Skilled Wages

HVAC technician salary in Kentucky

Median $28.18 an hour for 5,100 hvac and refrigeration technicians, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$28.18/hrMedian hourly wageKentucky, May data
$58,620/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.65 – $38.4710th to 90th percentilehourly range
5,100Jobs countedemployer survey

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

HVAC technician pay in Kentucky: the full range

Wage percentiles, KentuckyMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrKentucky: 10th $18.65 · 25th $22.97 · median $28.18 · 75th $32.47 · 90th $38.47Kentucky$28.18$18.65$38.47United 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: Kentucky vs United States, May 2025.

Kentucky ranks 37th of 51 states for median hvac technician pay, and 25th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $31.24). 5,100 hvac and refrigeration technicians work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$18.65 – $22.97$38,790 – $47,780roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$22.97 – $32.47$47,780 – $67,540the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$32.47 – $38.47$67,540 – $80,020the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



HVAC technician pay by metro in Kentucky

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrCincinnati: $29.92Cincinnati$29.92Lexington: $28.98Lexington$28.98Owensboro: $28.88Owensboro$28.88Louisville: $28.33Louisville$28.33Paducah: $27.22Paducah$27.22Elizabethtown: $26.80Elizabethtown$26.80Bowling Green: $26.56Bowling Green$26.56Clarksville: $24.27Clarksville$24.27Huntington: $23.49Huntington$23.49
Median hourly wage for hvac and refrigeration technicians by metro area in Kentucky, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Cincinnati$19.11$29.92$46.352,9506% above
Lexington$18.01$28.98$39.037403% above
Owensboro$22.27$28.88$38.961602% above
Louisville$22.05$28.33$37.861,8901% above
Paducah$21.62$27.22$37.56903% below
Elizabethtown$16.44$26.80$37.721605% below
Bowling Green$18.87$26.56$35.702306% below
Clarksville$18.52$24.27$34.5133014% below
Huntington$17.20$23.49$35.2936017% below

HVAC technician wages in Kentucky over time

Kentucky, 1999-2025KentuckyUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$29.33United States$28.18Kentucky
Median hourly wage for hvac and refrigeration technicians, Kentucky vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearKentucky $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.17$23.52$14.502,420
2000$12.40$23.18$15.762,310
2001$12.93$23.50$16.352,400
2002$14.21$25.43$16.782,250
2003$14.68$25.69$16.902,430
2004$15.35$26.16$17.433,070
2005$15.14$24.96$17.813,090
2006$15.43$24.64$18.113,160
2007$15.50$24.07$18.443,350
2008$15.69$23.46$19.083,440
2009$16.05$24.09$19.763,220
2010$16.42$24.24$20.453,100
2011$17.15$24.55$20.863,480
2012$17.88$25.07$20.983,470
2013$18.01$24.89$21.103,360
2014$18.34$24.94$21.463,390
2015$18.33$24.90$21.693,640
2016$19.11$25.63$22.073,800
2017$19.96$26.22$22.643,780
2018$19.39$24.86$22.893,990
2019$19.82$24.96$23.434,290
2020$20.77$25.84$24.324,870
2021$22.89$27.20$23.385,790
2022$23.12$25.43$24.715,240
2023$24.30$25.67$27.556,500
2024$28.31$29.05$28.756,230
2025$28.18$28.18$29.335,100

In today's dollars, the median hvac technician wage in Kentucky changed by +13.2% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for hvac technicians in Kentucky

