Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay in the United States

Goes furthest in North Dakota
·Installation and Repair·
410k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$29.33/hr median
409,670 employed
+11% to 2035
30% AI exposure
Postsecondary nondegree award
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.

Where the money actually goes furthest

District of Columbia pays the highest headline figure at $84,390. Adjusted for what things cost there it is worth $76,787 — less than North Dakota, where $74,490 is worth $83,734.

Pay by state

54 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
North Dakota$35.81/hr$74,490$83,734$74,267970
Illinois$37.21/hr$77,410$77,440$73,7159,740
Minnesota$36.71/hr$76,350$77,418$72,6214,200
District of Columbia$40.57/hr$84,390$76,787$80,057400
Alaska$37.23/hr$77,430$75,644$77,430610
Connecticut$36.83/hr$76,610$73,940$73,1463,800
Massachusetts$37.16/hr$77,300$73,090$73,4358,200
New Hampshire$35.51/hr$73,850$70,893$73,8502,560
Washington$36.38/hr$75,660$70,703$75,6607,370
South Dakota$29.51/hr$61,390$69,296$61,3901,610
Iowa$29.17/hr$60,680$69,143$58,9283,840
New York$35.78/hr$74,430$68,967$70,94124,430
New Jersey$35.79/hr$74,450$68,422$71,82910,330
Ohio$30.06/hr$62,510$67,381$61,50714,150
Kansas$29.07/hr$60,460$67,125$57,3743,770
Maryland$33.67/hr$70,020$66,711$66,8748,560
Louisiana$28.20/hr$58,650$66,489$57,2655,380
Nebraska$28.77/hr$59,850$66,426$57,6473,020
Missouri$28.82/hr$59,950$66,009$57,9897,220
Rhode Island$32.39/hr$67,370$65,868$65,2391,450
Wisconsin$29.67/hr$61,710$65,579$59,5376,630
California$34.88/hr$72,560$65,534$69,73835,130
Oklahoma$27.67/hr$57,560$65,528$55,3165,650
Maine$30.37/hr$63,170$65,090$60,1462,250
Kentucky$28.18/hr$58,620$65,017$56,4015,100
Indiana$29.05/hr$60,430$64,748$58,6478,530
Montana$29.26/hr$60,850$64,289$58,3741,230
Pennsylvania$30.00/hr$62,400$63,954$60,48415,880
Vermont$29.88/hr$62,150$63,444$59,985970
Colorado$31.35/hr$65,200$63,270$63,0498,940
Michigan$29.26/hr$60,850$63,240$58,50112,590
Delaware$29.96/hr$62,320$62,438$59,4281,730
Oregon$30.26/hr$62,940$60,893$57,9733,980
North Carolina$27.53/hr$57,260$60,701$55,36815,230
Nevada$29.09/hr$60,510$60,522$60,5104,170
Tennessee$26.68/hr$55,490$60,400$55,4909,740
South Carolina$27.22/hr$56,610$60,384$54,6826,920
Hawaii$31.47/hr$65,450$59,527$61,9191,300
Texas$27.77/hr$57,760$59,509$57,76034,730
Utah$28.24/hr$58,730$59,407$56,0575,580
Virginia$28.72/hr$59,730$59,080$57,04114,690
Wyoming$26.30/hr$54,700$59,013$54,700690
Arizona$28.56/hr$59,400$58,998$58,28010,860
Idaho$27.04/hr$56,240$58,896$54,0334,550
Georgia$27.11/hr$56,390$58,562$54,08612,290
Mississippi$23.41/hr$48,680$55,986$46,6392,700
Arkansas$23.13/hr$48,110$55,337$46,4104,960
Florida$27.24/hr$56,670$54,801$56,67039,160
West Virginia$23.49/hr$48,850$54,581$47,2911,690
New Mexico$24.17/hr$50,270$54,516$48,9191,950
Alabama$23.26/hr$48,370$54,458$46,1418,260
Virgin Islands$21.65/hr$45,030Not publishedNot published70
Guam$19.28/hr$40,110Not publishedNot published240
Puerto Rico$15.14/hr$31,480Not publishedNot published1,140

National median for comparison: $61,010. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$61,010/year

$29.33/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$28,840$102,170

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

30%Low exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods disagree — treat any single figure for this job with caution.

Method 1 — ability mix43%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content16%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by +11% between 2025 and 2035, with about 40,600 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.
  • Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.
  • Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools.
  • Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring.
  • Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock.
  • Estimate, order, pick up, deliver, and install materials and supplies needed to maintain equipment in good working condition.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

Where heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by cottonbro studio.