Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
- O*NET-SOC code
49-9021.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$61,010
Employment, U.S.409,670
Median hourly wage$29.33
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,050 | $48,360 | $61,010 | $77,060 | $95,210 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 8,260 | $48,370 | 1.48 |
| Alaska | 610 | $77,430 | 0.72 |
| Arizona | 10,860 | $59,400 | 1.27 |
| Arkansas | 4,960 | $48,110 | 1.44 |
| California | 35,130 | $72,560 | 0.73 |
| Colorado | 8,940 | $65,200 | 1.18 |
| Connecticut | 3,800 | $76,610 | 0.85 |
| Delaware | 1,730 | $62,320 | 1.35 |
| District of Columbia | 400 | $84,390 | 0.21 |
| Florida | 39,160 | $56,670 | 1.50 |
| Georgia | 12,290 | $56,390 | 0.95 |
| Hawaii | 1,300 | $65,450 | 0.79 |
| Idaho | 4,550 | $56,240 | 2.02 |
| Illinois | 9,740 | $77,410 | 0.61 |
| Indiana | 8,530 | $60,430 | 1.01 |
| Iowa | 3,840 | $60,680 | 0.93 |
| Kansas | 3,770 | $60,460 | 0.99 |
| Kentucky | 5,100 | $58,620 | 0.97 |
| Louisiana | 5,380 | $58,650 | 1.05 |
| Maine | 2,250 | $63,170 | 1.33 |
| Maryland | 8,560 | $70,020 | 1.18 |
| Massachusetts | 8,200 | $77,300 | 0.86 |
| Michigan | 12,590 | $60,850 | 1.09 |
| Minnesota | 4,200 | $76,350 | 0.54 |
| Mississippi | 2,700 | $48,680 | 0.88 |
| Missouri | 7,220 | $59,950 | 0.93 |
| Montana | 1,230 | $60,850 | 0.91 |
| Nebraska | 3,020 | $59,850 | 1.12 |
| Nevada | 4,170 | $60,510 | 1.02 |
| New Hampshire | 2,560 | $73,850 | 1.42 |
| New Jersey | 10,330 | $74,450 | 0.92 |
| New Mexico | 1,950 | $50,270 | 0.85 |
| New York | 24,430 | $74,430 | 0.96 |
| North Carolina | 15,230 | $57,260 | 1.17 |
| North Dakota | 970 | $74,490 | 0.85 |
| Ohio | 14,150 | $62,510 | 0.97 |
| Oklahoma | 5,650 | $57,560 | 1.25 |
| Oregon | 3,980 | $62,940 | 0.77 |
| Pennsylvania | 15,880 | $62,400 | 0.99 |
| Rhode Island | 1,450 | $67,370 | 1.10 |
| South Carolina | 6,920 | $56,610 | 1.14 |
| South Dakota | 1,610 | $61,390 | 1.34 |
| Tennessee | 9,740 | $55,490 | 1.13 |
| Texas | 34,730 | $57,760 | 0.94 |
| Utah | 5,580 | $58,730 | 1.22 |
| Vermont | 970 | $62,150 | 1.22 |
| Virginia | 14,690 | $59,730 | 1.36 |
| Washington | 7,370 | $75,660 | 0.79 |
| West Virginia | 1,690 | $48,850 | 0.91 |
| Wisconsin | 6,630 | $61,710 | 0.86 |
| Wyoming | 690 | $54,700 | 0.93 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weatherization Installers and Technicians | 1-2 | 0.976 |
| 2 | Solar Photovoltaic Installers | 1-2 | 0.970 |
| 3 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | 3 | 0.968 |
| 4 | Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 3 | 0.963 |
| 5 | Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians | 3 | 0.963 |
| 6 | Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | 3 | 0.962 |
| 7 | Helpers--Electricians | 1-2 | 0.958 |
| 8 | Hydroelectric Plant Technicians | 3 | 0.957 |
| 9 | Millwrights | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 10 | Locksmiths and Safe Repairers | 1-2 | 0.956 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | Equipment Maintenance | 0.88 | 0.968 |
| Hydroelectric Plant Technicians | Equipment Maintenance | 0.76 | 0.957 |
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay | Equipment Maintenance | 0.88 | 0.945 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | Equipment Maintenance | 0.76 | 0.932 |
| Ship Engineers | Operation and Control | 0.88 | 0.932 |
| Medical Equipment Repairers | Equipment Maintenance | 0.88 | 0.928 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, excluding software Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Programmable logic controller PLC software | 3 of 20 | 6.6x |
| Work scheduling software | 3 of 20 | 5.5x |
| Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software | 4 of 20 | 3.0x |
| Microsoft Windows | 8 of 20 | 1.5x |
| Intuit QuickBooks | 3 of 20 | 1.6x |
| Microsoft Project | 3 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Web browser software | 7 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Email software | 3 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Microsoft Access | 3 of 20 | 0.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 4.00 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Building and Construction | 4.53 | 5.38 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.37 | 4.84 |
