Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay in the U.S.
$64,780avg. a year
$31.14 an hour · 409,670 employed
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in the U.S. earn an average of $64,780 a year and a median of $61,010. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($84,920) and lowest in Arkansas ($51,150).
$61,010Median pay
$31.14Average hourly
+21%Avg. pay since 2020
409,670Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1400 jobs
District of Columbia
$84,920
$40.83 an hour
2610 jobs
Alaska
$80,150
$38.53 an hour
37,370 jobs
Washington
$78,860
$37.91 an hour
48,200 jobs
Massachusetts
$77,760
$37.38 an hour
510,330 jobs
New Jersey
$77,580
$37.30 an hour
69,740 jobs
Illinois
$77,570
$37.29 an hour
735,130 jobs
California
$75,370
$36.24 an hour
824,430 jobs
New York
$74,760
$35.94 an hour
94,200 jobs
Minnesota
$73,990
$35.57 an hour
108,560 jobs
Maryland
$73,820
$35.49 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $58k$58k–$63k$63k–$71k$71k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $91,280 | $43.89 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $86,540 | $41.61 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $85,420 | $41.07 |
| Anchorage, AK | $85,290 | $41.01 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $84,230 | $40.50 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $80,540 | $38.72 |
| Salinas, CA | $80,530 | $38.71 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $79,890 | $38.41 |
Related jobs
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$53,780
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics$68,460
- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other$53,850
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers$91,970
- Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers$73,940
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers$41,490
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $51,320 | $48,370 | 8,260 |
| Alaska | $80,150 | $77,430 | 610 |
| Arizona | $60,900 | $59,400 | 10,860 |
| Arkansas | $51,150 | $48,110 | 4,960 |
| California | $75,370 | $72,560 | 35,130 |
| Colorado | $71,330 | $65,200 | 8,940 |
| Connecticut | $73,590 | $76,610 | 3,800 |
| Delaware | $66,140 | $62,320 | 1,730 |
| District of Columbia | $84,920 | $84,390 | 400 |
| Florida | $57,310 | $56,670 | 39,160 |
| Georgia | $57,080 | $56,390 | 12,290 |
| Hawaii | $67,070 | $65,450 | 1,300 |
| Idaho | $60,010 | $56,240 | 4,550 |
| Illinois | $77,570 | $77,410 | 9,740 |
| Indiana | $65,110 | $60,430 | 8,530 |
| Iowa | $63,120 | $60,680 | 3,840 |
| Kansas | $61,470 | $60,460 | 3,770 |
| Kentucky | $58,870 | $58,620 | 5,100 |
| Louisiana | $56,880 | $58,650 | 5,380 |
| Maine | $65,300 | $63,170 | 2,250 |
| Maryland | $73,820 | $70,020 | 8,560 |
| Massachusetts | $77,760 | $77,300 | 8,200 |
| Michigan | $64,490 | $60,850 | 12,590 |
| Minnesota | $73,990 | $76,350 | 4,200 |
| Mississippi | $53,020 | $48,680 | 2,700 |
| Missouri | $62,410 | $59,950 | 7,220 |
| Montana | $62,260 | $60,850 | 1,230 |
| Nebraska | $61,050 | $59,850 | 3,020 |
| Nevada | $63,350 | $60,510 | 4,170 |
| New Hampshire | $71,490 | $73,850 | 2,560 |
| New Jersey | $77,580 | $74,450 | 10,330 |
| New Mexico | $55,330 | $50,270 | 1,950 |
| New York | $74,760 | $74,430 | 24,430 |
| North Carolina | $57,400 | $57,260 | 15,230 |
| North Dakota | $70,010 | $74,490 | 970 |
| Ohio | $66,000 | $62,510 | 14,150 |
| Oklahoma | $57,640 | $57,560 | 5,650 |
| Oregon | $68,430 | $62,940 | 3,980 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,880 | $62,400 | 15,880 |
| Rhode Island | $69,780 | $67,370 | 1,450 |
| South Carolina | $56,460 | $56,610 | 6,920 |
| South Dakota | $61,100 | $61,390 | 1,610 |
| Tennessee | $57,810 | $55,490 | 9,740 |
| Texas | $59,130 | $57,760 | 34,730 |
| Utah | $60,000 | $58,730 | 5,580 |
| Vermont | $67,070 | $62,150 | 970 |
| Virginia | $61,190 | $59,730 | 14,690 |
| Washington | $78,860 | $75,660 | 7,370 |
| West Virginia | $51,700 | $48,850 | 1,690 |
| Wisconsin | $67,410 | $61,710 | 6,630 |
| Wyoming | $55,760 | $54,700 | 690 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$79,730
21,820 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$61,760
10,910 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$74,630
10,720 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$60,000
9,140 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$73,740
8,730 jobs$69,440
8,610 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$62,210
8,070 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$60,390
7,680 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make?
The average is $64,780 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $61,010 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $31.14, and the median is $29.33 an hour.
Which state pays heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $84,920 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $91,280.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $40,050 a year, and the top 10% earn over $95,210.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 49-9021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.