A career in HVAC has never looked more financially promising — especially for those with experience. New nationwide salary data from Payscale.com reveals how technician pay is rising across the board, but also how regional cost-of-living differences and competitive hiring are reshaping how companies recruit and retain talent.
On average, entry-level technician pay is up 3.44%, intermediate 3.46%, senior 3.62%, and supervisor 3.53%.
Nationally, the Payscale.com data shows for 2025, an entry-level tech is at $54,100, or an hourly rate of $26.01; intermediate tech (two to four years experience) $65,700, or $31.59 per hour; senior techs (four to seven years) $77,200, or $37.12; and for supervisors (seven-plus years) the median is $90,800, or $43.65 per hour.
The pay also varies widely from state to state, with California, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, and New York rounding out the top five. On the other end of the spectrum, with the lowest listed first, are West Virginia, Mississippi, Wyoming, Arkansas, and South Dakota.
But, to no surprise, the cost of living also varies widely, meaning some of these dollars go further in different regions.
| STATE | ENTRY (<2 years) |
INTERMEDIATE (2-4 years) |
SENIOR (4-7 years) |
SUPERVISOR (>7 years) |
| Alabama | $50,900 | $61,900 | $72,600 | $85,400 |
| Alaska | $55,700 | $67,700 | $79,400 | $93,500 |
| Arizona | $52,900 | $64,300 | $75,400 | $88,700 |
| Arkansas | $50,000 | $60,800 | $71,400 | $84,000 |
| California | $59,200 | $72,000 | $84,500 | $99,400 |
| Colorado | $54,800 | $66,500 | $78,100 | $91,900 |
| Connecticut | $56,500 | $68,600 | $80,600 | $94,800 |
| Delaware | $54,700 | $66,500 | $78,100 | $91,800 |
| Florida | $52,100 | $63,300 | $74,300 | $87,400 |
| Georgia | $53,000 | $64,400 | $75,600 | $89,000 |
| Hawaii | $56,100 | $68,200 | $80,100 | $94,200 |
| Idaho | $51,300 | $62,300 | $73,200 | $86,100 |
| Illinois | $55,200 | $67,100 | $78,800 | $92,700 |
| Indiana | $52,000 | $63,100 | $74,100 | $87,200 |
| Iowa | $51,100 | $62,100 | $72,900 | $85,800 |
| Kansas | $51,900 | $63,100 | $74,000 | $87,100 |
| Kentucky | $51,100 | $62,000 | $72,800 | $85,700 |
| Louisiana | $52,200 | $63,400 | $74,500 | $87,600 |
| Maine | $52,500 | $63,800 | $74,900 | $88,200 |
| Maryland | $55,500 | $67,500 | $79,200 | $93,200 |
| Massachusetts | $57,500 | $69,800 | $82,000 | $96,400 |
| Michigan | $53,200 | $64,600 | $75,900 | $89,300 |
| Minnesota | $54,400 | $66,100 | $77,600 | $91,400 |
| Mississippi | $49,500 | $60,200 | $70,700 | $83,100 |
| Missouri | $52,300 | $63,600 | $74,600 | $87,800 |
| Montana | $50,800 | $61,700 | $72,500 | $85,300 |
| Nation | $54,100 | $65,700 | $77,200 | $90,800 |
| Nebraska | $51,500 | $62,600 | $73,400 | $86,400 |
| Nevada | $53,000 | $64,400 | $75,600 | $88,900 |
| New Hampshire | $55,000 | $66,800 | $78,500 | $92,300 |
| New Jersey | $58,300 | $70,800 | $83,100 | $97,800 |
| New Mexico | $52,500 | $63,700 | $74,800 | $88,000 |
| New York | $56,900 | $69,200 | $81,200 | $95,600 |
| North Carolina | $52,900 | $64,300 | $75,500 | $88,800 |
| North Dakota | $51,300 | $62,400 | $73,200 | $86,100 |
| Ohio | $52,200 | $63,400 | $74,400 | $87,500 |
| Oklahoma | $51,200 | $62,200 | $73,000 | $85,900 |
| Oregon | $55,000 | $66,800 | $78,400 | $92,200 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,900 | $65,500 | $76,900 | $90,500 |
| Rhode Island | $54,400 | $66,100 | $77,600 | $91,300 |
| South Carolina | $51,200 | $62,200 | $73,000 | $85,900 |
| South Dakota | $50,100 | $60,800 | $71,400 | $84,000 |
| Tennessee | $51,700 | $62,800 | $73,700 | $86,700 |
| Texas | $53,900 | $65,500 | $76,900 | $90,400 |
| Utah | $52,700 | $64,000 | $75,100 | $88,400 |
| Vermont | $51,200 | $62,200 | $73,000 | $85,900 |
| Virginia | $54,700 | $66,500 | $78,100 | $91,900 |
| Washington | $58,000 | $70,500 | $82,700 | $97,300 |
| West Virginia | $49,200 | $59,800 | $70,100 | $82,500 |
| Wisconsin | $52,700 | $64,100 | $75,200 | $88,500 |
| Wyoming | $49,600 | $60,200 | $70,700 | $83,200 |
(Courtesy of Payscale.com)
ServiceTitan reported that, for example, the median base pay for an entry-level HVAC tech in Charleston, West Virginia, is $48,500. To have the same standard of living in San Francisco, you’d need to make $96,942, but the actual median pay there for an entry-level tech is $64,200.
While these numbers are a positive for the recruitment of fresh blood to the industry, they also present a challenge to the companies’ hiring.
To help put some of this data into context, ACHR NEWS reached out to Angie Snow, principal industry advisor at ServiceTitan, and former owner/vice president of Western Heating Air & Plumbing in Orem, Utah.
ACHR NEWS: How do you determine the right pay scale for new techs when the market is changing so fast?
Snow: By the number of applications we get. If no one is applying, then we know we are too low. When recruiting for techs, it’s important to publish an earning range, but also have a structure (or a career path) in place to show the different growth and earning opportunities. These are based upon training, certifications, and performance. We also take into consideration skill set, mechanical aptitude, and how quickly the technician can learn on the job. Experience is important, but not as much as a technician’s attitude and aptitude.
When recruiting, we advertise on social media, Indeed, and on our website. Recently, the most successful recruiting source has been our own team. When they are happy working with us, making good money, and enjoying the culture and benefits, they are excited to have their friends join us. We hire some people with no experience and use our proven systems to train them and set them up for success in their role.
ACHR NEWS: What role do benefits, bonuses, or company culture play in attracting or retaining techs compared to salary alone?
Snow: It’s so important to continually review the portfolio of benefits that we provide for our technicians. Earlier on, as a smaller company, we didn’t have the ability to offer the same level of benefits as larger companies in our area. We always made sure to have the basics: health insurance, dental insurance, a retirement plan, and a life insurance option. We also found partners who could help us with optional supplemental insurance options, such as short-term disability and accidental coverage.
As our company scaled, we were able to increase benefits for our team, including better health benefits, matching contributions to retirement funds, as well as more PTO. This helped us stay competitive with our larger competitors.
We found that while these types of benefits were important to most of our technicians, our culture was what helped us attract the right team members and retain them. We became very clear about who we were as a company — defined by our values and mission. We attracted technicians who aligned with our values and served our customers at the highest levels.
It was really interesting to learn that some of my technicians were persuaded to join our team by their wives. Our company supports an organization called the Emily Effect, which raises awareness and provides support for mothers who are suffering from postpartum depression. That cause alone was enough for several of our technicians to join our team. Some of their own wives faced similar struggles, and they appreciated the outreach our company was doing for the community.
Finally, we are always looking for ways to improve the benefits that we offer to our technicians. If you want to know what’s important to them, ask them. With the younger workforce, time off is very important to them. They want time to be with their family, rest, and pursue hobbies and interests. Working a 60+ hour week is not attractive to younger generations. During the busy months, we need to operate at full capacity, so as to not miss out on the seasonal demand.
To solve for this, we began to look for adaptable solutions that could help our technicians achieve the better work-life balance they desired. We created a four-day workweek schedule that enabled our technicians to enjoy a five-day weekend every three weeks. It dramatically cut down on technician burnout, and we saw an increase in average tickets and productivity. With the four-day workweek in place, we also saw a decrease in PTO usage. Our technicians simply planned their vacations around their five-day weekends. This simple shift was something that none of our competitors were doing. Our technicians began to invite their friends and family to join our team as well. It’s been a great way to help us attract and retain our technicians.
ACHR NEWS: Have you seen HVAC techs leave for slightly higher pay elsewhere — or do these other factors seem to matter more?
Snow: Wages and pay are very important. We haven’t lost any of our technicians to higher wages in a long time. We pay competitively, if not the highest in our area. We have been very careful about designing a pay plan that rewards our technicians for their performance. If you want the best, you need to pay for the best. I believe that having great benefits, along with a solid culture and opportunities for learning and growth, is the key to technician longevity in a company.
ACHR NEWS: With entry-level techs now earning over $50K in many states, do you think enough young people understand the earning potential in HVAC?
Snow: Yes, I think more and more young people are starting to pay attention to it. The number of technicians who are posting and sharing on social media also contributes to the opportunities to be had in the trades, particularly HVAC.