| Mechanical | 4.29 | 5.57 |
| Administration and Management | 3.93 | 4.60 |
| Education and Training | 3.90 | 3.24 |
| Mathematics | 3.86 | 4.21 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.77 | 4.10 |
| Administrative | 3.57 | 4.74 |
| Design | 3.57 | 4.47 |
| Production and Processing | 3.52 | 4.22 |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.43 | 3.72 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.40 | 3.64 |
| English Language | 3.25 | 3.44 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 3.07 | 2.74 |
| Physics | 2.98 | 3.60 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.96 | 2.74 |
| Law and Government | 2.88 | 1.79 |
| Chemistry | 2.79 | 3.16 |
| Telecommunications | 2.75 | 1.93 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.63 | 2.31 |
| Psychology | 2.42 | 2.28 |
| Transportation | 2.34 | 1.81 |
| Communications and Media | 2.34 | 1.52 |
| Biology | 2.11 | 1.87 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.95 | 1.46 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.92 | 1.03 |
| Food Production | 1.87 | 1.59 |
| Geography | 1.79 | 1.37 |
| Foreign Language | 1.75 | 1.14 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.70 | 1.37 |
| Fine Arts | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| History and Archeology | 1.53 | 1.33 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.33 | 0.69 |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Near Vision | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.62 | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.50 | 3.75 |
| Information Ordering | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Visualization | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Oral Expression | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Control Precision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Static Strength | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.88 | 3.50 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Written Expression | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Reaction Time | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Depth Perception | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Memorization | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Originality | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Stamina | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.25 | 2.75 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Response Orientation | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Sound Localization | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Explosive Strength | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Rate Control | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Night Vision | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.62 | 0.62 |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- SAP software hot
- Alerton Ascent Compass
- Atlas Construction Business Forms
- Building automation software
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Contact management systems
- Cworks CMMS
- Data logging software
- Database software
- Delta Controls inteliWEB
- Facility energy management software
- Graphics software
- HVAC tools software
- Honeywell WEBs-N4
- IBM Maximo Asset Management
- IBM Notes
- Johnson Controls Metasys
- ManagerPlus
- Microsoft Exchange
- Siemens APOGEE Building Automation Software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coeur d'Alene, ID | 570 | 3.02 | $58,800 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 2,110 | 2.62 | $58,170 |
| Lawton, OK | 280 | 2.49 | $72,980 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 540 | 2.36 | $46,870 |
| Enid, OK | 150 | 2.36 | $54,290 |
| Sebring, FL | 170 | 2.25 | $44,720 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | 340 | 2.22 | $50,470 |
| Boise City, ID | 2,270 | 2.20 | $57,270 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 930 | 2.09 | $66,290 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 1,870 | 2.09 | $59,070 |