All 50 states ranked by median pay, using May 2024 wage data for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. The national median is $59,810 per year, or $28.75 per hour.
Median pay sorts this list because it shows the middle of the market, not a number pulled up by a small group of top earners. The high annual pay column reflects the top-end wage level reported in the same state table.
Rank |
State |
Median hourly |
Median annual |
High annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Alaska |
$40.22 |
$83,660 |
$104,100 |
2 |
Massachusetts |
$37.02 |
$76,990 |
$109,220 |
3 |
Connecticut |
$35.53 |
$73,910 |
$97,940 |
4 |
Minnesota |
$35.29 |
$73,390 |
$94,420 |
5 |
Illinois |
$34.44 |
$71,620 |
$110,570 |
6 |
New Jersey |
$33.56 |
$69,800 |
$102,050 |
7 |
Washington |
$32.51 |
$67,630 |
$108,800 |
8 |
North Dakota |
$32.10 |
$66,770 |
$92,650 |
9 |
New York |
$32.05 |
$66,670 |
$98,530 |
10 |
California |
$31.39 |
$65,290 |
$107,600 |
11 |
Maryland |
$31.25 |
$65,000 |
$100,760 |
12 |
New Hampshire |
$30.97 |
$64,410 |
$87,920 |
13 |
Hawaii |
$30.67 |
$63,780 |
$89,900 |
14 |
Rhode Island |
$30.57 |
$63,580 |
$86,290 |
15 |
Colorado |
$30.49 |
$63,420 |
$100,790 |
16 |
Oregon |
$30.16 |
$62,740 |
$93,620 |
17 |
Maine |
$29.87 |
$62,130 |
$80,330 |
18 |
Wisconsin |
$29.82 |
$62,030 |
$96,970 |
19 |
Pennsylvania |
$29.38 |
$61,120 |
$84,190 |
20 |
Virginia |
$29.15 |
$60,630 |
$81,750 |
21 |
Ohio |
$29.08 |
$60,490 |
$91,710 |
22 |
Missouri |
$29.00 |
$60,330 |
$94,870 |
23 |
Indiana |
$28.99 |
$60,310 |
$93,080 |
24 |
Vermont |
$28.93 |
$60,170 |
$80,160 |
25 |
Michigan |
$28.89 |
$60,090 |
$84,070 |
26 |
Delaware |
$28.82 |
$59,940 |
$95,160 |
27 |
Nebraska |
$28.70 |
$59,690 |
$78,370 |
28 |
Iowa |
$28.60 |
$59,490 |
$85,760 |
29 |
South Dakota |
$28.59 |
$59,460 |
$77,280 |
30 |
Nevada |
$28.48 |
$59,230 |
$91,040 |
31 |
Kentucky |
$28.31 |
$58,880 |
$79,100 |
32 |
Montana |
$28.17 |
$58,600 |
$79,240 |
33 |
Kansas |
$27.29 |
$56,750 |
$77,570 |
34 |
Arizona |
$27.20 |
$56,580 |
$78,380 |
35 |
Utah |
$27.02 |
$56,200 |
$80,330 |
36 |
South Carolina |
$26.57 |
$55,260 |
$72,460 |
37 |
New Mexico |
$26.45 |
$55,020 |
$77,980 |
38 |
Georgia |
$26.45 |
$55,020 |
$77,580 |
39 |
Texas |
$25.99 |
$54,050 |
$82,870 |
40 |
Louisiana |
$25.73 |
$53,510 |
$77,940 |
41 |
Idaho |
$25.35 |
$52,730 |
$78,720 |
42 |
North Carolina |
$24.97 |
$51,940 |
$75,470 |
43 |
Tennessee |
$24.75 |
$51,480 |
$76,600 |
44 |
Oklahoma |
$24.48 |
$50,920 |
$79,580 |
45 |
Wyoming |
$24.48 |
$50,920 |
$78,730 |
46 |
Florida |
$24.32 |
$50,580 |
$74,670 |
47 |
Alabama |
$23.70 |
$49,290 |
$69,350 |
48 |
Mississippi |
$22.73 |
$47,270 |
$70,360 |
49 |
Arkansas |
$22.71 |
$47,240 |
$65,810 |
50 |
West Virginia |
$22.13 |
$46,040 |
$65,390 |
Alaska ranks first at $83,660 per year, followed by Massachusetts at $76,990, Connecticut at $73,910, Minnesota at $73,390, and Illinois at $71,620. All five sit well above the national median of $59,810.
