The median HVAC technician in Texas makes $57,760 a year, or $27.77 an hour, based on May 2025 federal wage data. The bottom 10 percent earn about $38,100, and the top 10 percent earn about $81,860 or more. Where you land in that range depends on your experience, your city, your specialty and how your shop pays.
That’s the base-pay picture. Overtime, commission and benefits sit on top of it, and in Texas summers they matter a lot. Let’s walk through the numbers the way we’d explain them to a tech at the shop.
TL;DR
- Texas median for HVAC mechanics and installers: $57,760 a year ($27.77 an hour). The national median is $61,010.
- The middle half of Texas techs earn between $46,800 and $69,860. The top 10 percent earn $81,860 or more.
- Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston pay the most. El Paso pays the least of the metros tracked.
- Commercial, controls and sales roles, plus licenses and certifications, are the clearest paths to a bigger paycheck.
- Overtime, commission and benefits aren’t in the base-wage figures, so compare the whole offer, not just the hourly rate.
Table of Contents
- What HVAC techs make in Texas: the wage data
- Texas vs. the national average
- Pay by experience level
- Where in Texas pays the most
- What pushes a Texas HVAC paycheck higher
- Can you make $100,000 as an HVAC tech in Texas?
- How HVAC compares with other trades
- How to read a Texas HVAC offer
- Our perspective
- Find a Texas HVAC job that pays what you’re worth
- FAQ
- Sources
What HVAC techs make in Texas: the wage data
The most reliable numbers come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, which O*NET republishes by state. For Texas heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers, the May 2025 wage breakdown looks like this:
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $18.32 | $38,100 |
| 25th | $22.50 | $46,800 |
| Median | $27.77 | $57,760 |
| 75th | $33.59 | $69,860 |
| 90th | $39.36 | $81,860 |
Read it this way. One in ten Texas techs is at or near the bottom of that table, usually new to the trade. Half make more than $57,760. One in ten clears $81,860. The spread between the bottom and top is more than $43,000, and almost all of it is explained by what you know, what you’re licensed for and who you work for.
The trade is also big in this state. One compiled breakdown of the same federal data counts 34,730 HVAC technicians employed in Texas. That’s a lot of shops competing for people who can run a call and run it right.
Texas vs. the national average
Texas pays a little under the national figure. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook puts the national median at $61,010 a year, or $29.33 an hour, with the top 10 percent above $95,210. So the Texas median sits about $3,250 under the national median.
Don’t read that as a knock on Texas. Two things to keep in mind:
- Texas has no state income tax, so a gross dollar here goes further in your pocket than the same dollar in many states.
- The same BLS page projects 11 percent job growth from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. Demand is the best leverage a tech has when negotiating.
The mean (average) wage in Texas is a bit higher than the median. One 2026 guide reports a Texas mean of $59,130 against a national mean of $64,780, from the same May 2025 data. When you see different “average” figures across salary sites, that’s usually why: some report the median, some the mean, and some mix in self-reported or posted wages.
Pay by experience level
Experience is where most of the movement happens. Using the federal percentiles, one wage breakdown maps career stages roughly like this:
- Apprentice and entry level: $18.32 to $22.50 an hour, or $38,100 to $46,800 a year.
- Journeyman: $22.50 to $33.59 an hour, or $46,800 to $69,860 a year.
- Master, foreman or specialist: $33.59 to $39.36 an hour, or $69,860 to $81,860 a year, and above for the best.
Those are percentile bands, not job-title guarantees. Still, they match what we see in the trade: the first two years are about learning fast, and the jump comes when you can run calls on your own.
A look at how the State of Texas pays its own techs
The Texas State Auditor’s Office publishes pay ranges for state-employed HVAC mechanics, and it’s a clean example of how responsibility drives pay. Its job description for HVAC Mechanic lists four levels:
| Level | Salary range |
|---|---|
| HVAC Mechanic I | $40,918 to $61,130 |
| HVAC Mechanic II | $45,521 to $71,055 |
| HVAC Mechanic III | $51,158 to $81,351 |
| HVAC Mechanic IV | $57,614 to $93,138 |
The levels are based on independence, complexity of work, scope of responsibility, and related experience, education and certifications. Level I works under close supervision. Level II can handle the full range of work independently and help others. Level III coordinates installation, repairs and overhauls with limited supervision. Level IV plans and oversees system replacement and renovation projects with minimal supervision.