On federally funded construction in Kentucky, contractors must pay hvac technicians at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 0 of the 21 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package — an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $46.57). 21 of the 21 counties still use a survey rate dated 2015 or earlier (for example Bell County at $46.57). The market median for the state is $28.18.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, KYAdair: —Allen: —Anderson: —Ballard: —Barren: —Bath: —Bell: $46.57 (survey)Boone: —Bourbon: —Boyd: —Boyle: —Bracken: —Breathitt: $46.57 (survey)Breckinridge: —Bullitt: —Butler: —Caldwell: —Calloway: —Campbell: —Carlisle: —Carroll: —Carter: $46.57 (survey)Casey: —Christian: —Clark: —Clay: $46.57 (survey)Clinton: —Crittenden: —Cumberland: —Daviess: —Edmonson: —Elliott: $46.57 (survey)Estill: —Fayette: —Fleming: —Floyd: $46.57 (survey)Franklin: —Fulton: —Gallatin: —Garrard: —Grant: —Graves: —Grayson: —Green: —Greenup: —Hancock: —Hardin: —Harlan: $46.57 (survey)Harrison: —Hart: —Henderson: —Henry: —Hickman: —Hopkins: —Jackson: $46.57 (survey)Jefferson: —Jessamine: —Johnson: $46.57 (survey)Kenton: —Knott: $46.57 (survey)Knox: —Larue: —Laurel: —Lawrence: $46.57 (survey)Lee: $46.57 (survey)Leslie: $46.57 (survey)Letcher: $46.57 (survey)Lewis: —Lincoln: —Livingston: —Logan: —Lyon: —McCracken: —McCreary: —McLean: —Madison: —Magoffin: $46.57 (survey)Marion: —Marshall: —Martin: $46.57 (survey)Mason: —Meade: —Menifee: —Mercer: —Metcalfe: —Monroe: —Montgomery: —Morgan: $46.57 (survey)Muhlenberg: —Nelson: —Nicholas: —Ohio: —Oldham: —Owen: —Owsley: $46.57 (survey)Pendleton: —Perry: $46.57 (survey)Pike: $46.57 (survey)Powell: —Pulaski: —Robertson: —Rockcastle: —Rowan: —Russell: —Scott: —Shelby: —Simpson: —Spencer: —Taylor: —Todd: —Trigg: —Trimble: —Union: —Warren: —Washington: —Wayne: —Webster: —Whitley: —Wolfe: $46.57 (survey)Woodford: —Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/asurvey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for hvac technicians by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BellSurvey SUKY2015-001 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260019
BreathittSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
CarterSurvey SUKY2015-004 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260022
ClaySurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
ElliottSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
FloydSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
HarlanSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
JacksonSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
JohnsonSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
KnottSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
LawrenceSurvey SUKY2015-008 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260026
LeeSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
LeslieSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
LetcherSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043
MagoffinSurvey SUKY2015-024 2015-06-02$25.63$20.94$46.57KY20260043

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

Is construction work growing in Kentucky?

96.4kConstruction jobsKentucky, 2026-08
+1.3%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202640k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202596kAug 2026
Construction employment in Kentucky (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
Jefferson County5,535$85,747$1,649
Hardin County560$83,483$1,605
Fayette County2,213$79,961$1,538
Mason County257$79,749$1,534
Henderson County186$78,774$1,515
Meade County213$78,197$1,504
Campbell County360$77,416$1,489
McCracken County684$75,366$1,449
Kenton County587$73,926$1,422
Harrison County9$73,869$1,421
Scott County176$73,598$1,415
Larue County82$73,473$1,413

Keep comparing

HVAC technician pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Kentucky

Questions this page answers

How much do hvac technicians make in Kentucky?

The median hvac technician in Kentucky earned $28.18 an hour ($58,620 a year) in May 2025, 4% below the national median of $29.33. The middle half earn $22.97–$32.47; the top 10% earn more than $38.47.

Where does Kentucky rank for hvac technician pay?

Kentucky ranks 37th of 51 states for hvac technician pay, with a median of $28.18 an hour, and 25th after adjusting for Kentucky's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.2, US = 100).

What is the union hvac technician rate in Kentucky?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a hvac technician classification for most Kentucky counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many hvac technicians work in Kentucky?

BLS counted 5,100 hvac and refrigeration technicians in Kentucky in May 2025, 2.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.97; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Kentucky 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.