HVAC technician salary in Birmingham, AL
HVAC technicians in the Birmingham metro earn a median $23.43 an hour ($48,740 a year), in line with the Alabama median and 20% below the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $20.50–$29.05. Birmingham ranks 4th of 12 metros in Alabama and 347th of 385 US metros.
$23.43
Median hourly pay
in line with Alabama
$48,740
Median annual pay
$53,186 at US prices
4th of 12
Among Alabama metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in Birmingham, Alabama and the US
BLS counts 2,370 HVAC mechanics and installers in the Birmingham, AL metro area. Pay is tightly bunched: even the best-paid tenth ($33.57 and up) earn under twice what the lowest-paid tenth do ($18.00). The average, $25.31, sits above the median: a smaller group of high earners pulls it up. HVAC work is unusually common here: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 73% above the national share.
| Percentile | Birmingham | Alabama | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $18.00 | $17.56 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $20.50 | $19.39 | $23.25 |
| Median | $23.43 | $23.26 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $29.05 | $28.86 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $33.57 | $31.58 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where Birmingham ranks
At $23.43, Birmingham is 4th of 12 metros in Alabama and 347th of 385 US metros. Nearest in pay elsewhere in Alabama: Gadsden ($23.70), Decatur ($23.44) and Montgomery ($23.40). Every metro, the licensing rules and the training path are on the Alabama HVAC technician salary page; to vet a contractor, see how to check an HVAC license in Alabama.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025; ranks by median hourly pay among metros with an estimate.
What an hour of HVAC work costs in Birmingham
A tech at the Birmingham median earns $23.43 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $90 here ($60–$120), 20% below the national $113, because local HVAC wages are that much lower.
Of each $90 billed, about $23 is the technician's wage and $67 covers the shop's overhead and margin, the same as across Alabama.
Take a typical Birmingham AC repair at $340: about $193 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.1 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $50.
- AC repair cost in Birmingham: typical $340, of which $193 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in Birmingham: typical $300, of which $199 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in Birmingham: typical $360, of which $193 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in Birmingham: typical $130, of which $130 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in Birmingham.
Source: wages, BLS OEWS May 2025; billable rate, HomeGuide HVAC repair costs (2026) scaled by local HVAC wages; repair prices, HVACFIND Price Index 2026Q4.2 (model estimates for a 1,500–2,500 sq ft home).
Take-home and cost of living
Alabama's graduated income tax (top rate 5%) takes about $2,247 of the $48,740 median, leaving $46,493, or 95% of gross.
Prices in the Birmingham area run 8% below the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), so the $48,740 median buys what $53,186 would nationally.
Source: state income tax at 2026 rates, single filer, standard deduction; federal income tax, FICA and city taxes left out. Price parities: BEA, 2024.
Other trades in Birmingham
Next to HVAC techs in Birmingham, electricians earn $3.80 more an hour and plumbers earn $5.46 more an hour. HVAC out-earns two of the four related trades listed. The median worker in Birmingham, across every occupation, earns $22.97 an hour, so HVAC pays 2% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (Birmingham) | $23.43 | — |
| Electricians | $27.23 | +$3.80 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $28.89 | +$5.46 |
| Sheet metal workers | $23.12 | −$0.31 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $22.29 | −$1.14 |
| All occupations | $22.97 | −$0.46 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in Birmingham?
A median $23.43 an hour, or $48,740 a year, across 2,370 jobs in the Birmingham, AL metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $20.50–$29.05; the top tenth over $33.57.
Do HVAC techs earn more in Birmingham than elsewhere in Alabama?
About the same. The Birmingham median of $23.43 is in line with the Alabama figure of $23.26, making it 4th of 12 metros in Alabama.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in Birmingham?
About $90 in our price model ($60–$120), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in Birmingham runs $340, $193 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in Birmingham compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn $3.80 more an hour and plumbers earn $5.46 more an hour than HVAC techs' $23.43 median.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: HVAC mechanics and installers (49-9021)
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035
- O*NET 31.0: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- EPA Section 608 technician certification
- HomeGuide: HVAC repair cost and hourly rates (2026)
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