Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
US occupation · SOC 49-9021
Job titles people report: AC Mechanic (Air Conditioner Mechanic), AC Tech (Air Conditioning Technician), HVAC Control Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Control Technician), HVAC Installer (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Installer), HVAC Mechanic (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Mechanic), HVAC Service Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Service Technician), HVAC Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Technician), Refrigeration Mechanic, Refrigeration Operator, Refrigeration Technician (Refrigeration Tech)
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $61,010
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $48,360 – $77,060
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 409,670
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +10.9%
- Growing at twice the all-jobs rate or more (7%+)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 40,600
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
Main tasks
- Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.
- Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.
- Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring.
- Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools.
- Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock.
- Estimate, order, pick up, deliver, and install materials and supplies needed to maintain equipment in good working condition.
- Install, connect, or adjust thermostats, humidistats, or timers.
- Comply with all applicable standards, policies, or procedures, such as safety procedures or the maintenance of a clean work area.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Training once hired: long-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer these fields as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for them here.
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician
Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
$63,800 median · +6.8% projected
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
$74,340 median · +4.3% projected
- Home Appliance Repairers
$50,990 median · +1.9% projected
- Boilermakers
$76,410 median · -1.8% projected
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
$49,590 median · +4.2% projected
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
$64,520 median · +17.8% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk