Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- District of Columbia$84,920
- Alaska$80,150
- Washington$78,860
- Massachusetts$77,760
- New Jersey$77,580
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Arkansas$51,150
- Alabama$51,320
- West Virginia$51,700
- Mississippi$53,020
- New Mexico$55,330
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $84,920 | $84,390 | $41 | +31.1% | 400 |
| 2 | Alaska | $80,150 | $77,430 | $39 | +23.7% | 610 |
| 3 | Washington | $78,860 | $75,660 | $38 | +21.7% | 7,370 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $77,760 | $77,300 | $37 | +20% | 8,200 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $77,580 | $74,450 | $37 | +19.8% | 10,330 |
| 6 | Illinois | $77,570 | $77,410 | $37 | +19.7% | 9,740 |
| 7 | California | $75,370 | $72,560 | $36 | +16.3% | 35,130 |
| 8 | New York | $74,760 | $74,430 | $36 | +15.4% | 24,430 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $73,990 | $76,350 | $36 | +14.2% | 4,200 |
| 10 | Maryland | $73,820 | $70,020 | $35 | +14% | 8,560 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $73,590 | $76,610 | $35 | +13.6% | 3,800 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $71,490 | $73,850 | $34 | +10.4% | 2,560 |
| 13 | Colorado | $71,330 | $65,200 | $34 | +10.1% | 8,940 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $70,010 | $74,490 | $34 | +8.1% | 970 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $69,780 | $67,370 | $34 | +7.7% | 1,450 |
| 16 | Oregon | $68,430 | $62,940 | $33 | +5.6% | 3,980 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $67,410 | $61,710 | $32 | +4.1% | 6,630 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $67,070 | $65,450 | $32 | +3.5% | 1,300 |
| 19 | Vermont | $67,070 | $62,150 | $32 | +3.5% | 970 |
| 20 | Delaware | $66,140 | $62,320 | $32 | +2.1% | 1,730 |
| 21 | Ohio | $66,000 | $62,510 | $32 | +1.9% | 14,150 |
| 22 | Maine | $65,300 | $63,170 | $31 | +0.8% | 2,250 |
| 23 | Indiana | $65,110 | $60,430 | $31 | +0.5% | 8,530 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $64,880 | $62,400 | $31 | +0.2% | 15,880 |
| 25 | Michigan | $64,490 | $60,850 | $31 | -0.4% | 12,590 |
| 26 | Nevada | $63,350 | $60,510 | $30 | -2.2% | 4,170 |
| 27 | Iowa | $63,120 | $60,680 | $30 | -2.6% | 3,840 |
| 28 | Missouri | $62,410 | $59,950 | $30 | -3.7% | 7,220 |
| 29 | Montana | $62,260 | $60,850 | $30 | -3.9% | 1,230 |
| 30 | Kansas | $61,470 | $60,460 | $30 | -5.1% | 3,770 |
| 31 | Virginia | $61,190 | $59,730 | $29 | -5.5% | 14,690 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $61,100 | $61,390 | $29 | -5.7% | 1,610 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $61,050 | $59,850 | $29 | -5.8% | 3,020 |
| 34 | Arizona | $60,900 | $59,400 | $29 | -6% | 10,860 |
| 35 | Idaho | $60,010 | $56,240 | $29 | -7.4% | 4,550 |
| 36 | Utah | $60,000 | $58,730 | $29 | -7.4% | 5,580 |
| 37 | Texas | $59,130 | $57,760 | $28 | -8.7% | 34,730 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $58,870 | $58,620 | $28 | -9.1% | 5,100 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $57,810 | $55,490 | $28 | -10.8% | 9,740 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $57,640 | $57,560 | $28 | -11% | 5,650 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $57,400 | $57,260 | $28 | -11.4% | 15,230 |
| 42 | Florida | $57,310 | $56,670 | $28 | -11.5% | 39,160 |
| 43 | Georgia | $57,080 | $56,390 | $27 | -11.9% | 12,290 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $56,880 | $58,650 | $27 | -12.2% | 5,380 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $56,460 | $56,610 | $27 | -12.8% | 6,920 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $55,760 | $54,700 | $27 | -13.9% | 690 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $55,330 | $50,270 | $27 | -14.6% | 1,950 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $53,020 | $48,680 | $25 | -18.2% | 2,700 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $51,700 | $48,850 | $25 | -20.2% | 1,690 |
| 50 | Alabama | $51,320 | $48,370 | $25 | -20.8% | 8,260 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $51,150 | $48,110 | $25 | -21% | 4,960 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 518 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairbanks-College, AK | $93,820 | $84,820 | 90 |
| 2 | Anchorage, AK | $85,620 | $85,290 | 330 |
| 3 | Napa, CA | $84,570 | $84,650 | 70 |
| 4 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $82,050 | $91,280 | 1,740 |
| 5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $80,100 | $85,420 | 3,940 |
| 6 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $79,510 | $84,230 | 560 |
| 7 | Peoria, IL | $78,710 | $78,520 | 370 |
| 8 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $78,640 | $79,640 | 260 |
| 9 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,530 | $79,890 | 6,050 |
| 10 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $78,490 | $86,540 | 3,980 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installerss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Systems Design and Related Services | $115,910 | $106,740 | 200 |
| 2 | Scheduled Air Transportation | $114,080 | $112,640 | 70 |
| 3 | Air Transportation | $113,960 | $111,220 | 70 |
| 4 | Natural Gas Distribution | $105,630 | $99,870 | 720 |
| 5 | Rail Transportation | $103,840 | $96,740 | 40 |
| 6 | Rail Transportation | $103,840 | $96,740 | 40 |
| 7 | Utilities | $101,420 | $90,520 | 1,220 |
| 8 | Sector 22 - Utilities | $101,420 | $90,520 | 1,220 |
| 9 | Pipeline Transportation | $100,390 | $97,620 | 50 |
| 10 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | $100,350 | $89,850 | — |
| 11 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | $96,680 | $87,530 | — |
| 12 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | $95,650 | $90,650 | 240 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make in the U.S.?
The median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary in the United States is $61,010 per year (mean $64,780), and about 80% earn between $40,050 and $95,210.
How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make per hour?
Roughly $31 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $64,780 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers the most?
District of Columbia has the highest average pay for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers at $84,920 per year (median $84,390).
What is the job outlook for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers?
Employment is projected to change +8.1% from 2024 to 2034 (Much faster than average), with about 40,100 openings per year.