HVAC technician salary in St. Louis, MO
HVAC technicians in the St. Louis metro earn a median $30.29 an hour ($63,000 a year), 5% above the Missouri median and 3% above the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $23.58–$37.90. St. Louis ranks the best-paid of Missouri's 8 metros and 96th of 385 US metros.
$30.29
Median hourly pay
5% above Missouri
$63,000
Median annual pay
$66,253 at US prices
1st of 8
Among Missouri metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in St. Louis, Missouri and the US
BLS counts 2,980 HVAC mechanics and installers in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The best-paid tenth earn at least 2.2 times what the lowest-paid tenth do ($48.17 against $22.05 an hour). The average, $32.69, sits above the median: a smaller group of high earners pulls it up. HVAC techs are a thinner slice of the workforce here: 2.2 per 1,000 jobs, 16% under the national share.
| Percentile | St. Louis | Missouri | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $22.05 | $18.84 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $23.58 | $22.61 | $23.25 |
| Median | $30.29 | $28.82 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $37.90 | $35.87 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $48.17 | $42.68 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where St. Louis ranks
At $30.29, St. Louis is the best-paid of Missouri's 8 metros and 96th of 385 US metros. Nearest in pay elsewhere in Missouri: Kansas City ($30.14), St. Joseph ($29.77) and Columbia ($28.31). Every metro, the licensing rules and the training path are on the Missouri HVAC technician salary page; to vet a contractor, see how to check an HVAC license in Missouri.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025; ranks by median hourly pay among metros with an estimate.
What an hour of HVAC work costs in St. Louis
A tech at the St. Louis median earns $30.29 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $117 here ($77–$155), 3% above the national $113, because local HVAC wages are that much higher.
Of each $117 billed, about $30 is the technician's wage and $87 covers the shop's overhead and margin, $5 more than across Missouri ($82).
Take a typical St. Louis AC repair at $410: about $255 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.2 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $66.
- AC repair cost in St. Louis: typical $410, of which $255 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in St. Louis: typical $360, of which $256 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in St. Louis: typical $430, of which $254 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in St. Louis: typical $170, of which $170 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in St. Louis.
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
Missouri's graduated income tax (top rate 4.7%) takes about $2,104 of the $63,000 median, leaving $60,896, or 97% of gross. The metro crosses into IL; the figure uses MO tax.
Prices in the St. Louis area run 5% below the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), so the $63,000 median buys what $66,253 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 St. Louis
Next to HVAC techs in St. Louis, electricians earn $6.81 more an hour and plumbers earn $6.73 more an hour. HVAC out-earns two of the five related trades listed. The median worker in St. Louis, across every occupation, earns $24.03 an hour, so HVAC pays 26% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (St. Louis) | $30.29 | — |
| Electricians | $37.10 | +$6.81 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $37.02 | +$6.73 |
| Sheet metal workers | $31.77 | +$1.48 |
| Home appliance repairers | $24.01 | −$6.28 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $25.93 | −$4.36 |
| All occupations | $24.03 | −$6.26 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in St. Louis?
A median $30.29 an hour, or $63,000 a year, across 2,980 jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $23.58–$37.90; the top tenth over $48.17.
Do HVAC techs earn more in St. Louis than elsewhere in Missouri?
Yes. The St. Louis median of $30.29 is 5% above the Missouri figure of $28.82, making it the best-paid of Missouri's 8 metros.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in St. Louis?
About $117 in our price model ($77–$155), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in St. Louis runs $410, $255 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in St. Louis compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn $6.81 more an hour and plumbers earn $6.73 more an hour than HVAC techs' $30.29 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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