The national median salary for HVAC technicians sits at $54,228 in 2026. That number is accurate, and it's also nearly useless on its own.
The real story is the spread. The bottom quarter of the field earns under $37,440. The top quarter clears $72,150. A Controls/BMS tech in Seattle or Chicago can hit $85,000–$90,000 before overtime. A first-year installer in rural Mississippi might see $36,000. Same trade, same EPA 608 card, wildly different paychecks — the gap comes down to state, specialty, experience, and whether you've invested in the certifications that actually move the needle.
The technician shortage is making all of these numbers move up. The HVAC industry is short roughly 110,000 qualified technicians right now, and that deficit compounds every year as the existing workforce ages toward retirement. Employers who struggled to recruit at $48,000 a few years ago are posting those same jobs at $56,000 today. In tight markets like the Pacific Northwest and the Chicago metro, signing bonuses and retention pay are increasingly common even for mid-career techs.
This breakdown covers where the money actually is: by state, by experience level, by certification, and by specialization. Use it to benchmark your current pay or figure out where your next move should be.
National HVAC Salary: What BLS Data Actually Shows
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes annual wage data for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers under SOC code 49-9021. The 2024 figures (the most recent OEWS release) show a national median of $54,228 per year, or roughly $26.07 per hour.
The percentile breakdown is where it gets more useful:
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 25th (entry to early-career) | $37,440 | $18.00 |
| 50th (national median) | $54,228 | $26.07 |
| 75th (experienced, certified) | $72,150 | $34.69 |
| 90th (top earners) | $85,000+ | $40.87+ |
Source: BLS OEWS 2024, SOC 49-9021
What drives the jump from p25 to p75? Three things, consistently: years of experience, specialization, and certifications. A residential tech with five years in and an EPA 608 Universal card is typically in the $52,000–$58,000 range. The same tech who crosses into commercial service work and adds a NATE certification can move to $65,000–$72,000 within a year of making the switch.
The highest-paying HVAC specialty — Controls/BMS — shows a p75 above $95,000. Techs who program and commission building automation systems using platforms like Johnson Controls Metasys, Trane Tracer, or Automated Logic WebCTRL are in a labor market of their own. There are far fewer of them than employers need, and the pay reflects it.
HVAC Salary by State: Top 15 Highest-Paying States
Geography matters more in HVAC than most trades want to admit. The same service call on a rooftop unit pays very differently in Illinois versus Alabama — not just because of cost of living, but because of union density, licensing requirements, commercial building density, and regional demand patterns.
The table below pulls from BLS OEWS 2024 state-level estimates for SOC 49-9021. All figures are median annual wages for the full HVAC tech category (residential, commercial, and refrigeration combined).
| Rank | State | Median Annual Salary | vs. National Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $72,100 | +33% |
| 2 | Washington | $70,200 | +29% |
| 3 | Washington D.C. | $68,700 | +27% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $68,400 | +26% |
| 5 | New York | $66,900 | +23% |
| 6 | Connecticut | $65,800 | +21% |
| 7 | New Jersey | $65,200 | +20% |
| 8 | Minnesota | $63,700 | +17% |
| 9 | Hawaii | $63,100 | +16% |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $62,300 | +15% |
| 11 | Nevada | $61,800 | +14% |
| 12 | California | $61,300 | +13% |
| 13 | Oregon | $60,400 | +11% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $59,200 | +9% |
| 15 | Maryland | $57,800 | +7% |
Source: BLS OEWS 2024, SOC 49-9021. National median: $54,228.
A few patterns worth noting:
Illinois tops the list by a significant margin, and the Chicago metro is the primary driver. The Chicagoland HVAC market is heavily unionized — UA Local 597 and SMART Sheet Metal locals set prevailing wage rates that pull the statewide average up substantially. If you work union commercial in Chicago, $72,000 is a floor, not a ceiling.
Washington state's high number reflects Seattle's commercial construction boom and data center proliferation in the Puget Sound region. Data center cooling is specialized, the demand is urgent, and the pay is correspondingly high. Techs with controls experience in the Seattle metro regularly post $80,000+ in total compensation.
