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Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
7 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, trained hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 4,000 hours, for OIL BURNER-SERVICER & INSTALLER (hybrid).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Air & Hydronic Balancing Technician | 0990 | Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic | 0637 | Hybrid: 8,500 to 10,000 hours Hybrid: 8,500 to 10,000 hours Hybrid (V2): 8,500 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 8,000 hours Time-Based (V3): 6,000 hours Time-Based (V4): 8,500 hours Time-Based (V5): 8,000 hours |
| FURNACE INSTALLER | 0794 | Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| FURNACE INSTALLER & REPAIRER | 0678 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| OIL BURNER-SERVICER & INSTALLER | 0966 | Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING MAINTENANCE | 0666 | Hybrid: 7,480 to 8,800 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours Time-Based (V3): 8,000 hours |
| REFRIGERATION UNIT REPAIRER | 0918 | Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn, by state
District of Columbia has the highest state median for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers ($84,390) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($31,480), across the 54 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $84,390 | $40.57 | 400 |
| Alaska | $77,430 | $37.23 | 610 |
| Illinois | $77,410 | $37.21 | 9,740 |
| Massachusetts | $77,300 | $37.16 | 8,200 |
| Connecticut | $76,610 | $36.83 | 3,800 |
| Minnesota | $76,350 | $36.71 | 4,200 |
| Washington | $75,660 | $36.38 | 7,370 |
| North Dakota | $74,490 | $35.81 | 970 |
| New Jersey | $74,450 | $35.79 | 10,330 |
| New York | $74,430 | $35.78 | 24,430 |
| New Hampshire | $73,850 | $35.51 | 2,560 |
| California | $72,560 | $34.88 | 35,130 |
| Maryland | $70,020 | $33.67 | 8,560 |
| Rhode Island | $67,370 | $32.39 | 1,450 |
| Hawaii | $65,450 | $31.47 | 1,300 |
| Colorado | $65,200 | $31.35 | 8,940 |
| Maine | $63,170 | $30.37 | 2,250 |
| Oregon | $62,940 | $30.26 | 3,980 |
| Ohio | $62,510 | $30.06 | 14,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,400 | $30.00 | 15,880 |
| Delaware | $62,320 | $29.96 | 1,730 |
| Vermont | $62,150 | $29.88 | 970 |
| Wisconsin | $61,710 | $29.67 | 6,630 |
| South Dakota | $61,390 | $29.51 | 1,610 |
| Michigan | $60,850 | $29.26 | 12,590 |
| Montana | $60,850 | $29.26 | 1,230 |
| Iowa | $60,680 | $29.17 | 3,840 |
| Nevada | $60,510 | $29.09 | 4,170 |
| Kansas | $60,460 | $29.07 | 3,770 |
| Indiana | $60,430 | $29.05 | 8,530 |
| Missouri | $59,950 | $28.82 | 7,220 |
| Nebraska | $59,850 | $28.77 | 3,020 |
| Virginia | $59,730 | $28.72 | 14,690 |
| Arizona | $59,400 | $28.56 | 10,860 |
| Utah | $58,730 | $28.24 | 5,580 |
| Louisiana | $58,650 | $28.20 | 5,380 |
| Kentucky | $58,620 | $28.18 | 5,100 |
| Texas | $57,760 | $27.77 | 34,730 |
| Oklahoma | $57,560 | $27.67 | 5,650 |
| North Carolina | $57,260 | $27.53 | 15,230 |
| Florida | $56,670 | $27.24 | 39,160 |
| South Carolina | $56,610 | $27.22 | 6,920 |
| Georgia | $56,390 | $27.11 | 12,290 |
| Idaho | $56,240 | $27.04 | 4,550 |
| Tennessee | $55,490 | $26.68 | 9,740 |
| Wyoming | $54,700 | $26.30 | 690 |
| New Mexico | $50,270 | $24.17 | 1,950 |
| West Virginia | $48,850 | $23.49 | 1,690 |
| Mississippi | $48,680 | $23.41 | 2,700 |
| Alabama | $48,370 | $23.26 | 8,260 |
| Arkansas | $48,110 | $23.13 | 4,960 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $45,030 | $21.65 | 70 |
| Guam | $40,110 | $19.28 | 240 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,480 | $15.14 | 1,140 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations · HVAC Schools at schools and training centers
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).