Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
SOC 49-9021
- Median hourly wage
- $29.33
- Mean hourly wage
- $31.14
- Employment
- 409,670
HVAC, Plumber and Electrician Wages by State
What employees in the three service trades earn per hour, and how many of them work in each state, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 OEWS release. Figures cover employees in all industries; employment excludes the self-employed.
National figures
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
SOC 47-2152
- Median hourly wage
- $30.67
- Mean hourly wage
- $34.70
- Employment
- 465,840
Electricians
SOC 47-2111
- Median hourly wage
- $30.38
- Mean hourly wage
- $34.37
- Employment
- 757,220
Wages and employment by state
All 50 states and the District of Columbia, followed by the U.S. territories BLS publishes. Hourly wages in U.S. dollars.
| State or territory | HVAC | Plumbers | Electricians | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | Mean hourly wage | Employment | Median hourly wage | Mean hourly wage | Employment | Median hourly wage | Mean hourly wage | Employment | |
| Alabama | $23.26 | $24.67 | 8,260 | $28.21 | $27.77 | 6,950 | $26.78 | $27.65 | 10,900 |
| Alaska | $37.23 | $38.53 | 610 | $45.15 | $43.49 | 1,200 | $43.00 | $43.29 | 1,870 |
| Arizona | $28.56 | $29.28 | 10,860 | $29.84 | $32.66 | 11,810 | $29.36 | $30.88 | 21,140 |
| Arkansas | $23.13 | $24.59 | 4,960 | $23.39 | $24.35 | 3,370 | $23.59 | $25.71 | 7,500 |
| California | $34.88 | $36.24 | 35,130 | $35.01 | $39.58 | 47,660 | $36.62 | $41.28 | 73,310 |
| Colorado | $31.35 | $34.29 | 8,940 | $30.40 | $33.22 | 10,080 | $29.92 | $31.88 | 17,010 |
| Connecticut | $36.83 | $35.38 | 3,800 | $37.16 | $36.25 | 5,410 | $37.28 | $37.21 | 7,710 |
| Delaware | $29.96 | $31.80 | 1,730 | $31.11 | $32.75 | 1,590 | $30.63 | $34.02 | 2,260 |
| District of Columbia | $40.57 | $40.83 | 400 | $48.57 | $43.85 | 1,010 | $37.97 | $42.72 | 2,440 |
| Florida | $27.24 | $27.55 | 39,160 | $25.44 | $26.94 | 29,260 | $27.52 | $27.72 | 49,700 |
| Georgia | $27.11 | $27.44 | 12,290 | $27.50 | $27.99 | 8,930 | $28.04 | $29.37 | 21,650 |
| Hawaii | $31.47 | $32.24 | 1,300 | $37.53 | $39.81 | 2,500 | $46.38 | $44.65 | 3,070 |
| Idaho | $27.04 | $28.85 | 4,550 | $25.18 | $28.10 | 3,090 | $30.29 | $32.02 | 5,690 |
| Illinois | $37.21 | $37.29 | 9,740 | $48.05 | $44.91 | 16,750 | $47.87 | $44.34 | 23,120 |
| Indiana | $29.05 | $31.30 | 8,530 | $36.69 | $36.37 | 11,280 | $32.93 | $34.05 | 19,020 |
| Iowa | $29.17 | $30.35 | 3,840 | $30.72 | $33.67 | 5,730 | $29.26 | $30.38 | 10,310 |
| Kansas | $29.07 | $29.55 | 3,770 | $31.36 | $34.33 | 4,590 | $31.66 | $33.27 | 6,350 |
| Kentucky | $28.18 | $28.30 | 5,100 | $30.84 | $33.11 | 6,360 | $28.71 | $29.52 | 11,030 |
| Louisiana | $28.20 | $27.35 | 5,380 | $30.62 | $30.11 | 8,360 | $29.59 | $29.98 | 10,550 |
| Maine | $30.37 | $31.39 | 2,250 | $30.77 | $32.00 | 2,710 | $36.24 | $37.14 | 3,780 |
| Maryland | $33.67 | $35.49 | 8,560 | $31.44 | $35.34 | 11,420 | $35.33 | $36.28 | 13,690 |
| Massachusetts | $37.16 | $37.38 | 8,200 | $45.14 | $43.46 | 13,460 | $38.18 | $39.21 | 17,810 |
| Michigan | $29.26 | $31.01 | 12,590 | $38.56 | $37.14 | 14,120 | $36.67 | $35.50 | 23,530 |
| Minnesota | $36.71 | $35.57 | 4,200 | $45.39 | $41.68 | 10,720 | $37.58 | $38.86 | 14,350 |
| Mississippi | $23.41 | $25.49 | 2,700 | $26.67 | $27.25 | 3,360 | $29.26 | $27.88 | 6,610 |
| Missouri | $28.82 | $30.01 | 7,220 | $32.11 | $36.06 | 8,310 | $31.45 | $34.77 | 12,780 |
| Montana | $29.26 | $29.94 | 1,230 | $38.44 | $37.59 | 1,860 | $36.90 | $34.58 | 2,750 |
| Nebraska | $28.77 | $29.35 | 3,020 | $29.31 | $31.59 | 4,110 | $29.24 | $30.75 | 6,440 |
| Nevada | $29.09 | $30.46 | 4,170 | $29.62 | $34.38 | 5,370 | $35.37 | $36.40 | 8,350 |
| New Hampshire | $35.51 | $34.37 | 2,560 | $32.12 | $31.84 | 1,950 | $30.21 | $31.63 | 3,330 |
| New Jersey | $35.79 | $37.30 | 10,330 | $37.61 | $44.51 | 8,750 | $37.14 | $41.68 | 13,520 |
| New Mexico | $24.17 | $26.60 | 1,950 | $29.54 | $29.71 | 2,830 | $28.07 | $28.66 | 5,020 |
| New York | $35.78 | $35.94 | 24,430 | $37.26 | $40.29 | 23,210 | $37.86 | $40.80 | 40,130 |
| North Carolina | $27.53 | $27.60 | 15,230 | $27.44 | $27.27 | 14,510 | $27.31 | $27.33 | 21,640 |
