HVAC Technician Salary - Mid-Atlantic
Dense metro construction markets from New York through Washington
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.
Wage figures on this page reflect all HVAC technicians counted by the BLS, across union and non-union work, residential and commercial, apprentice through master. The BLS does not publish a separate journey-level tier. State figures are medians: half of workers earn more, half earn less.
DC carries a median of $84,390 for HVAC technicians, driven by federal facility and commercial construction density. New York at $74,430, New Jersey at $74,450, and Maryland at $70,020 all perform well above the national median of $61,010. The region's dense commercial building inventory creates consistent HVAC demand.
UA and Sheet Metal Workers locals install commercial HVAC across the Mid-Atlantic. New York City, Northern Virginia, and DC have commercial HVAC markets. New Jersey benefits from proximity to the NYC market. Philadelphia UA locals cover a large geographic jurisdiction. The federal government's presence in DC creates a commercial HVAC market with consistent renovation and upgrade work across government facilities.
Cost of living in the Mid-Atlantic is high. DC posts a COL index of 134.3, and New York comes in at 124.7. New Jersey at 118.8 and Maryland at 121.1 are also well above average. Delaware sits at 101.7, and Pennsylvania at 96.2. Housing costs in NYC and DC are high.
- →Federal government facility HVAC maintenance and upgrade work across the DC metro
- →Commercial office and data center HVAC work in New York City and Northern Virginia
- →Life sciences and pharmaceutical facility HVAC and cleanroom systems in New Jersey
- →Building automation and energy management upgrades across the region's aging commercial building stock
- →Transit system HVAC infrastructure across NYC and DC metro systems
Union reciprocity requirements for traveling HVAC journeymen vary by local in the Mid-Atlantic. NYC has strict jurisdictional rules for traveling HVAC journeymen. DC and Northern Virginia are more accessible. Controls and BAS specialists are in particular demand across the region's commercial market. Check RoadDog Jobs and Where2Bro for current openings before committing to the region.
Effective wage adjusts the BLS median for cost of living: what a paycheck buys relative to the national median.
| State | Median Annual | COL Index | Effective Wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $84,390 +$23,380 vs. national | 134.3 | $62,837 +$1,827 vs. national |
| New Jersey | $74,450 +$13,440 vs. national | 118.8 | $62,668 +$1,658 vs. national |
| New York | $74,430 +$13,420 vs. national | 124.7 | $59,687 -$1,323 vs. national |
| Maryland | $70,020 +$9,010 vs. national | 121.1 | $57,820 -$3,190 vs. national |
| Pennsylvania | $62,400 +$1,390 vs. national | 96.2 | $64,865 +$3,855 vs. national |
| Delaware | $62,320 +$1,310 vs. national | 101.7 | $61,278 +$268 vs. national |
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 - HVAC Technicians - Cross-Industry, All Ownership
Cost of living data provided by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC). The data has been modified for use from its original source, which is the State of Missouri. THE STATE OF MISSOURI MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTY AS TO THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, OR CONTENT OF ANY DATA MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SITE. THE STATE OF MISSOURI EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Data is subject to change as modifications and updates are complete. Use at your own risk.