Data from Payscale.com shows that, across the trades, salaries for technicians and office workers across HVAC, electrical and plumbing businesses rose nationally by about 3.5 percent, regardless of experience level or trade.
That outpaced the 2024 rise in the Consumer Price Index of 2.9%, indicating that wages generally grew faster than nationwide prices across the industry.
The question for contractors: Did salaries at your business keep pace? There are a number of benchmarks to consider.
While the median entry-level base salary for HVAC technicians ($54,100) is slightly more than that for an entry-level plumber ($53,900), both significantly trail the median entry-level salary for electricians ($60,600). Still, salaries for electricians rose more slowly than for either HVAC techs or plumbers.
But the salaries vary significantly by state. Here, we’ve shared Payscale.com data and highlighted the average salaries for intermediate-level technicians across HVAC, plumbing and electrical, plus those for CSRs and dispatchers on the office side.
The database of salaries comes from Payscale.com, which works with human resources and compensation specialists to modernize compensation and salary benchmarking through technology. Payscale’s 2024-2025 Salary Budget Survey (SBS) is based on salary budget submissions from 1,550 organizations.
What Payfactors.com data showed:
HVAC technician salaries
Nationally, entry-level base salaries for HVAC technicians rose by 3.44% in the past year, 3.62% for senior techs, and 3.53% for HVAC supervisors. That puts pay for the average entry-level HVAC tech – with half making more and half making less – at $54,100 nationally.
And while salaries are rising fastest in New Jersey (4.04%), California (3.97%), and Illinois (3.92%), there are no projected salary decreases in the data.
For intermediate HVAC technicians, those with 2-4 years of experience, the median is $65,700, and for experienced HVAC technicians (4-7 years), it’s $77,200.
HVAC supervisors (7+ years of experience), at the median, make $90,800.
HVAC
Entry-level: 3.44% increase
Intermediate: 3.46% increase
Senior: 3.62% increase
Supervisor: 3.53% increase
Entry-level salaries are projected to rise fastest in New Jersey (4.04%), California (3.97%), and Illinois (3.92%) since June 2024, the last time Payscale.com provided ServiceTitan with data. There are no projected salary decreases.
The 50th percentile salary for an entry-level HVAC technician (0-2 years experience) nationwide is $54,100. For intermediate experience (2-4 years), it’s $65,700, and for experienced HVAC technicians (4-7 years), it’s $77,200.
HVAC supervisors (7+ years of experience), at the median, make $90,800.
Entry-level HVAC technicians have the highest projected median pay in two of the nation’s biggest cities, with San Francisco ($64,200, $30.87 per hour) and New York City ($60,600, $29.13) topping the list.
Wyoming ($49,600), Mississippi ($49,500), and West Virginia ($49,200) have the lowest projected median salary for entry-level HVAC technicians; California ($59,200), New Jersey ($58,300) and Washington ($58,000) are the highest paying states for those workers.
» HVAC Salary Guide: More information, including state-by-state median HVAC salaries, for 2025.
Electrician Salaries
Highlighting the need for new technician talent in the trades, entry-level base median salaries for electricians rose 3.59% over 2024, faster than either intermediate electrician salaries (3.59%) and senior plumbers (3.15%).
For entry-level electricians, the median annual base salary for 2025 as of June 1 was projected to be $60,600, or $29.13 per hour.
That’s higher than the entry-level figure for either plumbers or HVAC technicians, according to Payfactors.com. And for intermediate level electricians, those with 2-4 years of experience, the number rises to $71,100, or $34.18 per hour.
At the senior level, defined as 4-7 years of experience, the median is $76,600, or $36.83 per hour.
BY THE NUMBERS
3.99% — Rise in entry-level electrician salaries in New Jersey, fastest in the nation. That’s followed by California (3.92%).
$55,000 — Median entry-level electrician salary in Wyoming, lowest in the nation. California, at $66,300, is the highest, followed by New Jersey ($65,200), and Washington ($64,900).
$100,000 — Equivalent to $48.08 per hour in base salary, the median salary of senior electricians (4-7 years of experience) at the 90th percentile.
3.14% — The average salary increase for senior electricians nationally, according to the data, a smaller increase than those in HVAC and plumbing.
» Electrician Salary Guide: More information, including state-by-state median electrician salaries, for 2025.
Plumbing Salaries
For entry-level plumbers, the projected median annual base salary is $53,900, or $25.91 per hour. For intermediate plumbers with 2-4 years of experience, the national median rises to $70,000, or $33.65 per hour. At the senior level, defined as 4-6 years of experience, the median salary is $75,800, or $36.44 per hour.
Plumbing salaries nationally, according to Payfactors.com, rose at a rate similar to other jobs in the trades, with entry-level plumbers making 3.65% more at the median than a year ago.
Plumbers with 2-4 years of experience saw their base pay increase by 3.55% over a year ago, the same rate at which senior plumbers rose.
BY THE NUMBERS
4.13% — Increase in entry-level plumber base salary in New Jersey, the fastest increase in the nation. Plumbing salaries rose slowest in Wyoming (2.07%).
$49,000 — Median base salary for entry-level plumbers in West Virginia, lowest in the nation. California ($59,000) and New Jersey ($58,000) have the highest.
$114,000 — Base salary for senior plumbers in the 90th percentile, where 90 percent of plumbers make less. That’s $54.81 per hour. » Plumbing Salary Guide: More information, including state-by-state median plumber salaries, for 2025.
Office worker salaries
While Payscale’s survey covers CSRs and dispatchers in all industries, not just in the trades, the numbers illustrate what competitive salaries for those jobs look like vs. the competition for those workers.
Nationally, office worker salaries are up about 3.5% across the board, regardless of position or experience level. That includes the median base salary nationally for entry level CSRs ($45,500, or $21.88 per hour, up 3.64% over a year ago) and entry level dispatchers ($49,000, $23.56 per hour, up 3.38%).
The median salary nationally for office administrators ($55,100), office supervisors ($71,000), and office managers ($101,000) rose at a similar rate.
BY THE NUMBERS
$53,700 — Median salary for entry-level dispatchers in California, highest in the nation. West Virginia ($43,600) is the lowest.
7.7% — The gap for entry-level pay between dispatchers and CSRs.
$63,400 — National median salary for CSR managers with six or more years of experience. California, at $69,400, is again highest in the nation.
» Office Staff Salary Guide: More information, including state-by-state median CSR and office staff salaries, for 2025.
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