New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island) clusters in the top 15 partly because of year-round HVAC demand — cold winters mean heating calls, humid summers mean cooling. The region also has strong unionization rates relative to the Sun Belt.
Nevada's appearance might be surprising, but Las Vegas has one of the highest concentrations of large commercial HVAC installations per capita of any U.S. market — casinos, hotels, convention centers, and data centers all running 24/7 in a desert climate. The demand is relentless.
You can see median wages for any state, including how each compares to the national figure, on the HVAC Salary Explorer. The Texas breakdown at /salary/texas shows how wide the within-state spread can be between a San Antonio installer and an Austin controls tech.
HVAC Salary by Experience Level
Experience is the most direct lever on HVAC pay, at least in the first decade. After that, specialization and business decisions matter more than raw tenure. Here's how earnings typically ladder up:
| Experience Level | Typical Annual Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / Helper (0–2 years) | $32,000–$40,000 | Training phase, limited solo service calls |
| Journeyman (2–5 years) | $45,000–$55,000 | EPA 608 Universal, running own calls |
| Senior Technician (5–10 years) | $55,000–$72,000 | Commercial capability, often NATE certified |
| Lead / Foreman (10+ years) | $65,000–$85,000 | Managing crews, complex system commissioning |
| Service Manager | $75,000–$100,000+ | P&L responsibility, scheduling, hiring |
The jump from apprentice to journeyman is substantial but expected — it happens as techs earn their EPA 608 and start running service calls independently. The bigger leverage point is the 5-year mark, where a tech who has moved into commercial work and picked up NATE certification can add $15,000–$20,000 to their annual pay within 12–18 months of making the transition.
The lead/foreman tier is where business skills start to matter as much as technical skills. Techs who can run a crew, communicate with customers, and close service agreements earn at the top of this band. The ones who don't build those skills tend to flatten out in the $60,000–$65,000 range regardless of technical competence.
Service manager compensation varies widely depending on company size and region. At a large commercial contractor in a high-wage market, $100,000+ in base pay is achievable. At a smaller residential shop in a lower-cost market, the ceiling is lower. Management-track techs should look at total compensation — many service manager roles include performance bonuses tied to departmental revenue that can add $10,000–$25,000 annually.
How Certifications Affect Your HVAC Salary
Certifications don't automatically raise your pay — employers have to value them, which means they have to be scarce enough to matter. Here's what the data shows for the major certs.
EPA 608 Universal
This is table stakes for most HVAC roles above entry level. Without it, you can't legally purchase refrigerants or work on most commercial systems. It adds $2,000–$5,000 per year relative to uncertified helpers, but it's more accurate to say it's the entry ticket to the jobs that pay decently rather than a premium on top of your current wage. Read the full EPA 608 Certification Guide for exam format, study resources, and what each type covers.
NATE Certification
NATE (North American Technician Excellence) is the industry's most recognized independent certification, and it carries a real wage premium. Fewer than 10% of practicing HVAC technicians are NATE-certified — that scarcity is why it moves the needle. Certified techs typically earn $5,000–$12,000 more annually than non-certified peers with comparable experience. Employers advertising for senior techs or commercial roles frequently list NATE certification as preferred and adjust the pay band accordingly. The credential also signals to customers that they're working with someone independently validated — useful for service techs who sell maintenance agreements.
State Contractor / Journeyman License
Licensing requirements vary enormously. Some states (Florida, Texas, California) require licensure to work independently; others have minimal requirements. In states where licensure is mandatory, holding your own license rather than working under a contractor's license is worth $3,000–$8,000 more per year in negotiating leverage, and it's a prerequisite for running your own shop.
OSHA 10 / OSHA 30
Most commercial contractors require OSHA 10 at minimum for any site work. The 30-hour card gets you onto prevailing-wage projects and government contracts. The salary bump is modest — $1,000–$3,000 — but the access it unlocks (government facilities, large commercial sites, union work) indirectly drives pay up.