That’s a good map for any tech. The more you can run without someone looking over your shoulder, the more you’re worth to the next employer.
Rough pay by years in the trade
One Texas-focused 2026 guide breaks it down by years on the job: apprentices in their first year around $30,000 to $42,000, mid-career certified techs with 3 to 7 years around $50,000 to $65,000, and senior or lead techs with 8 or more years around $65,000 to $90,000. Treat those as ballpark ranges from one publisher, not a rate card. The federal percentiles above are the anchor.
Where in Texas pays the most
Location shifts the number, but less than people expect inside Texas. CareerOneStop’s Texas metro table shows these medians:
| Metro area | Median hourly | Median annual |
|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $29.24 | $60,820 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $28.63 | $59,560 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $28.34 | $58,940 |
| El Paso | $22.73 | $47,270 |
The three big metros are within about $1,900 of each other, so don’t move across the state for a few cents an hour. El Paso is the outlier at the low end. Costs of living differ too, so a lower wage in a smaller market can stretch further than the table suggests.
If you’re in the Houston area and want to see what real contractors are advertising, here’s an HVAC service technician opening in Houston and another in Spring, TX. Reading actual postings beats guessing.
What pushes a Texas HVAC paycheck higher
Base wage is only part of it. Here’s what moves the needle.
Specialty
Residential service is the baseline for most techs. One 2026 Texas guide estimates commercial HVAC at roughly 15 to 25 percent above residential, controls and building automation at 40 to 60 percent above, and data center cooling at 30 to 50 percent above. Those are estimates from a single publisher, but they point the same direction as what we hear from techs: the harder it is to replace you, the more you earn.
Commercial and refrigeration techs have a clear lane here. Skills in chillers, rooftop units, VRF and controls open doors that residential-only experience doesn’t.
Licenses and certifications
In Texas, the state licenses air conditioning and refrigeration work through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. To get a contractor license, you generally need at least 48 months of practical experience under a licensed contractor, or 36 months plus a year as a certified technician, with exceptions for relevant degrees, diplomas and military training. Licenses are valid for one year and renewed.
The same Texas guide says NATE certification adds about $3 to $6 an hour and the Class A license opens commercial and industrial roles that pay 15 to 25 percent more. Whatever the exact premium at your shop, credentials give you something to point to at review time. If you’re still mapping out how to get there, our guide on how long it takes to get HVAC certified lays out the timeline.
Compensation structure
Hourly, salary, flat rate, commission: they all produce different paychecks from the same skills. Sales and comfort-advisor roles are commission-based, and one Texas guide puts the range at $60,000 to $120,000 or more, the highest individual ceiling in the trade, with the risk that comes with variable pay.
Employer
Two techs with the same résumé can differ by thousands depending on the shop. Culture, training, truck and tool support, and benefits all matter. Our breakdown of what techs should expect in HVAC employee benefits is worth reading before you compare offers.
Can you make $100,000 as an HVAC tech in Texas?
It’s possible, but not typical for base wages. The federal 90th percentile in Texas is $81,860, and that figure is straight-time pay. The federal wage survey excludes self-employed workers and owners of unincorporated businesses and leaves out overtime premiums, employer-paid benefits and some bonuses. So the survey understates what some people take home.
Here’s how techs and tradespeople get to six figures:
- Overtime in the cooling season. One Texas guide says mandatory overtime is common for service techs from May through September, averaging roughly $6,750 a year. Your numbers will depend on your shop.
- Commission and spiffs on replacement sales. Those are left out of base-wage models but can be a large share of real earnings for a strong selling tech.
- Moving into controls, commercial or data-center work. Specialties with fewer qualified people.
- Lead, install manager or service manager roles. Pay follows responsibility.
- Owning the business. Ownership isn’t in the wage survey, and the risk and workload are very different.
Honest answer: most techs reach $100,000 by stacking two or three of these, not by waiting for a raise.
