HVAC salary for technicians—what should you pay them, by state.
Keeping folks comfortable in their homes and businesses is the primary goal of an HVAC technician. Working to do that in Arizona’s scorching heat and the freezing winters of Colorado can be challenging. That’s why good HVAC technicians can be hard to come by.
As the owner of an HVAC company, you know that providing quality service to your customers is number one. But remember that happy employees make happy customers. Fortunately, here we have done all the research for you, and listed the average salary you should pay your HVAC technicians, broken down by each state. (All 50 of them)
Not enough HVAC technician salary, or too much?
Salary is at the top of the list of every employee’s interest in working for a company. HVAC technicians are no exception. If you want to hire and retain high-quality HVAC technicians, you must know what they are worth.
There is a delicate balance between ensuring your HVAC technicians are compensated accordingly and not running your business into the ground financially while doing so.
Fifty-three percent of employed HVAC technicians believe their current salary can sufficiently cover the cost of living expenses. That’s pretty good. However, the remaining forty-seven percent don’t seem to think that their salary can help them make ends meet.
Your HVAC techs sometimes work in uncomfortable places, cramped and confined spaces, climbing high roofs, and everywhere in between. It is only fair that you consider all of this when deciding the HVAC salary for a service technician.
Not to mention the various job hazards the HVAC service technician may face. Such as handling toxic refrigerants, possible electrical shock, and carbon monoxide poisoning. That last one is at least worth a major Christmas bonus.
Now, on the flip side, sure, it’s important to pay your HVAC technicians fair compensation for their salary. It’s also equally as crucial that you don’t fork out too much. Technically you don’t include labor when you’re calculating overhead costs, but it’s certainly something to keep in mind.
Try using a tool like Podium to keep your general overhead costs down to give you some leeway with your HVAC technician salary. It’s a great app that will help improve your business all around. It enables you to consolidate your communications with both workers and customers, plus it’s got a useful review feature to help you rack up tons of five stars reviews from customers. You can even get started with Podium for free today.
If you start paying your HVAC technicians salary above the average hourly rate right out the gate, you put yourself in a corner. You don’t want to end up having to hike the price for your customers just to pay your workers’ salaries. That would be counterproductive.
You also want to leave some wiggle room for compensation raises and to be able to pay your HVAC technicians salary based on experience and training. Let’s say you hire a new HVAC technician right out of school. They are certainly going to improve over time, take some HVAC continuing education courses, and expect to earn more as that happens as far as an hourly rate goes.
Keeping all this in mind, below, you will find a list of what the average HVAC technician is getting paid yearly in each state of the United States. This is based on an HVAC tech that is EPA certified, has an intermediate experience level. They aren’t a newbie but aren’t a seasoned HVAC veteran either. Those rates and variables we’ll discuss later.
Average annual salaries for HVAC techs by state.
Alabama: $37,300
Alaska: $66,800
Arizona: $39,332
Arkansas: $38,193
California: $55,100
Colorado: $51,900
Connecticut: $62,300
Delaware: $50,600
Florida: $40,600
Georgia: $40,500
Hawaii: $61,700
Idaho: $39,200
Illinois: $59,600
Indiana: $43,500
Iowa: $49,000
Kansas: $51,600
Kentucky: $42,600
Louisiana: $42,800
Maine: $47,400
Maryland: $56,900
Massachusetts: $58,800
Michigan: $46,800
Minnesota: $51,400
Mississippi: $38,800
Missouri: $45,400
Montana: $43,800
Nebraska: $46,000
Nevada: $53,700
New Hampshire: $51,300
New Jersey: $57,600
New Mexico: $44,900
New York: $57,800
North Carolina: $41,800
North Dakota: $52,800
Ohio: $46,900
Oklahoma: $40,700
Oregon: $47,000
Pennsylvania: $43,200
Rhode Island: $53,000
South Carolina: $45,200
South Dakota: $44,400
Tennessee: $41,500
Texas: $45,800
Utah: $46,900
Vermont: $49,300
Virginia: $50,000
Washington: $54,600
West Virginia: $37,600
Wisconsin: $51,000
Wyoming: $47,200
The average and the outliers for HVAC technician salary.
Suppose you take a United States HVAC technician salary for each state and average it out. In that case, you can expect to pay your HVAC technicians roughly forty-two thousand annually, or twenty-one dollars. That is for the middle of the road HVAC technician with a few years of experience under their belt. But what about brand new HVAC techs that are just starting?
A HVAC technician that is new to the industry and has just come out of trade school can be a valuable asset. Though we know it might seem scary to hire someone that has no HVAC experience, just think, they don’t have any bad habits to break. You can train them exactly how you like, and that can be incredibly beneficial.
So for HVAC techs that are new to your company and fresh to the field, the rough average salary should be twenty-five thousand a year, or about twelve dollars per hour. However, that can seem a little low in mind that you also have to gauge their work quality. Yes, you can train them the way you want, but you also have to make sure they are receptive to that training.
There are so many factors that contribute to being a great HVAC tech. Of course, there are the basic mechanical skills for installation and repair, having the appropriate certification, but there is a lot more. Hard skills like how to repair a broken air conditioner can be taught. Soft skills are a different story.
Dealing with customers in their homes and businesses when things get complicated can be tough. Your HVAC techs must be providing excellent customer service. Time management, problem-solving skills, and being detail-oriented are also important characteristics. All of those factors add up.
Now let’s say that you have a total rockstar on your hands. This HVAC technician has been in the game for ages, has proven they do outstanding work time and time again. What should you pay them for a salary? Well, that depends. There are a few tiers.
A senior-level HVAC tech can get about fifty-one thousand a year, or roughly twenty-five dollars per hour. Then there are top-level techs or HVAC service managers that can receive up to around sixty-four thousand a year. That is about thirty-one dollars per hour. And these HVAC techs are worth every penny.
They are going to have tons of experience with all of the essential aspects of the job. They are expert repairmen, can think quickly when a challenge presents itself, and are worth their weight in gold. Within the management position, you might even have some HVAC techs that supervise a group of lower-level technicians.
As the boss, you should realize what an asset a top-level HVAC technician is. If you’re looking to hire and you think someone asking for over thirty dollars per hour is a little steep, take a good look at their resume. Call references and ask questions about their customer satisfaction. If it all lines up, they are probably worth it, and you should hire them on the spot.
Do yourself and your company a favor by doing what you can to keep overall costs down by using simple tools to bring in new customers and optimize your HVAC technician’s time in the field. Minimizing costs will ensure that when you find a stellar HVAC technician, you have the means to hire them, and most importantly, keep them.
Keep your HVAC technicians happy with their salary.
Finding the sweet spot between taking good care of your HVAC technicians and keeping your business afloat can be a little tricky. We understand, running any business can be an immense challenge. Let alone in an industry that is so essential to everyday life.
If you’re in the market for some new HVAC technicians but can’t seem to land the right candidates, perhaps try connecting with the local trade schools. Set up a booth at their job fair and try recruiting new talent. If you have done your homework on the fair starting wage for the job, it shouldn’t be hard to secure at least a few good new employees.
Also, take the time to do some more in-depth research. Here we’ve provided the general averages of wages, but do a bit of homework to see what your competitors are offering. If you can, offer a tiny bit more than competitors, you can entice HVAC technicians looking for work.
Take the initiative and start using tools like Podium to streamline your business functions. Their user-friendly applications can help you save time and money on invoicing, plus track customer satisfaction by giving you access to tons of review sites. Check to see what customers are saying about your HVAC technicians.
Your employees are the foundation of your company. Treat them right and pay the appropriate salary.
