,560 | $46,950 | $109,060 | $75,370 | +24.6% |
| Colorado | 8,940 | $31.35 | $65,200 | $48,220 | $103,640 | $71,330 | +9.0% |
| Connecticut | 3,800 | $36.83 | $76,610 | $45,280 | $100,160 | $73,590 | +28.3% |
| Delaware | 1,730 | $29.96 | $62,320 | $45,000 | $97,600 | $66,140 | +19.4% |
| District of Columbia | 400 | $40.57 | $84,390 | $49,940 | $108,240 | $84,920 | -7.8% |
| Florida | 39,160 | $27.24 | $56,670 | $38,370 | $78,210 | $57,310 | +18.4% |
| Georgia | 12,290 | $27.11 | $56,390 | $36,990 | $79,130 | $57,080 | +17.1% |
| Hawaii | 1,300 | $31.47 | $65,450 | $43,120 | $99,430 | $67,070 | +16.2% |
| Idaho | 4,550 | $27.04 | $56,240 | $38,660 | $80,780 | $60,010 | +17.2% |
| Illinois | 9,740 | $37.21 | $77,410 | $46,690 | $117,550 | $77,570 | +49.0% |
| Indiana | 8,530 | $29.05 | $60,430 | $40,460 | $97,800 | $65,110 | +26.3% |
| Iowa | 3,840 | $29.17 | $60,680 | $43,040 | $86,280 | $63,120 | +25.0% |
| Kansas | 3,770 | $29.07 | $60,460 | $43,660 | $83,500 | $61,470 | +25.9% |
| Kentucky | 5,100 | $28.18 | $58,620 | $38,790 | $80,020 | $58,870 | +24.9% |
| Louisiana | 5,380 | $28.20 | $58,650 | $36,950 | $78,210 | $56,880 | +28.8% |
| Maine | 2,250 | $30.37 | $63,170 | $47,090 | $82,090 | $65,300 | +22.8% |
| Maryland | 8,560 | $33.67 | $70,020 | $46,180 | $106,740 | $73,820 | +17.7% |
| Massachusetts | 8,200 | $37.16 | $77,300 | $50,820 | $102,410 | $77,760 | +21.6% |
| Michigan | 12,590 | $29.26 | $60,850 | $40,210 | $95,290 | $64,490 | +23.5% |
| Minnesota | 4,200 | $36.71 | $76,350 | $48,220 | $100,030 | $73,990 | +34.1% |
| Mississippi | 2,700 | $23.41 | $48,680 | $36,160 | $76,240 | $53,020 | +21.3% |
| Missouri | 7,220 | $28.82 | $59,950 | $39,180 | $88,760 | $62,410 | +25.4% |
| Montana | 1,230 | $29.26 | $60,850 | $41,900 | $81,230 | $62,260 | +24.8% |
| Nebraska | 3,020 | $28.77 | $59,850 | $43,540 | $81,110 | $61,050 | +22.2% |
| Nevada | 4,170 | $29.09 | $60,510 | $41,040 | $89,750 | $63,350 | +27.0% |
| New Hampshire | 2,560 | $35.51 | $73,850 | $47,520 | $97,140 | $71,490 | +32.2% |
| New Jersey | 10,330 | $35.79 | $74,450 | $48,020 | $116,550 | $77,580 | +27.1% |
| New Mexico | 1,950 | $24.17 | $50,270 | $37,380 | $75,770 | $55,330 | +6.5% |
| New York | 24,430 | $35.78 | $74,430 | $48,560 | $100,680 | $74,760 | +24.7% |
| North Carolina | 15,230 | $27.53 | $57,260 | $37,780 | $77,160 | $57,400 | +19.4% |
| North Dakota | 970 | $35.81 | $74,490 | $46,610 | $94,060 | $70,010 | +41.9% |
| Ohio | 14,150 | $30.06 | $62,510 | $38,630 | $98,310 | $66,000 | +26.6% |
| Oklahoma | 5,650 | $27.67 | $57,560 | $36,050 | $79,660 | $57,640 | +26.2% |
| Oregon | 3,980 | $30.26 | $62,940 | $46,990 | $94,520 | $68,430 | +10.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 15,880 | $30.00 | $62,400 | $45,970 | $89,440 | $64,880 | +25.6% |
| Rhode Island | 1,450 | $32.39 | $67,370 | $38,100 | $104,080 | $69,780 | +18.7% |
| South Carolina | 6,920 | $27.22 | $56,610 | $39,170 | $75,530 | $56,460 | +21.8% |
| South Dakota | 1,610 | $29.51 | $61,390 | $48,420 | $75,190 | $61,100 | +30.4% |
| Tennessee | 9,740 | $26.68 | $55,490 | $38,540 | $81,590 | $57,810 | +17.1% |
| Texas | 34,730 | $27.77 | $57,760 | $38,100 | $81,860 | $59,130 | +18.8% |
| Utah | 5,580 | $28.24 | $58,730 | $37,570 | $80,500 | $60,000 | +17.2% |
| Vermont | 970 | $29.88 | $62,150 | $50,280 | $93,110 | $67,070 | +10.2% |
