HVAC Technicians Salary: $59,810 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 396,870 hvac technicians work nationally, and $59,810 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 5.4% annual growth.
HVAC Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about hvac technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a hvac technicians?
HVAC Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 49-9021.
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 396,870 workers.
What does a hvac technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Handling and Moving Objects, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a hvac technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $59,810 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $76,478 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,247 |
| 25th percentile | $57,233 |
| Median (50th) | $67,050 |
| 75th percentile | $87,004 |
| 90th percentile | $110,501 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking, Repairing, Installation, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Engineering and Technology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is hvac technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 29.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 68.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 396,870.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do hvac technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 396,870 | 17.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 377,330 | 16.2% |
| Construction | 302,390 | 13.0% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 299,220 | 12.8% |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 298,000 | 12.8% |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 290,620 | 12.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for HVAC Technicians in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers | 59,990 | $71,300 |
| Carpenters | 697,740 | $59,310 |
| Plumbers | 33,580 | $48,710 |
| Electricians | 742,580 | $62,350 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the HVAC Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
396,870 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for HVAC Technicians grew from 58,460 in 2009 to 134,820 in 2025 (130.6%).
Historical employment for HVAC Technicians from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$59,810 Median pay (BLS national)
HVAC Technicians earn $59,810 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for HVAC Technicians.
Salary distribution for HVAC Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
5.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
175,048 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 29.8%
227,281 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 68.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 5.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for HVAC Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ HVAC Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of HVAC Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for HVAC Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for HVAC Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for HVAC Technicians.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- FL: 38,290 employees, $55,110 avg wage
- CA: 34,020 employees, $74,470 avg wage
- TX: 32,070 employees, $58,120 avg wage
- NY: 22,710 employees, $70,480 avg wage
- PA: 16,930 employees, $63,250 avg wage
- NC: 13,750 employees, $54,710 avg wage
- MI: 13,720 employees, $61,120 avg wage
- VA: 13,640 employees, $61,260 avg wage
- OH: 13,570 employees, $62,140 avg wage
- GA: 12,210 employees, $55,340 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for HVAC Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 21,340 employees, $74,560 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 9,980 employees, $61,050 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 9,420 employees, $74,330 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 9,200 employees, $57,590 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 8,290 employees, $67,000 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 7,920 employees, $60,180 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 7,110 employees, $71,640 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 7,060 employees, $59,060 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 7,000 employees, $59,780 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 6,140 employees, $74,840 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for HVAC Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on HVAC Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for HVAC Technicians is about 396,870 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for HVAC Technicians.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for HVAC Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for HVAC Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by HVAC Technicians in 2023 were Hvac Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Technical Training.
Common majors for HVAC Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by HVAC Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for HVAC Technicians.
Skills
HVAC Technicians need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking, Repairing, Installation.
Required skills for HVAC Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for HVAC Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for HVAC Technicians include Mechanical, Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for HVAC Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for HVAC Technicians include Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for HVAC Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by HVAC Technicians.
Daily Activities
HVAC Technicians spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Handling and Moving Objects.
Most important work activities for HVAC Technicians.
About
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
HVAC Technicians earn $59,810 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
49-9021 - HVAC Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: HVAC Technicians reports an average salary of $76,478.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 396,870 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 5.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.