- The middle half earn between $23.44 and $39.23 an hour.
- Rhode Island ranks 14th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- Rhode Island pays less than both neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 1,450 HVAC technicians on payrolls in Rhode Island.
- At the state median wage, an HVAC business needs to bill about $127.47 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
HVAC Technician pay in Rhode Island, 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 | $18.32 | $38,100 | $19.25 |
| 25th percentile | $23.44 | $48,760 | $23.25 |
| Median | $32.39 | $67,370 | $29.33 |
| 75th percentile | $39.23 | $81,610 | $37.05 |
| 90th percentile | $50.04 | $104,080 | $45.78 |
| Average (mean) | $33.55 | $69,780 | $31.14 |
Pay spreads out a lot in Rhode Island. The bottom tenth earn $18.32 an hour or less while the top tenth earn $50.04 or more, a gap of 2.7 times against 2.4 nationally. Where a HVAC technician sits on that range matters as much as the state.
The bottom of the scale is lower than nationally ($18.32 against $19.25) while the top is higher ($50.04 against $45.78), so the climb from new hire to top earner is longer here.
The average, $33.55, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How Rhode Island compares with other states
Over a full year, the Rhode Island median of $67,370 is $6,360 more than the national $61,010.
In the state ranking, Rhode Island sits 14th, between Maryland ($33.67) and Hawaii ($31.47). The range runs from $23.13 in Arkansas to $40.57 in the District of Columbia.
Every one of the neighboring states pays HVAC technicians more than Rhode Island. The closest is Connecticut at $36.83, and the biggest gap is with Massachusetts.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in Rhode Island. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $32.39 | $67,370 | |
| Connecticut | $36.83 | $76,610 | +$4.44 an hour |
| Massachusetts | $37.16 | $77,300 | +$4.77 an hour |
How many HVAC technicians work in Rhode Island
About 1,450 HVAC technicians work on payrolls in Rhode Island, 0.4% of the 409,670 nationwide, the 44th largest count among the states.
That is 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs in Rhode Island, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What an HVAC business in Rhode Island should charge
Higher wages in Rhode Island go straight into the price. Take an HVAC business in Rhode Island paying the state median of $32.39 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 | $32.39 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $72,525 |
| Break-even rate | ($72,525 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $108.35 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $108.35 ÷ 0.85 | $127.47 |
That is $127.47 per billable hour, 3.9 times the wage, and $5.37 more than the $122.10 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $39.23 in Rhode Island, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $139.48.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $23.44, the rate only drops to $111.75.
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 Rhode Island
- Licensing. What Rhode Island asks for before you can work on your own: HVAC license in Rhode Island.
- 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.