Job Placement · Skilled Trades & Mfg · HVAC Technician
HVAC mechanics and installers numbered 409,670 in May 2025 at a median of $61,010, and BLS projects 11 percent growth to 489,100 jobs by 2035, the fastest projected rate of any craft in this vertical. Nearly every technician needs EPA refrigerant certification, and 68 percent work for contractors paying the lowest industry median in the field. BEG recruits HVAC technicians on Tier II milestone billing, $9,381 to $11,257, certification checked before we source.
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TL;DR
HVAC is the fastest-growing licensed trade covered on this site: 11 percent projected growth from 440,900 jobs in 2025 to 489,100 by 2035, about 40,600 openings a year, with data center and commercial construction cited as drivers. The entry path is shorter than an electrician’s, a postsecondary nondegree program of 6 months to 2 years plus long-term on-the-job training, but nearly every technician still needs EPA refrigerant certification. Contractors employ 68 percent of the trade at the lowest industry median in the field, $60,030, while wholesale trade pays $71,190 for the same certification. BEG recruits on Tier II milestone billing, $9,381 to $11,257.
Growth Outpacing The Licensed Pool
Because BLS projects HVAC job growth at nearly double the electrician rate, while the entry path, a nondegree program plus EPA certification, is shorter, which does not automatically mean the pool is keeping pace.
What The Search Verifies
Four checks specific to how this trade actually licenses, which is lighter than an electrician’s state exam but not optional.
| Check | What it requires | Where it stalls |
|---|---|---|
| EPA refrigerant certification | The EPA requires nearly all HVAC technicians to be certified in refrigerant handling before working with most cooling system refrigerants. | A candidate with strong installation experience but an expired or missing certification cannot legally start on day one. |
| The postsecondary program plus on-the-job hours | Typical entry is a 6 month to 2 year nondegree program followed by long-term on-the-job training, shorter than a 4 to 5 year electrician apprenticeship. | A requisition written to electrician-length training standards filters out HVAC candidates who trained correctly, just faster. |
| Any state or local license layered on top | Some states and localities license HVAC technicians in addition to the EPA requirement, unevenly across the country. | A candidate licensed correctly in one jurisdiction is assumed compliant in another where the local add-on requirement is missed. |
| Pay benchmarked to the right industry, not the lowest one | Wholesale trade pays a median of $71,190 against $60,030 at the contractors who employ 68 percent of the trade. | A posting priced at the contractor median loses candidates who already know wholesale and larger commercial accounts pay more. |
Electrician-specific state licensing hours are covered on the electrician page. Plumbers, welders and carpenters at this same tier are covered on the skilled tradesperson page, which also carries the full cross-trade wage table. See the skilled trades placement service page for the vertical overview.
Why The Contractor Median Undersells This Trade
Sixty-eight percent of HVAC technicians work for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors at a median of $60,030, the lowest industry figure BLS publishes for this occupation. Wholesale trade pays $71,190, retail trade $62,830 and educational services $62,520 for the same EPA-certified skill set. A search that benchmarks off the contractor number alone is pricing against the bottom of its own market.
Milestone Billing At The HVAC Median
At the $61,010 median, a 20 percent contingency fee runs $12,202 and a 25 percent fee runs $15,253. BEG's Tier II range of $9,381 to $11,257 is 77 to 92 percent of the 20 percent figure, a real but modest saving, agreed in writing before sourcing rather than settled after a counteroffer.
Covering A Certified Seat
Three ways to cover this seat, and they answer different questions about who owns the certification risk once the technician is on a roof or in a mechanical room.
| Model | Who employs the technician | How you pay | Right when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal HVAC or temp staffing agency | The staffing agency | Hourly bill rate including markup, typically for peak season | You need certified hands for a defined seasonal surge and no headcount once it passes. |
| Direct hire through your own posting | You, from day one | No placement fee, but your team verifies EPA certification and local license by hand | You already have a pipeline of certified applicants and staff who can check credentials correctly. |
| BEG permanent placement | You | Tier II milestone fee of $9,381 to $11,257, fixed before sourcing | You need the certification confirmed before the interview and a technician who stays past the season. |
Large HVAC staffing firms can put a certified technician on a roof faster than a permanent search, which matters during a seasonal spike. BEG is not a staffing agency and does not describe itself as one. We place a permanent technician your company employs, at a fee fixed before sourcing, with a 45 day replacement guarantee and 50% off a repeat search for the same seat. For the multi-craft picture this trade sits inside, see skilled tradesperson.
FAQ
On BEG’s active searches, 23 to 35 days on average from discovery call to placed hire, with an 86 percent fill rate. The EPA certification check happens early, before candidates are presented, not after an offer is made.
BLS OEWS counted 409,670 heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers in May 2025, at a mean of $64,780, a median of $61,010, and a range from $40,050 at the 10th percentile to $95,210 at the 90th.
Yes, faster than most trades on this site. BLS projects 11 percent growth, from a 2025 base of 440,900 jobs to 489,100 by 2035, about 48,200 net new jobs and roughly 40,600 openings a year.
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors employ 68 percent of the trade at a median of $60,030, the lowest of the industries BLS tracks for this occupation. Wholesale trade pays the most at $71,190, ahead of retail trade at $62,830 and educational services at $62,520.
Typical entry is a postsecondary nondegree award from a program running 6 months to 2 years, followed by long-term on-the-job training. This is a shorter formal path than the 4 to 5 year apprenticeships common for electricians and plumbers.
The EPA requires nearly all HVAC technicians to be certified in refrigerant handling before they can legally work with the refrigerants used in most cooling systems. This sits on top of, not instead of, any state or local licensing.
Some states and localities do add their own licensing on top of the federal refrigerant certification, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, though the requirement is not uniform nationwide the way it is for electricians.
BLS cites data center construction and commercial construction as drivers behind the 11 percent growth projection, the same data center demand named as a factor in electrician job growth, since both trades staff the same buildings.
On average, yes. Installation, maintenance and repair occupations, the BLS category HVAC falls under, paid union members a median of $1,571 a week in 2025 against $1,140 for nonunion, with 12.5 percent of the group unionized.
Because it prices the seat at the $60,030 contractor median while wholesale trade and larger commercial accounts pay up to $71,190 for the same certification, so the candidates worth interviewing are already earning above the posted range.
A Tier II search at $9,381 to $11,257. At the $61,010 median, that range runs 77 to 92 percent of a 20 percent contingency fee, a modest saving rather than a dramatic one, fixed in writing before sourcing starts.
No. A staffing agency employs the technician and bills you an hourly rate for the length of an assignment, which is common for seasonal HVAC surges. BEG places a permanent technician your company employs directly, on a fixed milestone fee with a 45 day replacement guarantee.
Rounding out the trades roster? See electrician, skilled tradesperson and machinist and technician, or all skilled trades placement.
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