| Virginia | 14,690 | $28.72 | $59,730 | $39,760 | $83,420 | $61,190 | +7.3% |
| Washington | 7,370 | $36.38 | $75,660 | $48,810 | $120,360 | $78,860 | +20.1% |
| West Virginia | 1,690 | $23.49 | $48,850 | $36,160 | $72,640 | $51,700 | +7.8% |
| Wisconsin | 6,630 | $29.67 | $61,710 | $45,930 | $98,070 | $67,410 | +22.8% |
| Wyoming | 690 | $26.30 | $54,700 | $37,840 | $79,050 | $55,760 | +8.8% |
United States: median $29.33 an hour, $61,010 a year; employment 409,670. Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 and excludes the self-employed.
Worked example: reading one row
Take Texas. Half of the 34,730 HVAC technicians counted in Texas earned more than $57,760 a year and half earned less; that is the median. One in ten earned less than $38,100 (the 10th percentile) and one in ten earned more than $81,860 (the 90th percentile). The mean of $59,130 is the average, which is pulled up by the highest earners. The Texas median is 18.8% above the median for all Texas jobs ($48,620).
About the data
- Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates, state file, released May 15, 2026. Fifty values were cross-checked against the BLS Public Data API and all matched.
- Wages are "straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay." Overtime, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses are excluded.
- Annual figures assume a 2,080-hour work year, as BLS does.
- For a single city or rural region, use the metro and nonmetro lookup on the HVAC technician pay tool.
Frequently asked questions
Which state pays HVAC technicians the most?
District of Columbia had the highest median annual wage in May 2025 at $84,390, followed by Alaska ($77,430) and Illinois ($77,410).
Which state pays HVAC technicians the least?
Arkansas had the lowest median annual wage at $48,110, just below Alabama ($48,370).
What is the HVAC technician salary in Texas?
The Texas median was $27.77 an hour or $57,760 a year in May 2025, with 34,730 jobs. The 10th percentile was $38,100 and the 90th percentile $81,860.
What is the HVAC technician salary in California?
The California median was $34.88 an hour or $72,560 a year in May 2025, 25.6% above the Texas median.
Why is the BLS median lower than some job ads?
OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. BLS excludes overtime pay, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses, and the survey does not cover the self-employed.
How often is this table updated?
BLS says the OEWS program produces employment and wage estimates annually. These are the May 2025 estimates released May 15, 2026. The site will move to the next release when BLS publishes it.
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Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers. Read from an Internet Archive copy dated September 30, 2026 because the agency site blocks automated access.
- BLS: Technical Notes for May 2025 OEWS Estimates. Read from an Internet Archive copy dated September 24, 2026 because the agency site blocks automated access.
- BLS news release: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025. Read from an Internet Archive copy dated October 2, 2026 because the agency site blocks automated access.
- BLS OEWS May 2025 state data file (oesm25st.zip).
- BLS OEWS May 2025 national data file (oesm25nat.zip).