The top 10 are not all warm-weather service markets. They include cold-climate states, union-heavy markets, expensive coastal markets, and states with strong commercial building demand. Refrigeration pay is driven by supermarkets, cold storage, food processing, hospitals, universities, controls work, rack refrigeration, and emergency coverage, not by how many air conditioners run in July.
West Virginia ranks 50th at $46,040 per year. Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida round out the bottom five. Those states still have refrigeration work, but the statewide median sits below the national median.
Read the bottom of this list as a wage baseline, not as bad places to work. Florida ranks low statewide at $50,580, yet commercial demand is constant in grocery, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, and cold storage. Texas ranks 39th at $54,050, and major metro areas and industrial accounts pay above the state median for experienced techs.
Use the ranked table to screen markets, not to make the whole decision. Start with the state median, then check the high annual pay column. A modest median with a strong high end often means better upside for skilled commercial techs. Colorado runs $63,420 median against $100,790 high annual pay. Washington runs $67,630 against $108,800.
A $31 hourly job with steady overtime and paid travel beats a $35 hourly job with weak benefits, unpaid windshield time, and no training path.
This ranking uses BLS occupation 49-9021, which covers heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. BLS describes these workers as techs who install, maintain, and repair heating, ventilation, cooling, and refrigeration systems.
That makes the data useful, but not clean for commercial refrigeration alone. It includes residential HVAC installers, service techs, commercial HVAC techs, refrigeration mechanics, and related HVACR workers. It does not isolate supermarket rack technicians, ammonia operators, CO2 specialists, or industrial refrigeration mechanics. A tech running supermarket calls at 2 a.m. is in a different pay lane than an entry-level residential installer.
The ranking still works for hiring and job hunting because it reflects the labor market each employer competes in. A contractor hiring commercial refrigeration techs in Massachusetts competes against a stronger wage floor than a contractor hiring in Arkansas. A cold storage operator in Illinois competes in a market where the median is already $71,620. If you want to see how the trade compares to adjacent work, read refrigeration tech vs HVAC tech.
Median annual pay for the occupation, the top of all 50 states.
Median annual pay, roughly $37,600 below Alaska.
Skilled commercial techs should look past the median and compare high-end pay, overtime, system type, and local market demand.
Alaska ranks first at $83,660 in median annual pay, followed by Massachusetts at $76,990, Connecticut at $73,910, Minnesota at $73,390, and Illinois at $71,620.
The national median is $59,810 per year, or $28.75 per hour, based on May 2024 wage data for BLS occupation 49-9021, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers.
Median pay shows the middle of the market, not a number pulled up by a small group of very high earners. The high annual pay column shows the top-end wage level reported in the same state table.
No. BLS occupation 49-9021 includes residential HVAC installers, service techs, commercial HVAC techs, refrigeration mechanics, and related HVACR workers. It does not isolate supermarket rack technicians, ammonia operators, CO2 specialists, or industrial refrigeration mechanics.
Not necessarily. Read the bottom of the list as a wage baseline. Florida ranks low statewide at $50,580, but commercial refrigeration demand is constant in grocery, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, and cold storage. Texas ranks 39th at $54,050, and major metro areas and industrial accounts pay above the state median for experienced techs.
See what employers are actually paying. Look for roles that mention supermarket racks, CO2, ammonia, industrial refrigeration, controls, and on-call commercial service.
View Refrigeration JobsRun your experience, system mix, and market through the free estimator before you negotiate.
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