The Essential HVAC Salary Guide for 2023

December 21, 2022 3 min. read

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HVAC Salary in the United States

You’ve come to the right place

If you’re looking to hire an HVAC professional to join your team, you probably have some questions about what to pay them. To help you, we’ve put together the essential HVAC salary guide with up-to-date, crowdsourced data courtesy of Payscale. Below, you will find HVAC salary information based on national averages, years of experience, job title, and geographic location.

How much do HVAC techs and managers make in the United States?

There are a few factors that will affect an HVAC salary (or AC technician salary, if you’re in a warmer climate). Things to ask yourself include:

How much do HVAC technicians make in the state where they live?
What is the average HVAC hourly rate vs. annual salary?
How much experience does the HVAC service technician that you’re looking to hire have?
How much does an HVAC technician or manager earn on average in the U.S.?

An HVAC salary is $49,535 per year on average
An HVAC’s hourly rate is $20.29 on average
HVAC service managers earn $72,899 per year on average
HVAC technicians start at $36,614 per year on average

Average HVAC Salary in the U.S.

| Detailed Breakdown

To help you better understand how to determine what you pay your employees, we have provided a detailed breakdown of HVAC salaries by state and by years of experience.

Use this information to ensure you are paying fair wages in your state to help attract and retain top performers.

Jessica Bannister of Cam Cool Refrigeration

Cam Cool Refrigeration Port Coquitlam, BC

State-by-state average HVAC technician salaries

Where your HVAC technician or manager works will affect their average income. To illustrate, the HVAC salary in California is $55,706 on average, whereas an HVAC salary in Texas is $48,189 and in Florida, it’s $43,865.

Average HVAC Salary by State (USD)

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$56,000-$59,000
$52,000-$55,999
$48,000-$51,999
$44,000-$47,999
$40,000-$43,999

State	Average Salary (USD)
Alabama	$42,947
Alaska	$56,965
Arizona	$48,977
Arkansas	$42,271
California	$55,706
Colorado	$50,180
Connecticut	$54,828
Delaware	$46,935
District Of Columbia	$50,523
Florida	$43,865
Georgia	$45,258
Hawaii	$55,589
Idaho	$46,207
Illinois	$49,504
Indiana	$45,416
Iowa	$46,529
Kansas	$46,620
Kentucky	$42,550
Louisiana	$43,775
Maine	$46,831
Maryland	$49,873
Massachusetts	$55,743
Michigan	$45,258
Minnesota	$49,348
Mississippi	$41,443
Missouri	$46,923
Montana	$47,158
Nebraska	$45,544
Nevada	$52,173
New Hampshire	$50,940
New Jersey	$55,043
New Mexico	$48,025
New York	$52,765
North Carolina	$44,287
North Dakota	$47,820
Ohio	$43,340
Oklahoma	$43,084
Oregon	$52,773
Pennsylvania	$49,800
Rhode Island	$51,046
South Carolina	$40,567
South Dakota	$44,769
Tennessee	$43,124
Texas	$48,189
Utah	$45,990
Vermont	$47,944
Virginia	$45,064
Washington	$56,584
West Virginia	$40,665
Wisconsin	$47,702
Wyoming	$48,202

HVAC technician salaries by years of experience

You might be wondering what the starting HVAC salary is compared to an experienced HVAC salary. HVAC salaries increase as they earn experience. HVAC technicians with less than three years of experience earn an average salary of $36,614, but after six years of experience in the trade, they can earn over $50,000.

Here are national HVAC salary averages based on their levels of experience. Use the drop-down menu to see data for your state.

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National Average	<1 year	1-2 yrs	3-5 yrs	6-10 yrs	11+ yrs
Alabama	$31,741	$38,789	$43,381	$47,841	$52,983
Alaska	$42,125	$51,471	$57,553	$63,452	$70,224
Arizona	$36,151	$44,195	$49,449	$54,568	$60,520
Arkansas	$31,225	$38,165	$42,690	$47,092	$52,184
California	$41,193	$50,332	$56,281	$62,050	$68,677
Colorado	$37,039	$45,281	$50,663	$55,908	$62,008
Connecticut	$40,497	$49,498	$55,369	$61,081	$67,695
Delaware	$34,671	$42,376	$47,401	$52,287	$57,939
District Of Columbia	$37,181	$45,493	$50,951	$56,313	$62,676
Florida	$32,408	$39,609	$44,303	$48,866	$54,139
Georgia	$33,426	$40,857	$45,704	$50,420	$55,883
Hawaii	$41,089	$50,211	$56,153	$61,922	$68,570
Idaho	$34,117	$41,705	$46,657	$51,480	$57,077
Illinois	$36,550	$44,679	$49,985	$55,153	$61,152
Indiana	$33,636	$41,080	$45,910	$50,575	$55,877
Iowa	$34,334	$41,977	$46,972	$51,843	$57,520
Kansas	$34,436	$42,089	$47,081	$51,937	$57,557
Kentucky	$31,435	$38,420	$42,974	$47,401	$52,520
Louisiana	$32,345	$39,530	$44,213	$48,765	$54,024
Maine	$34,570	$42,261	$47,283	$52,176	$57,863
Maryland	$36,840	$45,027	$50,367	$55,560	$61,570
Massachusetts	$41,162	$50,316	$56,289	$62,104	$68,846
Michigan	$33,408	$40,841	$45,694	$50,423	$55,921
Minnesota	$36,421	$44,527	$49,821	$54,983	$60,990
Mississippi	$30,618	$37,421	$41,856	$46,169	$51,154
Missouri	$34,628	$42,335	$47,371	$52,282	$58,001
Montana	$34,827	$42,570	$47,621	$52,538	$58,233
Nebraska	$33,619	$41,099	$45,983	$50,743	$56,275
Nevada	$38,540	$47,105	$52,690	$58,123	$64,407
New Hampshire	$37,595	$45,962	$51,428	$56,756	$62,958
New Jersey	$40,675	$49,709	$55,597	$61,317	$67,920
New Mexico	$35,475	$43,359	$48,501	$53,502	$59,290
New York	$39,019	$47,675	$53,309	$58,772	$65,049
North Carolina	$32,701	$39,973	$44,719	$49,341	$54,704
North Dakota	$35,344	$43,192	$48,304	$53,269	$58,992
Ohio	$31,999	$39,116	$43,761	$48,285	$53,536
Oklahoma	$31,828	$38,901	$43,512	$47,997	$53,182
Oregon	$38,943	$47,612	$53,276	$58,801	$65,235
Pennsylvania	$36,760	$44,938	$50,280	$55,485	$61,540
Rhode Island	$37,685	$46,068	$51,541	$56,872	$63,062
South Carolina	$29,974	$36,633	$40,973	$45,192	$50,064
South Dakota	$33,061	$40,412	$45,208	$49,876	$55,288
Tennessee	$31,850	$38,930	$43,549	$48,044	$53,251
Texas	$35,605	$43,515	$48,671	$53,683	$59,473
United States	$36,614	$44,743	$50,037	$55,178	$61,101
Utah	$33,943	$41,496	$46,431	$51,241	$56,838
Vermont	$35,395	$43,269	$48,409	$53,416	$59,231
Virginia	$33,308	$40,703	$45,520	$50,198	$55,589
Washington	$41,769	$51,062	$57,131	$63,044	$69,916
West Virginia	$30,059	$36,732	$41,078	$45,298	$50,160
Wisconsin	$35,185	$43,023	$48,148	$53,152	$59,000
Wyoming	$35,613	$43,525	$48,683	$53,697	$59,491

HVAC salaries by job title

If you’re wondering how an HVAC apprentice salary compares to an HVAC journeyman salary or a master HVAC salary, salaries rise as they become more qualified. Their salaries also increase as they advance to management roles. HVAC service managers, responsible for leading a team of technicians, earn up to 47% more on average than HVAC service technicians. If you’re looking for information on the average HVAC business owner’s salary, you can use the information provided below to help set your rates.

Here are the national averages for both HVAC service technicians’ and managers’ salaries.