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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

49-9021 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.


National estimates for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Industry profile for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Geographic profile for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

National estimates for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
344,020 1.3 % $ 25.68 $ 53,410 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 15.34 $ 18.90 $ 24.32 $ 30.94 $ 38.86
Annual Wage (2) $ 31,910 $ 39,320 $ 50,590 $ 64,350 $ 80,820


Industry profile for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors 254,320 11.63 $ 25.15 $ 52,320
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) 10,770 0.78 $ 26.60 $ 55,330
Direct Selling Establishments 9,250 7.06 $ 25.47 $ 52,980
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance 6,670 3.22 $ 26.96 $ 56,080
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 5,780 0.19 $ 27.16 $ 56,490

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors 254,320 11.63 $ 25.15 $ 52,320
Direct Selling Establishments 9,250 7.06 $ 25.47 $ 52,980
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance 6,670 3.22 $ 26.96 $ 56,080
Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance 1,070 1.48 $ 21.22 $ 44,130
Facilities Support Services 2,270 1.41 $ 26.95 $ 56,060

Top paying industries for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 610 0.12 $ 38.87 $ 80,850
Natural Gas Distribution 1,410 1.30 $ 38.14 $ 79,320
Telecommunications 150 0.02 $ 35.51 $ 73,860
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank 30 0.16 $ 35.35 $ 73,520
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 250 0.07 $ 33.92 $ 70,560


Geographic profile for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Florida 33,210 3.93 1.59 $ 21.85 $ 45,450
California 32,410 1.97 0.80 $ 30.56 $ 63,560
Texas 28,010 2.31 0.94 $ 23.73 $ 49,360
New York 16,730 1.93 0.78 $ 30.33 $ 63,080
Pennsylvania 14,900 2.70 1.09 $ 26.32 $ 54,740




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Idaho 3,200 4.45 1.80 $ 22.44 $ 46,680
Florida 33,210 3.93 1.59 $ 21.85 $ 45,450
Maine 2,190 3.81 1.54 $ 24.22 $ 50,380
Nebraska 3,350 3.56 1.44 $ 25.23 $ 52,480
Alabama 6,740 3.54 1.43 $ 21.63 $ 44,990




Top paying states for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 300 1.01 0.41 $ 38.28 $ 79,630
District of Columbia 290 0.43 0.17 $ 35.32 $ 73,460
Hawaii 910 1.58 0.64 $ 31.56 $ 65,640
Washington 6,950 2.17 0.88 $ 31.34 $ 65,180
Massachusetts 7,620 2.28 0.92 $ 31.13 $ 64,760





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 17,120 1.94 0.78 $ 32.58 $ 67,780
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 10,780 1.85 0.75 $ 31.31 $ 65,130
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 9,160 3.65 1.48 $ 21.97 $ 45,690
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 8,220 2.77 1.12 $ 26.40 $ 54,920
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 7,860 3.73 1.51 $ 24.07 $ 50,070
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,310 2.71 1.10 $ 28.80 $ 59,900
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 7,250 2.02 0.82 $ 23.02 $ 47,870
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 6,330 1.45 0.59 $ 29.31 $ 60,970
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 6,020 1.99 0.81 $ 31.06 $ 64,610
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,900 2.24 0.91 $ 23.02 $ 47,880




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
The Villages, FL 230 7.74 3.13 $ 16.43 $ 34,180
Lewiston-Auburn, ME 360 7.68 3.11 $ 25.01 $ 52,020
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 960 7.21 2.92 $ 28.56 $ 59,400
Coeur d'Alene, ID 430 7.10 2.87 $ 20.81 $ 43,280
Punta Gorda, FL 320 6.90 2.79 $ 22.81 $ 47,430
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 350 6.77 2.74 $ 21.37 $ 44,450
Ocean City, NJ 230 6.51 2.63 $ 23.44 $ 48,750
Salisbury, MD-DE 950 6.39 2.59 $ 24.20 $ 50,340
Panama City, FL 450 6.01 2.43 $ 19.49 $ 40,530
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 1,560 5.98 2.42 $ 24.69 $ 51,350




Top paying metropolitan areas for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Fairbanks, AK (8) (8) (8) $ 44.15 $ 91,840
Napa, CA 80 1.13 0.46 $ 39.74 $ 82,650
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 36.75 $ 76,440
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 4,560 1.95 0.79 $ 36.62 $ 76,180
Anchorage, AK 120 0.76 0.31 $ 36.41 $ 75,740
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,850 1.68 0.68 $ 36.05 $ 74,980
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,010 2.05 0.83 $ 35.03 $ 72,860
Lebanon, PA 100 2.11 0.85 $ 34.96 $ 72,720
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 170 0.95 0.39 $ 34.64 $ 72,060
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 110 1.70 0.69 $ 33.92 $ 70,550

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 1,050 3.37 1.36 $ 20.72 $ 43,110
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 790 3.20 1.29 $ 20.90 $ 43,470
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 790 4.31 1.74 $ 23.39 $ 48,650
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 750 1.99 0.80 $ 23.90 $ 49,720
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 750 4.05 1.64 $ 19.94 $ 41,470

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 620 5.42 2.19 $ 26.53 $ 55,190
South Florida nonmetropolitan area 370 5.00 2.02 $ 20.89 $ 43,450
Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 420 4.94 2.00 (8) (8)
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 150 4.83 1.95 $ 27.83 $ 57,880
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 590 4.37 1.77 $ 20.69 $ 43,030

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 80 0.88 0.36 $ 35.76 $ 74,370
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 90 0.86 0.35 $ 35.04 $ 72,890
Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 160 4.14 1.68 $ 34.27 $ 71,280
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 210 3.79 1.53 $ 30.85 $ 64,170
Nevada nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 28.87 $ 60,050


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021