HVAC Salary by Specialization
Where you work matters as much as where you live. The specialization breakdown below reflects national medians; adjust upward by roughly the state premium from the table above for your market.
| Specialization | Typical Annual Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Service | $49,000–$55,000 | Most techs start here; high volume, lower complexity |
| HVAC Installation | $45,000–$55,000 | Physical, seasonal demand fluctuations |
| Commercial Service | $57,000–$68,000 | Higher system complexity, larger employers |
| Refrigeration | $54,000–$65,000 | Walk-ins, display cases, cold storage |
| Controls / BMS | $72,000–$90,000+ | Building automation, DDC programming, BACnet |
The residential-to-commercial jump is the most accessible pay increase for most techs. The skills transfer: refrigerant handling, electrical diagnostics, heat load calculations. What changes is system scale and the expectation that you can navigate commercial relationships, read building plans, and work within commissioning protocols. Most techs who make this move report a pay increase of $8,000–$15,000 within the first 18 months.
Controls/BMS is the highest-paying HVAC specialty — and the fastest-growing. As commercial buildings add energy management systems, demand for techs who can program Trane Tracer, commission Automated Logic WebCTRL, or troubleshoot Siemens Desigo CC systems is outpacing the supply of people who can actually do it. A mid-career HVAC tech who invests 12–18 months in controls training is looking at a career ceiling significantly higher than traditional service work. The HVAC Salary Explorer breaks down how controls pay varies by metro if you want to model a specific move.
From what we see in the HVACJobs.IO data, Controls/BMS postings consistently show the widest gap between advertised pay and what the market actually delivers — employers budget higher because they're competing with each other for a small pool of qualified candidates.
Highest-Paying Cities for HVAC Technicians
Metro areas typically pay 5–20% above their state median, driven by commercial building density, higher cost of living adjustments, and stronger union presence. Here are the top-paying metros based on state median data combined with BLS OEWS metro-area cross-tabulations:
| City | State Median | Metro Premium | Estimated Metro Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | $66,900 | +28% | ~$85,600 |
| Chicago, IL | $72,100 | +14% | ~$82,200 |
| Bellevue, WA | $70,200 | +15% | ~$80,700 |
| Seattle, WA | $70,200 | +13% | ~$79,300 |
| San Jose, CA | $61,300 | +18% | ~$72,300 |
| San Francisco, CA | $61,300 | +22% | ~$74,800 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $61,300 | +12% | ~$68,700 |
| Naperville, IL | $72,100 | +9% | ~$78,600 |
| Arlington, VA | $53,700 | +15% | ~$61,800 |
| Raleigh, NC | $51,800 | +12% | ~$58,000 |
Metro premium estimates derived from BLS OEWS state/metro area cross-tabulations.
New York City's premium reflects the union-dominated commercial market — Local 638 of the Steam, Sprinkler, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Service workers sets rates that pull the metro well above the state average. Chicago's Chicagoland market operates similarly.
The California metros (San Francisco, San Jose) represent a different dynamic: tech industry demand for precision cooling in data centers and office campuses, combined with California's relatively high prevailing wage floors. A San Francisco tech working commercial service on Mission Bay office towers is in a different compensation tier than a residential tech in Fresno.
Raleigh's appearance reflects North Carolina's Research Triangle tech boom. Commercial construction has been running hot for years, and HVAC demand — particularly for controls-capable techs — has moved wages up faster than the state average.
How to Actually Increase Your HVAC Salary
Benchmarking your pay against the numbers above is only useful if you know what to do with the gap. Here are the moves that have the clearest ROI, roughly ordered by difficulty and time investment.
Get NATE Certified
This is the most direct certification investment in the trade. NATE specialty exams run $165–$265 depending on the specialty. On a $5,000–$12,000 annual pay premium, that's a payback period measured in weeks. Start with the specialty most relevant to your current work — Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, or Gas Heating are the most common for residential techs. Commercial Refrigeration or Air Distribution if you're commercial-focused.
