Pay by state · 54 areas
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer Salary by State (2026)
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers earn the most in District of Columbia at $84,390 a year and the least in Arkansas at $48,110 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $61,010. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $84,390District of Columbia
- National median
- $61,010BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $48,110Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, North Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$84,390
- 2Alaska$77,430
- 3Illinois$77,410
- 4Massachusetts$77,300
- 5Connecticut$76,610
Lowest median pay
- 1Arkansas$48,110
- 2Alabama$48,370
- 3Mississippi$48,680
- 4West Virginia$48,850
- 5New Mexico$50,270
All states
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $84,390 | $77,730 | $101,940 | 400 | $76,787 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $77,430 | $58,700 | $102,170 | 610 | $75,646 |
| 3 | ILIllinois | $77,410 | $60,200 | $96,030 | 9,740 | $77,443 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $77,300 | $61,070 | $95,070 | 8,200 | $73,092 |
| 5 | CTConnecticut | $76,610 | $60,360 | $86,650 | 3,800 | $73,941 |
| 6 | MNMinnesota | $76,350 | $58,860 | $87,190 | 4,200 | $77,418 |
| 7 | WAWashington | $75,660 | $60,170 | $93,970 | 7,370 | $70,702 |
| 8 | NDNorth Dakota | $74,490 | $56,770 | $78,920 | 970 | $83,735 |
| 9 | NJNew Jersey | $74,450 | $56,700 | $96,910 | 10,330 | $68,425 |
| 10 | NYNew York | $74,430 | $59,720 | $88,130 | 24,430 | $68,967 |
| 11 | NHNew Hampshire | $73,850 | $59,540 | $80,090 | 2,560 | $70,897 |
| 12 | CACalifornia | $72,560 | $58,280 | $90,780 | 35,130 | $65,535 |
| 13 | MDMaryland | $70,020 | $56,280 | $95,790 | 8,560 | $66,712 |
| 14 | RIRhode Island | $67,370 | $48,760 | $81,610 | 1,450 | $65,868 |
| 15 | HIHawaii | $65,450 | $55,630 | $77,190 | 1,300 | $59,527 |
| 16 | COColorado | $65,200 | $58,050 | $82,010 | 8,940 | $63,269 |
| 17 | MEMaine | $63,170 | $57,240 | $76,920 | 2,250 | $65,090 |
| 18 | OROregon | $62,940 | $56,340 | $78,890 | 3,980 | $60,893 |
| 19 | OHOhio | $62,510 | $48,410 | $78,190 | 14,150 | $67,379 |
| 20 | PAPennsylvania | $62,400 | $50,840 | $74,620 | 15,880 | $63,953 |
| 21 | DEDelaware | $62,320 | $53,060 | $76,740 | 1,730 | $62,440 |
| 22 | VTVermont | $62,150 | $58,800 | $75,140 | 970 | $63,446 |
| 23 | WIWisconsin | $61,710 | $50,840 | $79,100 | 6,630 | $65,583 |
| 24 | SDSouth Dakota | $61,390 | $51,480 | $65,940 | 1,610 | $69,300 |
| 25 | MIMichigan | $60,850 | $48,040 | $77,780 | 12,590 | $63,242 |
| 26 | MTMontana | $60,850 | $48,150 | $75,790 | 1,230 | $64,293 |
| 27 | IAIowa | $60,680 | $48,540 | $75,950 | 3,840 | $69,142 |
| 28 | NVNevada | $60,510 | $48,390 | $76,590 | 4,170 | $60,523 |
| 29 | KSKansas | $60,460 | $49,030 | $72,830 | 3,770 | $67,127 |
| 30 | INIndiana | $60,430 | $48,530 | $79,220 | 8,530 | $64,749 |
| 31 | MOMissouri | $59,950 | $47,040 | $74,610 | 7,220 | $66,012 |
| 32 | NENebraska | $59,850 | $47,760 | $74,160 | 3,020 | $66,424 |
| 33 | VAVirginia | $59,730 | $47,910 | $73,440 | 14,690 | $59,078 |
| 34 | AZArizona | $59,400 | $47,170 | $73,810 | 10,860 | $59,001 |
| 35 | UTUtah | $58,730 | $47,320 | $71,960 | 5,580 | $59,405 |
| 36 | LALouisiana | $58,650 | $44,980 | $65,990 | 5,380 | $66,491 |
| 37 | KYKentucky | $58,620 | $47,780 | $67,540 | 5,100 | $65,018 |
| 38 | TXTexas | $57,760 | $46,800 | $69,860 | 34,730 | $59,511 |
| 39 | OKOklahoma | $57,560 | $44,190 | $72,110 | 5,650 | $65,526 |
| 40 | NCNorth Carolina | $57,260 | $46,830 | $64,310 | 15,230 | $60,704 |
| 41 | FLFlorida | $56,670 | $46,830 | $63,620 | 39,160 | $54,799 |
| 42 | SCSouth Carolina | $56,610 | $46,560 | $62,990 | 6,920 | $60,385 |
| 43 | GAGeorgia | $56,390 | $46,250 | $66,180 | 12,290 | $58,561 |
| 44 | IDIdaho | $56,240 | $47,250 | $67,030 | 4,550 | $58,894 |
| 45 | TNTennessee | $55,490 | $46,990 | $65,590 | 9,740 | $60,401 |
| 46 | WYWyoming | $54,700 | $44,550 | $60,550 | 690 | $59,013 |
| 47 | NMNew Mexico | $50,270 | $45,160 | $62,900 | 1,950 | $54,516 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $48,850 | $38,400 | $60,790 | 1,690 | $54,583 |
| 49 | MSMississippi | $48,680 | $39,630 | $61,390 | 2,700 | $55,984 |
| 50 | ALAlabama | $48,370 | $40,340 | $60,020 | 8,260 | $54,457 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $48,110 | $42,830 | $59,760 | 4,960 | $55,339 |
| 52 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $45,030 | $36,220 | $48,950 | 70 | N/A |
| 53 | GUGuam | $40,110 | $34,530 | $49,920 | 240 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $31,480 | $28,840 | $37,460 | 1,140 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $84,390, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $83,735.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers at $84,390 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($77,430) and Illinois ($77,410).
Which state pays heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers at $48,110 a year, $36,280 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $45,030, Guam reports $40,110 and Puerto Rico reports $31,480.
Is the highest-paying state the best for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers after cost of living?
Not on this data. District of Columbia pays the most on paper ($84,390) but ranks 4th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($76,787). North Dakota leads after that adjustment at $83,735, from a raw median of $74,490. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.