- The middle half earn between $26.75 and $37.11 an hour.
- Hawaii ranks 15th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- Hawaii pays less than both nearby states it is compared with.
- BLS counts about 1,300 HVAC technicians on payrolls in Hawaii.
- At the state median wage, an HVAC business needs to bill about $125.85 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
HVAC Technician pay in Hawaii, bottom to top
BLS files these as heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers, which covers service techs, installers and refrigeration work.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.73 | $43,120 | $19.25 |
| 25th percentile | $26.75 | $55,630 | $23.25 |
| Median | $31.47 | $65,450 | $29.33 |
| 75th percentile | $37.11 | $77,190 | $37.05 |
| 90th percentile | $47.80 | $99,430 | $45.78 |
| Average (mean) | $32.24 | $67,070 | $31.14 |
From the bottom tenth ($20.73) to the top tenth ($47.80), the top of the scale pays about 2.3 times the bottom in Hawaii, close to the 2.4 times spread for HVAC technicians nationwide.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $20.73 against $19.25 at the bottom tenth, and $47.80 against $45.78 at the top.
The average, $32.24, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How Hawaii compares with other states
Over a full year, the Hawaii median of $65,450 is $4,440 more than the national $61,010.
In the state ranking, Hawaii sits 15th, between Rhode Island ($32.39) and Colorado ($31.35). The range runs from $23.13 in Arkansas to $40.57 in the District of Columbia.
Hawaii has no land border, so it is set here against California and Alaska. Both pay more than Hawaii.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in Hawaii. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Nearby state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $31.47 | $65,450 | |
| California | $34.88 | $72,560 | +$3.41 an hour |
| Alaska | $37.23 | $77,430 | +$5.76 an hour |
How many HVAC technicians work in Hawaii
About 1,300 HVAC technicians work on payrolls in Hawaii, 0.3% of the 409,670 nationwide, the 45th largest count among the states.
It is a smaller part of local jobs than in most of the country, at 2.1 per 1,000 jobs, 0.79 times the national share.
What an HVAC business in Hawaii should charge
Higher wages in Hawaii go straight into the price. Take an HVAC business in Hawaii paying the state median of $31.47 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $31.47 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $70,465 |
| Break-even rate | ($70,465 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $106.98 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $106.98 ÷ 0.85 | $125.85 |
That is $125.85 per billable hour, 4 times the wage, and $3.76 more than the $122.10 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $37.11 in Hawaii, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $135.76.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $26.75, the rate only drops to $117.57.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the HVAC labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as an HVAC technician in Hawaii
- Licensing. What Hawaii asks for before you can work on your own: HVAC license in Hawaii.
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how HVAC companies run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 49-9021, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: HVAC technician salary by state.