HVAC Technician Salary 2024 - What I've Made

I started the trade here in Cincinnati Oh/Northern KY back in 2013. I was able to achieve 105k gross in 2021. I started off as a residential helper, no exp ( I was an automotive mechanic before hvac ) my back drop is just to long to list here but my 100k is also on the commercial installation side of the buisness I have since went into office estimating and I can say now after only 1.5 year of that I'm ready to go back to the field.

becoming a tech aint easy man. were just now starting to get out pay. Ive been in since i was 17, 10 years ago. It was dry when i was in high school and now im 120k as of last year, but i put the research and effort in.

I am 16 and last summer I worked 6 days a week as an apprentice with a residential HVAC tech. I had zero experience and got paid between 150-250 a day. I have no idea why he pays me so well with zero experience but im very grateful 😂

Im 5month into the field after school and making $20/hr plus bonuses on certain sales. I guess I’m not in a bad spot. I only do residential service no install

Residential is interesting haha some easy others you are Frankensteining blower wheels back together cause they don’t want new 😂

Hit $100k for the first time in my miserable life for 2023 . 2nd year as an Hvac service tech

I am in California and would like to continue my education into chillers do you know of any schooling around here ?

I’m a high school drop out 6 years in the trade and did 120k this year teachers lied to me all my life lol the trades are the way to go

I cleared 100k my 8th year in the trade also. I started doing supermarket refer. The last 3 years doing light commmercial refer i was peaked at like 75-85k
Im im central Tx

Good shit bro! Liked and subscribed

My first year havac residential I made 80k 😮

Hey ima get into the program I can’t wait

I do chillers vrf and package system , 34k usd a year in Malaysia :(

Planning to start hvac soon! Great video! I’m glad I’m coming into a field thats valued and all I want is to live comfortably and do honest, hard work! Let’s gooo!

Yes go into hvac where you must explain to the customer why the new capacitor is going to cost $400 and you must not “milk the quote” so they can pay you less and charge the customer more.

So how much are you at now hourly or annually . Don’t get why you can’t say

Supermarket work in the northeast is crazy right now. If you aren't an idiot you will easily make six figures. 2 year apprentice and i am making six figures easy

My opinion after 2 decades in mix commercials it depends on the area you live in and housing affordability.

I see it as commodity knowledge, customer can always call other for lower rate. Its a trade skill, oem probably makes more

I learn a lot from your videos sir I really appreciate your work you encouraged me to start thank you so much sir thanks again.

Wait….so you’re saying people think there is no money is blue collar work? Or are they just afraid to get their hands dirty and prefer to work in high water slacks

Good stuff man
I started this trade in 2020. I learned really quick. I make 47 an hour and this going to be my first year making 100k.
I decided to join local union 250 in SoCal and like it so far. I love working with centrifugals and the journeyman’s I’ve met humbled me and made me realize I’ve got so much to learn. This channel and HVACR videos helped me out so much and play a big influence in my career thank you so much

Wages in the Uk are different so no point but I feel you're certainly worth your paycheck.

If you want to know poor try Spain: . Average gross pay for an engineer is around $12-15 ph depending where you live that's a full licensed experienced engineer. Apprentices are on around 5-6 bucks PH..

I work in Kuwait 🇰🇼 and my dream is to invest in my self over years to get the best out of this trade maybe in Europe some years to come and theank you for enlighten us

Good information, I started out at 14yrs old working summers as a helper for my Dad’s HVAC, had grocery stock job and auto parts store job through high school. Then Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992 and went to HVAC full time… 6 figures yr is definitely realistic 👍

We don’t see that kind of pay in south Texas even though there is plenty of work here. It’s a cut throat business here everyone wants cheap labor and cheap prices.

Started out as a local 110 apprentice for Johnson Controls working on centrifugal chiller and lots of other equipment. Ended up leaving that position for a government position working on the same equipment.

Most guys start around $12/hr and after 5 years will be at $34/hr minimum. With overtime and traveling, most guys make anywhere between $100k/yr - $150k/yr.

I have about 4-5 years of experience in this trade and made over $90k this year, but not quite 100k yet.

I make 21 an hour with 5 years of experience (and trade school) doing everything (VRF, chillers, residential, low temp, generators etc)
In Wyoming. Im very close to leaving the trade as I can't pay the bills even though i love the work.

I was in a NYC union for 27 years, over 100k since 2005 with fairly limited ot and on call ot. Now I'm in NC making less then I was 20 years ago but not being in NY is worth it not sitting in the van in traffic commuting for hours a day

In the UK iys not worth earning more than 50K as the government take 50% in tax.

My union in the bay area it's just about 300k right now. 90 per hr for a journeyman the other 110 is pension and health and welfare. Great trade

I’m 25 years old I do 99% VRV/VRF work and I got 109k this year

Im 90k two years in

The trades can beat your body up, but our bodies are strong, and the secure way of living the trades can provide with the limitless ability to move up the ranks is a proud profession to have.

