Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers is licensed or registered in 36 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 141 professional certifications to Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers. 83 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Professional, Air Leakage Control Installer, Basic Refrigeration and Charging Procedures Certification, Basic Refrigeration and Charging Procedures Certification, Carbon Monoxide & Combustion Analysis Certification. Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 6.2 hours and sit about 1.8 hours per day. The typical heaviest weight lifted or carried is about 60.0 pounds. For 52.5% of workers the job requires heavy strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (91.5%), have a consistently fast work pace (23.6%), cannot pause their work (20.9%), and are exposed to the outdoors (96.9%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers ages 25 to 64, median yearly pay is $58,900 with a high school diploma or GED, $62,900 with some college or an associate's degree, $60,900 with a bachelor's degree and $50,800 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers work in Construction (80%), Retail Trade (3%), Educational Services (3%) and Manufacturing (3%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers are Building Equipment Contractors (75% of the jobs counted, median pay $60,070), Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (3% of the jobs counted, median pay $75,490), Fuel Dealers (2% of the jobs counted, median pay $62,900), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (2% of the jobs counted, median pay $79,360) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods ($75,490), Fuel Dealers ($62,900), Building Equipment Contractors ($60,070). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
What workers studied. Among heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Business Management and Administration (11%), Mechanical Engineering (7%), General Engineering (5%) and Criminal Justice and Fire Protection (4%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, employers reported 213.6 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 11 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Installation, maintenance, and repair", which includes this career, 12.5% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,571 for union members and $1,140 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance", which includes this career, 74% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 79% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 78% had paid sick leave, 86% paid vacation and 89% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $48.59 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance" in June 2026 ($32.96 in wages and salaries and $15.63 in benefits, 32.2% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers are: wear common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets (100%), e-mail (99%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (98%), telephone conversations (94%), contact with others (91%), importance of being exact or accurate (91%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in the work done and the skills used: Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door, Home Appliance Repairers, Boilermakers, Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians, Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Geothermal Technicians (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Pay by state. See what heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
Compare heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →