Skilled Wages

HVAC technician salary in Iowa

Median $29.17 an hour for 3,840 hvac and refrigeration technicians, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$29.17/hrMedian hourly wageIowa, May data
$60,680/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$20.69 – $41.4810th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,840Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

HVAC technician pay in Iowa: the full range

Wage percentiles, IowaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrIowa: 10th $20.69 · 25th $23.34 · median $29.17 · 75th $36.51 · 90th $41.48Iowa$29.17$20.69$41.48United States: 10th $19.25 · 25th $23.25 · median $29.33 · 75th $37.05 · 90th $45.78United States$29.33
Hourly wage percentiles for hvac and refrigeration technicians: Iowa vs United States, May 2025.

Iowa ranks 27th of 51 states for median hvac technician pay, and 11th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $33.22). 3,840 hvac and refrigeration technicians work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$20.69 – $23.34$43,040 – $48,540roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$23.34 – $36.51$48,540 – $75,950the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$36.51 – $41.48$75,950 – $86,280the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



HVAC technician pay by metro in Iowa

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrDavenport: $31.34Davenport$31.34Iowa City: $30.98Iowa City$30.98Des Moines: $30.11Des Moines$30.11Omaha: $30.08Omaha$30.08Dubuque: $29.53Dubuque$29.53Cedar Rapids: $29.17Cedar Rapids$29.17Ames: $29.05Ames$29.05Waterloo: $29.04Waterloo$29.04Sioux City: $28.77Sioux City$28.77
Median hourly wage for hvac and refrigeration technicians by metro area in Iowa, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Davenport$22.02$31.34$48.214107% above
Iowa City$21.53$30.98$37.891506% above
Des Moines$22.13$30.11$47.349003% above
Omaha$21.93$30.08$40.211,6003% above
Dubuque$18.12$29.53$40.571301% above
Cedar Rapids$21.04$29.17$42.26380about the same as
Ames$19.85$29.05$38.41190about the same as
Waterloo$18.81$29.04$47.30260about the same as
Sioux City$18.91$28.77$39.372001% below

HVAC technician wages in Iowa over time

Iowa, 1999-2025IowaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30$35200020052010201520202025$29.33United States$29.17Iowa
Median hourly wage for hvac and refrigeration technicians, Iowa vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIowa $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$13.48$26.05$14.501,620
2000$15.94$29.80$15.761,790
2001$17.24$31.34$16.351,760
2002$17.09$30.58$16.781,710
2003$17.79$31.13$16.901,850
2004$18.38$31.33$17.432,100
2005$15.45$25.47$17.812,600
2006$15.25$24.35$18.112,580
2007$15.34$23.82$18.442,860
2008$17.38$25.99$19.083,230
2009$19.10$28.66$19.763,270
2010$21.08$31.12$20.453,400
2011$21.17$30.30$20.862,880
2012$20.82$29.19$20.982,890
2013$21.12$29.19$21.103,080
2014$22.30$30.33$21.463,740
2015$22.99$31.23$21.694,200
2016$23.36$31.33$22.074,300
2017$23.61$31.01$22.643,770
2018$24.37$31.24$22.894,190
2019$24.32$30.63$23.434,290
2020$25.51$31.73$24.324,010
2021$23.61$28.05$23.382,920
2022$26.40$29.04$24.713,860
2023$28.37$29.98$27.553,840
2024$28.60$29.35$28.753,990
2025$29.17$29.17$29.333,840

In today's dollars, the median hvac technician wage in Iowa changed by -6.6% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for hvac technicians in Iowa

On federally funded construction in Iowa, contractors must pay hvac technicians at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 38 of the 38 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $68.45 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $29.17.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, IAAdair: $68.45 (union)Adams: $68.45 (union)Allamakee: $68.45 (union)Appanoose: —Audubon: $68.45 (union)Benton: —Black Hawk: —Boone: $68.45 (union)Bremer: —Buchanan: $68.45 (union)Buena Vista: —Butler: $68.45 (union)Calhoun: —Carroll: $68.45 (union)Cass: $68.45 (union)Cedar: —Cerro Gordo: $68.45 (union)Cherokee: —Chickasaw: $68.45 (union)Clarke: $68.45 (union)Clay: —Clayton: $68.45 (union)Clinton: —Crawford: —Dallas: $68.45 (union)Davis: —Decatur: $68.45 (union)Delaware: $68.45 (union)Des Moines: —Dickinson: —Dubuque: —Emmet: —Fayette: $68.45 (union)Floyd: $68.45 (union)Franklin: $68.45 (union)Fremont: $68.45 (union)Greene: $68.45 (union)Grundy: —Guthrie: —Hamilton: —Hancock: —Hardin: $68.45 (union)Harrison: —Henry: —Howard: $68.45 (union)Humboldt: —Ida: —Iowa: —Jackson: —Jasper: —Jefferson: —Johnson: —Jones: —Keokuk: —Kossuth: —Lee: —Linn: —Louisa: —Lucas: $68.45 (union)Lyon: —Madison: —Mahaska: —Marion: —Marshall: —Mills: —Mitchell: $68.45 (union)Monona: $68.45 (union)Monroe: —Montgomery: $68.45 (union)Muscatine: —O'Brien: —Osceola: —Page: $68.45 (union)Palo Alto: —Plymouth: —Pocahontas: —Polk: $68.45 (union)Pottawattamie: —Poweshiek: —Ringgold: $68.45 (union)Sac: —Scott: —Shelby: $68.45 (union)Sioux: —Story: $68.45 (union)Tama: —Taylor: $68.45 (union)Union: $68.45 (union)Van Buren: —Wapello: —Warren: $68.45 (union)Washington: —Wayne: $68.45 (union)Webster: —Winnebago: —Winneshiek: $68.45 (union)Woodbury: —Worth: $68.45 (union)Wright: —Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for hvac technicians by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdairUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260029
AdamsUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260030
AllamakeeUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260031
AudubonUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260033
BooneUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260034
BuchananUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260080
ButlerUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260080
CarrollUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260035
CassUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260058
Cerro GordoUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260037
ChickasawUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260080
ClarkeUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260058
ClaytonUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260059
DallasUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260064
DecaturUnion PLUM0033-002 2025-06-01$45.20$23.25$68.45IA20260060

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Iowa prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Iowa?

93.8kConstruction jobsIowa, 2026-08
+3.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202594kAug 2026
Construction employment in Iowa (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just hvac technicians), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Polk County4,936$93,825$1,804
Woodbury County705$90,444$1,739
Linn County2,122$87,280$1,678
Benton County94$84,377$1,623
Scott County1,151$83,930$1,614
Pottawattamie County397$80,299$1,544
Wapello County279$79,163$1,522
Boone County190$78,983$1,519
Black Hawk County521$77,457$1,490
Carroll County149$75,167$1,446
Johnson County443$71,992$1,384
Dubuque County354$71,482$1,375

Keep comparing

HVAC technician pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Iowa

Questions this page answers

How much do hvac technicians make in Iowa?

The median hvac technician in Iowa earned $29.17 an hour ($60,680 a year) in May 2025, 1% below the national median of $29.33. The middle half earn $23.34–$36.51; the top 10% earn more than $41.48.

Where does Iowa rank for hvac technician pay?

Iowa ranks 27th of 51 states for hvac technician pay, with a median of $29.17 an hour, and 11th after adjusting for Iowa's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.8, US = 100).

What is the union hvac technician rate in Iowa?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for hvac technicians in 38 counties, with a typical package of $68.45 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many hvac technicians work in Iowa?

BLS counted 3,840 hvac and refrigeration technicians in Iowa in May 2025, 2.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.93; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Iowa and metro areas, SOC 49-9021.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.