Stop telling people to get into the HVAC field, unless they are family 🤫🤔😂

I was offered a supervisor position. Was told to make a decision quickly. Wasn't told I would take nearly a 30% pay cut and salary. I did it for about 6 months.

FYI .. $20.00 is minimum wage in CA.

as an HVAC engineer with 25 years experience i can honestly say i started out at 28k per year and didn't make 6 figures until my 15th year while you guys were learning the trade I was paying 10k per year in university while you guys were collecting minimal salaries learning the trade. if you include the 5 years of university my career is 30 years long and have about 30 years left to go.

I love the transparency. Your knowledge and experience will give you 80-90/hr in a union shop here in the Bay Area CA as a chiller mechanic. Very easily.

Not that difficult for you to test into a union shop as a journeyman either.

True story, I started my HVAC career this year on January 15th. I started as a green Installer that had no experience other than being a huge nerd and tool inclined from previous jobs. I went from $13.50 to roughly $50+/hr, sometimes more if I get done earlier. I’m on commission and my regular hourly is $30. So in a years time I went from $25k to almost $70k just doing installs. Next year I’m starting as a lead installer making even MORE than $50/hr. It sounds almost too good to be true but seriously it’s like I found a hack in life and everyone should know this secret. I’m not trying to brag or flex, but it’s been a huge improvement on my financial situation. I paid all my debts off and now I’m looking to buy a new car. So while doing residential installs aren’t for everyone, if you can suck it up being in 100+ degree attics during summer peaks, it’s totally worth it. It’s like a jack of all trades. From HVAC, plumbing, carpentry and electrical. If you’re curious just make the move. I procrastinated for awhile but I’m glad I did.

This is in Louisiana.

I took a downgrade in title (GM at a smaller Resi focused company) to a superintendent for a large mechanical and took a major upgrade in pay. I spend far more time in the field than at a desk now, but I really enjoy it. Also doing a lot of VRF and hydronic new builds and refits. Between that and some moonlighting in controls, this will be my first 100k year 🎉

Cleveland, I’m just into my seventh year and 2023 is my first 100k year, I should probably add that this is working on commercial/industrial equipment and just got into some heavy commercial stuff and I genuinely enjoy what I do

I work in New Orleans and it’s $25hr starting for some at 21-23 but a lot of companies try to pay less I’ve had some offer 15$ at starting if your an apprentice sure but once you’re on your own no way I’d rather work as waiter , cashier or shelf stocking.

If I have the risk of going in strangers homes, who I may get sick from, I can get shocked, burned or worse killed….. yea I need more pay to justify all the extras.

In New Orleans I can barely keep up with bills, but really it’s insurance companies here taking most of our money between all my bills I pay more in insurance then my mortgage, water, electric and internet combined. That’s car and home insurance… 0 accidents and 1 ticket in 7 years

As a chiller heatump engineer in my second year in the Netherlands i make about €25 an hour. roughly 60k a year including overtime.

I work as commercial/industrial chiller technician in Trane middle east. Working a total of more than 10yrs in the field but still getting around 10 usd, . Hope to get opportunity in America or canada in near future 😊

I’m in ammonia refrigeration, I made 200k this year. Let the poors keep going to college😂😂😂

100k isn't much nowadays. Trades like Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC-R should be closer to 200k. If it's really in demand like they say, and thats just for the residential side. If these trades can't keep up with the pay scale, then we will see way fewer people doing it.

In KC, a union HVAC tech makes $80/hr.
Of that, $25/hr goes to insurance and retirement.
That leaves $55/hr on the check.
I know people like to bash unions, but it's been good to me and my family.

I think it’s important to reference your state city location, and what your states minimum wage. Because it varies so greatly amongst the 50 states.. and living expenses prices of the average blue-collar worker home.

For example, in San Francisco in California they’re about to raise the minimum wage for Restaurant workers to $20 an hour to just drive a car and deliver pizza or wait tables or pull frozen boxes and canned goods to serve food.

The price of a house is $1.3 million for a 50 to 70-year-old home that needs renovation . .

Here in California $20 an hour is literally destitute below poverty level .

I always tell young guys getting into the trade . Train yourself at night and on the weekends go get your bachelors or Associated science degree in Hvac if it’s available to you at night time .

Do side work, and teach yourself how to become your own boss and business .

Because even selling one small 40 ton VRF system that you can install in about one month your net net bring home profit will be about 150K for one to two months of install work and one month of dialing it in troubleshooting and getting everything set up properly. With a little bit of back-and-forth for that last month.

Become your own boss make that your goal .

Read and study to become good at some certain sector in this business, and attempt to be better than everybody else at something .

Then, at least you will have a better value for your employer, if not for yourself in your future


The overtime and the side jobs that you can do if done properly, you could learn once you do a organized sale of equipment and installation just over a weekend you could make about two or three weeks of gross wage and just doing one weekend worth of work for yourself.

Crazy man, when I started in this trade, it was for 8 bucks and hr.