Move from Residential to Commercial
The math is straightforward: residential service pays $49,000–$55,000 nationally, commercial pays $57,000–$68,000. The transition requires familiarity with rooftop units, AHUs, and the electrical side of commercial systems — most competent residential techs can get there within 6–12 months with intentional effort. Find a smaller commercial contractor willing to hire someone who's honest about the transition rather than overselling their experience.
Learn Controls/BMS
This is the longer play but the highest ceiling. Manufacturers like Trane, Johnson Controls, Carrier, and Automated Logic all offer factory training programs. Many are week-long courses that cost $500–$2,000. The HVAC industry has a chronic shortage of people who can actually program and troubleshoot DDC controllers, and that shortage isn't going away — buildings are getting more automated, not less. A residential tech who completes two or three OEM training programs and lands a controls-assistant role is looking at a path to $80,000+ within three to five years.
Consider High-Paying States
If you're in Mississippi ($43,900 median) or Arkansas ($44,800 median) and willing to relocate, the wage differential is significant. Illinois is $72,100. Washington is $70,200. Even accounting for higher cost of living in Chicago or Seattle, the real-wage gain on those moves is typically positive. The HVAC Salary Explorer lets you compare your home state against any target state so you can model the actual gap.
Negotiate with Data
Most HVAC salary negotiations fail because the tech doesn't have numbers. Walking into a review meeting and saying "I think I deserve more" accomplishes nothing. Walking in with the BLS state median, your NATE certification premium, and the knowledge that your current employer's job postings for your role list $8,000 more than what you're making is a different conversation entirely. Get the data, then have the meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average HVAC technician salary in 2026?
The national median for HVAC mechanics and installers is $54,228 per year, based on BLS OEWS 2024 data (SOC 49-9021). The 25th percentile is approximately $37,440 and the 75th percentile is approximately $72,150.
Which state pays HVAC technicians the most?
Illinois has the highest statewide median at $72,100, driven largely by the Chicago metro's union commercial market. Washington ($70,200), Washington D.C. ($68,700), and Massachusetts ($68,400) round out the top four.
How much more does a commercial HVAC tech make than residential?
Commercial HVAC technicians earn approximately $57,000–$68,000 nationally, compared to $49,000–$55,000 for residential service techs. That's a typical premium of $8,000–$15,000 per year, with the gap widening in high-wage markets.
Does NATE certification significantly increase pay?
Yes — NATE certification is associated with a $5,000–$12,000 annual pay premium compared to non-certified techs with similar experience. Fewer than 10% of practicing technicians hold NATE certification, which is why it retains meaningful market value.
What is the highest-paying HVAC specialty?
Controls/BMS (Building Management Systems) technicians earn the most in the trade, with a typical range of $72,000–$90,000+ annually. Techs who specialize in DDC programming and building automation platforms are in high demand and relatively short supply.
Do HVAC salaries vary within a state?
Significantly. In New York, the state median is $66,900, but a tech working commercial service in New York City can expect $85,000–$90,000 while rural areas track well below the state median. Metro areas typically pay 5–20% above the statewide figure.
What certifications do HVAC employers require most often?
EPA 608 Universal is required for the majority of service tech roles. NATE certification is preferred or required for senior-level positions at many commercial contractors. State-specific licensing (Florida, Texas, California, and others) is mandatory for any independent work in states with contractor licensing laws.
How long does it take to reach $70,000+ as an HVAC technician?
In a high-wage state with a commercial specialization and NATE certification, a motivated tech can reach $70,000 in 7–10 years. In a high-demand market like Chicago, Seattle, or the greater New York area with union work, that timeline can compress to 5–7 years. Residential-only work in lower-wage states will make $70,000 a longer reach without a deliberate move into commercial or controls work.
Ready to find a higher-paying HVAC position? Browse HVAC jobs with salary listed on HVACJobs.IO — every listing requires an employer-posted salary range, so you know what you're walking into before you apply. Use the HVAC Salary Explorer to see how your state and specialty stack up against the national data.