Typical entry: Postsecondary nondegree award
HVAC technician
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers install, maintain, and repair the systems in homes and buildings. Work is hands-on, often on a service van, and demand is seasonal in some regions.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What an HVAC technician makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$61,010
$29.33 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $48,360
- 75th percentile
- $77,060
- 90th percentile
- $95,210
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- Not published
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- +10.9%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 40,600
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical: a trade-school or community-college certificate of 6 to 12 months, or an apprenticeship with a contractor. The EPA Section 608 certification is required to handle refrigerants, and many contractors hire helpers who are still in school.
The work, as O*NET defines it: Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
The next step
EPA Section 608 certification, plus a certificate program or apprenticeship
- Typical cost
- EPA 608 exam about $25 to $150; trade programs $1,200 to $15,000 depending on format
- Time to complete
- 6 to 12 months for a certificate; 3 to 5 years for a full apprenticeship
Where to start EPA 608 exam prep
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $40.57 | $84,390 | $77,730 to $101,940 | 400 |
| Alaska | $37.23 | $77,430 | $58,700 to $102,170 | 610 |
| Illinois | $37.21 | $77,410 | $60,200 to $96,030 | 9,740 |
| Massachusetts | $37.16 | $77,300 | $61,070 to $95,070 | 8,200 |
| Connecticut | $36.83 | $76,610 | $60,360 to $86,650 | 3,800 |
| Minnesota | $36.71 | $76,350 | $58,860 to $87,190 | 4,200 |
| Washington | $36.38 | $75,660 | $60,170 to $93,970 | 7,370 |
| North Dakota | $35.81 | $74,490 | $56,770 to $78,920 | 970 |
| New Jersey | $35.79 | $74,450 | $56,700 to $96,910 | 10,330 |
| New York | $35.78 | $74,430 | $59,720 to $88,130 | 24,430 |
| New Hampshire | $35.51 | $73,850 | $59,540 to $80,090 | 2,560 |
| California | $34.88 | $72,560 | $58,280 to $90,780 | 35,130 |
| Maryland | $33.67 | $70,020 | $56,280 to $95,790 | 8,560 |
| Rhode Island | $32.39 | $67,370 | $48,760 to $81,610 | 1,450 |
| Hawaii | $31.47 | $65,450 | $55,630 to $77,190 | 1,300 |
| Colorado | $31.35 | $65,200 | $58,050 to $82,010 | 8,940 |
| Maine | $30.37 | $63,170 | $57,240 to $76,920 | 2,250 |
| Oregon | $30.26 | $62,940 | $56,340 to $78,890 | 3,980 |
| Ohio | $30.06 | $62,510 | $48,410 to $78,190 | 14,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $30.00 | $62,400 | $50,840 to $74,620 | 15,880 |
| Delaware | $29.96 | $62,320 | $53,060 to $76,740 | 1,730 |
| Vermont | $29.88 | $62,150 | $58,800 to $75,140 | 970 |
| Wisconsin | $29.67 | $61,710 | $50,840 to $79,100 | 6,630 |
| South Dakota | $29.51 | $61,390 | $51,480 to $65,940 | 1,610 |
| Michigan | $29.26 | $60,850 | $48,040 to $77,780 | 12,590 |
| Montana | $29.26 | $60,850 | $48,150 to $75,790 | 1,230 |
| Iowa | $29.17 | $60,680 | $48,540 to $75,950 | 3,840 |
| Nevada | $29.09 | $60,510 | $48,390 to $76,590 | 4,170 |
| Kansas | $29.07 | $60,460 | $49,030 to $72,830 | 3,770 |
| Indiana | $29.05 | $60,430 | $48,530 to $79,220 | 8,530 |
| Missouri | $28.82 | $59,950 | $47,040 to $74,610 | 7,220 |
| Nebraska | $28.77 | $59,850 | $47,760 to $74,160 | 3,020 |
| Virginia | $28.72 | $59,730 | $47,910 to $73,440 | 14,690 |
| Arizona | $28.56 | $59,400 | $47,170 to $73,810 | 10,860 |
| Utah | $28.24 | $58,730 | $47,320 to $71,960 | 5,580 |
| Louisiana | $28.20 | $58,650 | $44,980 to $65,990 | 5,380 |
| Kentucky | $28.18 | $58,620 | $47,780 to $67,540 | 5,100 |
| Texas | $27.77 | $57,760 | $46,800 to $69,860 | 34,730 |
| Oklahoma | $27.67 | $57,560 | $44,190 to $72,110 | 5,650 |
| North Carolina | $27.53 | $57,260 | $46,830 to $64,310 | 15,230 |
| Florida | $27.24 | $56,670 | $46,830 to $63,620 | 39,160 |
| South Carolina | $27.22 | $56,610 | $46,560 to $62,990 | 6,920 |
| Georgia | $27.11 | $56,390 | $46,250 to $66,180 | 12,290 |
| Idaho | $27.04 | $56,240 | $47,250 to $67,030 | 4,550 |
| Tennessee | $26.68 | $55,490 | $46,990 to $65,590 | 9,740 |
| Wyoming | $26.30 | $54,700 | $44,550 to $60,550 | 690 |
| New Mexico | $24.17 | $50,270 | $45,160 to $62,900 | 1,950 |
| West Virginia | $23.49 | $48,850 | $38,400 to $60,790 | 1,690 |
| Mississippi | $23.41 | $48,680 | $39,630 to $61,390 | 2,700 |
| Alabama | $23.26 | $48,370 | $40,340 to $60,020 | 8,260 |
| Arkansas | $23.13 | $48,110 | $42,830 to $59,760 | 4,960 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be an HVAC technician?
No. BLS lists "postsecondary nondegree award" as the typical education for entry. The usual credential is EPA Section 608 certification, plus a certificate program or apprenticeship.
How much does an HVAC technician make?
The median pay was $61,010 a year ($29.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $48,360 and $77,060, and the top 10 percent earned more than $95,210.
How long does it take to become an HVAC technician?
6 to 12 months for a certificate; 3 to 5 years for a full apprenticeship. The typical cost is ePA 608 exam about $25 to $150; trade programs $1,200 to $15,000 depending on format.
Is HVAC technician work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 10.9% from 2025 to 2035 with about 40,600 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 49-9021.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile