How to read the pay figures on our location pages
Our state and city job pages show published wage and employment estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Here is what those numbers mean, where to check them, and what they cannot tell you.
The source
We use the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) tables for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, occupation code 49-9021. Each location card names the state or published metropolitan area and links to its BLS source.
We display the median hourly wage, the 25th to 75th percentile hourly wages, and estimated employment when BLS publishes those values. The data date is May 2025; that is the period measured, not a claim about today's offers.
Median wage
The midpoint of the published wage distribution for this occupation in the named area. Half of workers are estimated to earn more and half less.
25th–75th range
The middle half of the published hourly wages. It describes workers across the occupation, not a guaranteed offer for a particular job.
Employment
BLS's estimate of workers employed in the occupation. It is not the number of current openings on this job board.
Important limits
- Occupation 49-9021 includes residential, commercial, and industrial HVAC/R work. BLS does not separate commercial technicians in these location figures.
- Metro areas may cross city or state lines. A city page labels the exact BLS area rather than implying that the estimate covers only the city.
- The figures describe wages in the survey period. They do not include an individual job's overtime, benefits, on-call pay, or future raises.
- Some estimates are withheld or unavailable. A page should label a broader substitute clearly or omit the missing figure.
- Job postings and other articles on this site may contain employer-stated pay or other estimates. Those are separate from the OEWS location cards and should be labeled with their own source and date.
For details on collection and estimation, read the BLS OEWS program overview. To compare current opportunities, use the state job directory or city job directory.