| North Dakota | $35.81 | $33.66 | 970 | $30.56 | $31.81 | 1,620 | $31.59 | $33.87 | 3,570 |
| Ohio | $30.06 | $31.73 | 14,150 | $30.45 | $33.51 | 16,390 | $31.11 | $33.09 | 28,950 |
| Oklahoma | $27.67 | $27.71 | 5,650 | $27.87 | $28.35 | 6,050 | $29.33 | $30.49 | 8,500 |
| Oregon | $30.26 | $32.90 | 3,980 | $46.66 | $47.33 | 5,370 | $48.71 | $47.96 | 10,590 |
| Pennsylvania | $30.00 | $31.19 | 15,880 | $32.73 | $37.05 | 13,620 | $32.50 | $36.43 | 22,730 |
| Rhode Island | $32.39 | $33.55 | 1,450 | $36.77 | $39.23 | 1,820 | $35.62 | $35.65 | 2,420 |
| South Carolina | $27.22 | $27.14 | 6,920 | $25.93 | $26.87 | 5,770 | $28.24 | $28.38 | 8,010 |
| South Dakota | $29.51 | $29.37 | 1,610 | $24.82 | $26.70 | 1,760 | $29.51 | $29.80 | 2,980 |
| Tennessee | $26.68 | $27.79 | 9,740 | $28.17 | $29.09 | 9,270 | $29.37 | $30.55 | 17,070 |
| Texas | $27.77 | $28.43 | 34,730 | $28.77 | $29.22 | 44,090 | $28.16 | $28.50 | 76,770 |
| Utah | $28.24 | $28.85 | 5,580 | $29.76 | $30.87 | 7,030 | $29.81 | $31.39 | 11,450 |
| Vermont | $29.88 | $32.24 | 970 | $29.89 | $33.16 | 980 | $30.49 | $35.27 | 1,270 |
| Virginia | $28.72 | $29.42 | 14,690 | $29.07 | $29.16 | 13,780 | $30.24 | $32.62 | 23,630 |
| Washington | $36.38 | $37.91 | 7,370 | $38.96 | $42.69 | 12,470 | $45.78 | $45.42 | 19,380 |
| West Virginia | $23.49 | $24.85 | 1,690 | $27.39 | $28.26 | 1,830 | $31.16 | $32.61 | 4,290 |
| Wisconsin | $29.67 | $32.41 | 6,630 | $39.04 | $40.73 | 10,210 | $36.80 | $35.49 | 14,310 |
| Wyoming | $26.30 | $26.81 | 690 | $30.01 | $29.76 | 1,140 | $36.59 | $35.99 | 2,960 |
| Guam(territory) | $19.28 | $21.75 | 240 | $17.53 | $19.04 | 320 | $20.68 | $21.36 | 890 |
| Puerto Rico(territory) | $15.14 | $16.94 | 1,140 | $15.20 | $17.00 | 940 | $18.00 | $19.19 | 1,740 |
| Virgin Islands(territory) | $21.65 | $23.02 | 70 | $23.86 | $26.88 | 50 | $24.90 | $27.32 | 140 |
A dash (—) marks a value BLS did not publish: BLS uses * where a wage estimate is not available and ** where an employment estimate is not available. In the May 2025 OEWS release BLS published every value in this table.
How to use this
These are wages: what employees earn per hour. For a shop they are a labor cost input, not a billable rate. The rate you charge also has to cover the hours you can't bill, overhead and profit, so it sits well above what you pay. Use the figures to sanity-check your own payroll against your state, then work out your rate from your own numbers with the labor rate calculator. The guide on how to calculate a billable labor rate walks through every input, including payroll taxes, insurance and benefits.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 OEWS Estimates.
- Occupations: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021); Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Electricians (SOC 47-2111).
- Cross-industry, all ownerships (NAICS 000000, ownership 1235). Employment excludes the self-employed and is rounded to the nearest 10.
- Files: bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip, bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25st.zip, listed on bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.
- Downloaded October 29, 2026. Numbers are copied from those files without rounding or adjustment.
Questions
Where do these wage figures come from?
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 OEWS Estimates. They cover employees in all industries and all ownerships, and employment excludes the self-employed.
What is the national median hourly wage for HVAC technicians, plumbers and electricians?
In the May 2025 OEWS release, BLS reports a median hourly wage of $29.33 for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, $30.67 for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters and $30.38 for electricians.
Is the median wage the rate my shop should charge?
No. These figures are what employees earn, which is one input to your labor cost. A billable rate also has to cover hours you can't bill, overhead and profit. Work it out from your own numbers with the labor rate calculator.
Why would a state show a dash?
A dash means BLS did not publish that value: BLS marks it * when a wage estimate is not available and ** when an employment estimate is not available. In this release BLS published every value shown on this page, so no dashes appear.