HVAC technician salary in Seattle, WA
HVAC technicians in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro earn a median $38.51 an hour ($80,100 a year), 6% above the Washington median and 31% above the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $29.98–$48.65. Seattle ranks the best-paid of Washington's 11 metros and 5th of 385 US metros, in the top tenth.
$38.51
Median hourly pay
6% above Washington
$80,100
Median annual pay
$72,078 at US prices
1st of 11
Among Washington metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in Seattle, Washington and the US
BLS counts 3,940 HVAC mechanics and installers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. Pay is spread wide: the best-paid tenth earn at least 2.5 times what the lowest-paid tenth do ($62.21 against $24.70 an hour). The average, $41.07, sits above the median: a smaller group of high earners pulls it up. HVAC techs are a thinner slice of the workforce here: 1.9 per 1,000 jobs, 28% under the national share.
| Percentile | Seattle | Washington | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $24.70 | $23.47 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $29.98 | $28.93 | $23.25 |
| Median | $38.51 | $36.38 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $48.65 | $45.18 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $62.21 | $57.86 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where Seattle ranks
At $38.51, Seattle is the best-paid of Washington's 11 metros and 5th of 385 US metros, in the top tenth. Nearest in pay elsewhere in Washington: Mount Vernon-Anacortes ($37.02), Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater ($36.66) and Kennewick-Richland ($36.38). Every metro, the licensing rules and the training path are on the Washington HVAC technician salary page; to vet a contractor, see how to check an HVAC license in Washington.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025; ranks by median hourly pay among metros with an estimate.
What an hour of HVAC work costs in Seattle
A tech at the Seattle median earns $38.51 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $148 here ($98–$197), 31% above the national $113, because local HVAC wages are that much higher.
Of each $148 billed, about $39 is the technician's wage and $109 covers the shop's overhead and margin, $6 more than across Washington ($104).
Take a typical Seattle AC repair at $480: about $320 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.2 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $83.
- AC repair cost in Seattle: typical $480, of which $320 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in Seattle: typical $440, of which $330 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in Seattle: typical $500, of which $319 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in Seattle: typical $210, of which $210 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in Seattle.
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
Washington has no state income tax on wages, so the whole $80,100 median is still there before federal tax and FICA.
Prices in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area run 11% above the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), which trims the median's buying power to about $72,078 in national terms.
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 Seattle
Next to HVAC techs in Seattle, electricians earn $10.42 more an hour and plumbers earn $7.27 more an hour. HVAC out-earns two of the five related trades listed. The median worker in Seattle, across every occupation, earns $34.91 an hour, so HVAC pays 10% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (Seattle) | $38.51 | — |
| Electricians | $48.93 | +$10.42 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $45.78 | +$7.27 |
| Sheet metal workers | $52.80 | +$14.29 |
| Home appliance repairers | $29.75 | −$8.76 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $29.21 | −$9.30 |
| All occupations | $34.91 | −$3.60 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in Seattle?
A median $38.51 an hour, or $80,100 a year, across 3,940 jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $29.98–$48.65; the top tenth over $62.21.
Do HVAC techs earn more in Seattle than elsewhere in Washington?
Yes. The Seattle median of $38.51 is 6% above the Washington figure of $36.38, making it the best-paid of Washington's 11 metros.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in Seattle?
About $148 in our price model ($98–$197), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in Seattle runs $480, $320 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in Seattle compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn $10.42 more an hour and plumbers earn $7.27 more an hour than HVAC techs' $38.51 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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