HVAC & Pipefitter Salary in Detroit
Metro area wage data from the BLS OEWS program (May 2025), with Davis-Bacon journey-level scale from UA Local 636, effective May 2026.
The federal wage data on this page covers heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, work that is largely service, maintenance, and residential installation. The union scale shown is journeyman pipefitter, which covers refrigerant, chilled water, and hydronic piping on commercial construction and falls under a different federal occupation code than the wage data above. Duct fabrication and installation is sheet metal work, represented by a separate union called SMART (the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers), and is not reflected in either figure.
How to become an HVAC technician or pipefitter →Figures come from public sources and may not match the current contract; confirm with the local before making decisions.
UA Local 636 is the union local for pipefitters in Detroit; UA Local 98 is the separate local for plumbers. Union apprentices train at the Pipefitters Industry Training Center 636 in Troy. Michigan's prevailing wage law covers public construction projects across the metro.
UA Local 636 journeyman pipefitter Journey-Level Rate
Union scale reflects the UA Local 636 journeyman pipefitter journey-level rate from the applicable Davis-Bacon wage determination. The BLS area median reflects all HVAC and refrigeration mechanics across all employment types and experience levels.
| Training Center | Pipefitters Industry Training Center 636 |
| Address | 636 Executive Drive, Troy, MI 48083 |
| Phone | (248) 585-0636 |
| Website | pipefitters636tc.org |
| Minimum Score | Not published |
Applying to UA Local 636?
Check with UA Local 636 for its current application requirements, including any aptitude test.
What to expect →All HVAC and refrigeration mechanics, union and non-union, all experience levels
All HVAC and refrigeration mechanics, union and non-union, all experience levels. Wage figures only, employer-paid benefits, pension contributions, and health and welfare are not included.
| Annual Median Wage | $63,170 |
| Annual Mean Wage | $66,680 |
| Hourly Median Wage | $30.37 |
| Hourly Mean Wage | $32.06 |
| Total Employed | 5,740 |
| Area Type | Metropolitan Area |
- Visit site
Randolph Career Technical Center
Detroit
- Visit site
SER Metro YouthBuild
Detroit
- Visit site
Barton Malow Holdings
Southfield
Up to six other metros in Michigan, nearest first, then metros in other states within 300 miles. Journey-level rates are sourced from Davis-Bacon wage determinations, state prevailing wage determinations, or, where a local publishes one directly, its own collective bargaining agreement.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 49-9021). How we build these figures →