Median pay for hvac technicians runs from $29,140 in Arecibo to $93,820 in Fairbanks-College — a 3.22× range across 522 metropolitan areas. The national median of $61,010 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of hvac technicians earn below $40,050 and ten per cent above $95,210 — a 2.38× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 56%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
5 of the ten best-paying metros for hvac technicians are in CA. When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in CA against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks-College AK | $93,820 | $45.11 | 0.96 | 90 |
| Anchorage AK | $85,620 | $41.16 | 0.71 | 330 |
| Napa CA | $84,570 | $40.66 | 0.36 | 70 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $82,050 | $39.45 | 0.58 | 1,740 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $80,100 | $38.51 | 0.72 | 3,940 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $79,510 | $38.23 | 1.04 | 560 |
| Peoria IL | $78,710 | $37.84 | 0.85 | 370 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | $78,640 | $37.81 | 0.5 | 260 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $78,530 | $37.75 | 0.85 | 6,050 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $78,490 | $37.73 | 0.64 | 3,980 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $78,330 | $37.66 | 0.82 | 210 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $77,990 | $37.50 | 0.87 | 21,820 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $77,960 | $37.48 | 0.61 | 7,210 |
| Decatur IL | $77,770 | $37.39 | 0.74 | 90 |
| Rochester MN | $77,500 | $37.26 | 0.59 | 190 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $77,490 | $37.25 | 0.98 | 1,050 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $77,490 | $37.25 | 0.47 | 2,420 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $77,010 | $37.02 | 1.11 | 150 |
| New Haven CT | $76,880 | $36.96 | 0.74 | 550 |
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $76,830 | $36.94 | 0.41 | 100 |
| Mankato MN | $76,670 | $36.86 | 0.83 | 120 |
| Springfield MA | $76,530 | $36.79 | 0.87 | 460 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $76,260 | $36.66 | 0.8 | 270 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $76,180 | $36.63 | 0.84 | 1,320 |
| Fargo ND-MN | $75,920 | $36.50 | 0.95 | 370 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arecibo PR | $29,140 | $14.01 | 0.37 | 30 |
| Mayaguez PR | $29,530 | $14.20 | 0.52 | 70 |
| Ponce PR | $29,970 | $14.41 | 0.32 | 50 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $32,380 | $15.57 | 0.5 | 920 |
| Beckley WV | $44,600 | $21.44 | 0.85 | 100 |
| Sebring FL | $44,720 | $21.50 | 2.25 | 170 |
| Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $45,150 | $21.71 | 0.27 | 60 |
| East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $45,400 | $21.83 | 1.01 | 180 |
| Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $45,470 | $21.86 | 1.07 | 180 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $45,600 | $21.93 | 0.95 | 90 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coeur d'Alene ID | $58,800 | $28.27 | 3.02 | 570 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $63,230 | $30.40 | 2.7 | 940 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL | $58,170 | $27.97 | 2.62 | 2,110 |
| Lawton OK | $72,980 | $35.09 | 2.49 | 280 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | $46,870 | $22.54 | 2.36 | 540 |
| Enid OK | $54,290 | $26.10 | 2.36 | 150 |
| Sebring FL | $44,720 | $21.50 | 2.25 | 170 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor FL | $50,470 | $24.26 | 2.22 | 340 |
| Boise City ID | $57,270 | $27.53 | 2.2 | 2,270 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $66,290 | $31.87 | 2.09 | 930 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL | $59,070 | $28.40 | 2.09 | 1,870 |
| Decatur AL | $48,750 | $23.44 | 2.07 | 330 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $77,990 | $37.50 | 0.87 | 21,820 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $59,560 | $28.63 | 1.02 | 10,910 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $73,830 | $35.49 | 0.65 | 10,720 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $58,040 | $27.90 | 1.23 | 9,140 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $71,920 | $34.58 | 1.06 | 8,730 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $64,580 | $31.05 | 1.13 | 8,610 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $61,170 | $29.41 | 1.29 | 8,070 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $58,940 | $28.34 | 0.89 | 7,680 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $77,960 | $37.48 | 0.61 | 7,210 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $58,970 | $28.35 | 0.93 | 7,060 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL | $50,540 | $24.30 | 1.6 | 6,090 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $78,530 | $37.75 | 0.85 | 6,050 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 49-9021. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 522 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.