How HVAC compares with other trades
People ask whether HVAC or plumbing pays more. On federal data they’re close, and the difference is at the top end. One 2026 comparison using the same BLS data puts HVAC’s national 90th percentile at 1.56 times the median, compared with 1.70 for plumbers and 1.72 for electricians. In plain words, HVAC starts strong and has a lower ceiling on pure wages, which is why specialty, sales and ownership matter so much in this trade.
How to read a Texas HVAC offer
Don’t stop at the hourly rate. Ask these questions before you say yes:
- Is the pay hourly, flat rate, salary or a mix? What’s the guaranteed minimum?
- How is overtime paid during summer, and is it expected?
- Is there commission or a spiff on replacements, and who sets the pricing?
- Is a company truck, phone, tools or uniform included?
- What do health insurance, retirement match and PTO look like?
- Does the company pay for training, exam fees and certifications?
- What does the path from tech to lead to manager look like here?
A shop that answers those clearly usually treats its people well. A shop that dodges them is telling you something too. If you’re building your pitch, our guide to writing an HVAC technician resume helps you put licenses, certifications and equipment experience where a hiring manager looks first.
Our perspective
We’ve been in this trade a long time, and the founder of HVAC Mafia is a 36-year HVAC veteran and former dealership owner. Here’s what we know: salary pages tell you the middle of the road. They don’t tell you what a good shop pays, and they don’t tell you which shops are worth your years.
That’s why we built a place where techs can see openings from real contractors, talk straight about pay in the Tech Talk forums and listen to the HVAC Underground Podcast. Openings are visible to registered members, and joining is free for technicians. Contractors, meanwhile, reach a trade-only audience instead of the general public.
Our advice to a Texas tech: build a career, not just another paycheck. Get your licenses. Learn a second specialty. Ask about the whole package. And when a contractor shows you their culture, pay and benefits up front, pay attention. Those are the ones who plan to keep you.
the author
Find a Texas HVAC job that pays what you’re worth
HVAC Mafia is a job board and community built by the trade, for the trade. Techs, apprentices and trade school students register free to see openings from real contractors, plus pay talk, career advice and the podcast.
Ready to compare real offers? Join HVAC Mafia for free and see what Texas contractors are hiring for. If you’re a contractor having trouble filling trucks, our guide on HVAC technician recruitment covers how to hire and keep techs, and you can see our job posting plans, which start with Standard at $199 per month per position.
FAQ
How much do HVAC techs make in Texas?
The median is $57,760 a year, or $27.77 an hour, according to May 2025 federal wage data. Most techs fall between about $46,800 and $69,860, and the top 10 percent earn $81,860 or more. Overtime and commission can add to those base figures.
Which Texas city pays HVAC techs the most?
Among the metros in CareerOneStop’s table, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos leads at a median of $60,820 a year, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington at $59,560 and Houston at $58,940. El Paso is the lowest at $47,270. The three big metros are close enough that employer and specialty usually matter more than the city.
Is Texas HVAC pay lower than the national average?
Slightly. The Texas median of $57,760 is about $3,250 below the national median of $61,010. Texas has no state income tax, and demand for techs is strong, so take-home and negotiating power can be better than the gap suggests.
Can an HVAC tech make six figures in Texas?
Yes, but it usually takes more than base wages. Techs get there through overtime in the cooling season, commission on replacement sales, commercial or controls specialties, lead and management roles, or owning a shop. Base-wage surveys don’t capture most of that.
How do I get a higher HVAC salary in Texas?
Get your Texas licenses and certifications, learn a higher-demand specialty like commercial or controls, and move toward working independently on complex jobs. Then compare the full package, including overtime, benefits and training, when you look at new employers.
Sources
- O*NET Texas wages for HVAC mechanics and installers
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
- CareerOneStop Texas wages table
- Texas State Auditor’s Office: HVAC Mechanic job description
- TDLR: Apply for an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License
- Skilled Wages: HVAC technician salary in Texas
- Houseler: How much do HVAC techs make in Texas
- Workly: HVAC salary by state and experience
- SubcontractorHub: HVAC technician salary calculator
- SubcontractorHub: Trade salary comparison