Last reviewed: September 2026 · By the HVAC Brief Editorial Team · Our sourcing and editorial standards
Private employment at plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors rose 41.6% between 2014 and 2024, to 1,287,056, and average annual pay rose 44.0% to $78,290.
The growth is uneven. Idaho more than doubled its industry workforce over the decade; District of Columbia shrank. March 2026 employment stood at 1,318,978, +1.9% on a year earlier.
This is the state-level employment and wage record for the industry, built from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. QCEW counts nearly every employee covered by unemployment insurance, which makes it the benchmark the faster monthly surveys are later revised to match.
The national trend
Employment grew every year except 2020, when it fell from 1,136,157 to 1,115,431, a drop of 1.8%. It had recovered past its 2019 level by 2021 and has risen each year since.
Pay outran employment. Average annual pay rose 44.0% over the decade against 41.6% for headcount. In the first quarter of 2026 the average weekly wage was $1,566, +4.3% on a year earlier.
Where the jobs were added
| State | Employment, 2024 | Change since 2014 | Average annual pay | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 9,761 | +110.7% | $67,180 | 1.37 |
| Nevada | 15,449 | +100.4% | $78,926 | 1.20 |
| Arizona | 37,389 | +97.2% | $80,892 | 1.40 |
| Utah | 16,901 | +80.4% | $70,544 | 1.19 |
| Montana | 5,270 | +67.1% | $70,725 | 1.24 |
| Florida | 103,834 | +66.6% | $65,666 | 1.27 |
| Washington | 29,832 | +61.4% | $93,105 | 1.00 |
| Tennessee | 28,252 | +58.0% | $75,498 | 1.04 |
| Arkansas | 11,282 | +57.2% | $60,650 | 1.05 |
| New Hampshire | 5,817 | +54.1% | $82,614 | 1.02 |
The top of the growth table is the Mountain West and the Sun Belt: Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and Utah all grew their industry workforce by more than 80%. Those are among the fastest-growing states for population and new housing, and new construction is where much installation work originates.
| State | Employment, 2024 | Change since 2014 | Average annual pay | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 2,434 | +17.4% | $63,908 | 1.04 |
| Maryland | 30,769 | +17.1% | $85,942 | 1.34 |
| New York | 68,343 | +16.7% | $84,310 | 0.85 |
| Louisiana | 14,840 | +16.2% | $62,981 | 0.93 |
| Alaska | 2,026 | +9.0% | $87,465 | 0.74 |
| North Dakota | 3,711 | +7.8% | $72,170 | 1.04 |
| West Virginia | 3,992 | +2.8% | $64,697 | 0.69 |
| District of Columbia | 1,636 | -10.0% | $103,372 | 0.26 |
Where it pays
| State | Employment, 2024 | Change since 2014 | Average annual pay | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 1,636 | -10.0% | $103,372 | 0.26 |
| Massachusetts | 32,280 | +46.0% | $98,468 | 1.07 |
| Washington | 29,832 | +61.4% | $93,105 | 1.00 |
| Oregon | 16,601 | +48.9% | $88,502 | 1.00 |
| New Jersey | 30,290 | +26.6% | $87,929 | 0.86 |
| Illinois | 39,900 | +27.5% | $87,575 | 0.80 |
| Alaska | 2,026 | +9.0% | $87,465 | 0.74 |
| California | 126,354 | +38.9% | $86,520 | 0.84 |
| Connecticut | 12,713 | +29.7% | $86,103 | 0.91 |
| Hawaii | 4,896 | +34.4% | $86,030 | 0.92 |
Average pay ranges from $103,372 in District of Columbia to $60,650 in Arkansas, a gap of $42,722. Pay tracks local cost of living and union density more closely than it tracks the size of the workforce.
Where the industry is concentrated
| State | Employment, 2024 | Change since 2014 | Average annual pay | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 37,389 | +97.2% | $80,892 | 1.40 |
| Idaho | 9,761 | +110.7% | $67,180 | 1.37 |
| Maryland | 30,769 | +17.1% | $85,942 | 1.34 |
| Delaware | 5,083 | +35.2% | $80,674 | 1.28 |
| Florida | 103,834 | +66.6% | $65,666 | 1.27 |
| Nebraska | 10,710 | +40.2% | $70,244 | 1.27 |
| Montana | 5,270 | +67.1% | $70,725 | 1.24 |
| Iowa | 15,765 | +28.3% | $76,017 | 1.21 |
| Colorado | 28,879 | +46.4% | $78,956 | 1.20 |
| Nevada | 15,449 | +100.4% | $78,926 | 1.20 |
A location quotient above 1.0 means the industry takes a larger share of the state’s workforce than it does nationally. Arizona, at 1.40, is the most specialised. District of Columbia, at 0.26, is the least. Counted by occupation rather than industry, Idaho has the most HVAC technicians per resident; see HVAC technicians per capita by state, and for growth to 2034, the job outlook by state.
Business counts and average establishment size are in our companion analysis of how many HVAC businesses there are, and technician pay by state is in our HVAC technician salary analysis.
Frequently asked questions
How many people work for HVAC and plumbing contractors?
1,287,056 on average in 2024 in private establishments, according to the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, and 1,318,978 in March 2026. The industry category includes plumbing contractors and every role at those firms, not just technicians.
Is HVAC employment growing?
Yes. Private employment rose 41.6% between 2014 and 2024, from 909,038 to 1,287,056. March 2026 was +1.9% on March 2025.
What does an HVAC contractor employee earn on average?
Average annual pay across all private employees in the industry was $78,290 in 2024, up 44.0% from $54,362 in 2014. That averages every role, including office and management staff; the median wage for HVAC technicians specifically is a different figure in our technician salary analysis.
Which states are adding HVAC jobs fastest?
Idaho (+111%), Nevada (+100%) and Arizona (+97%) over 2014 to 2024. All three are fast-growing Mountain West and Sun Belt states where new housing construction drives installation work.
Where does HVAC contracting pay most?
District of Columbia at $103,372 average annual pay in 2024, then Massachusetts at $98,468 and Washington at $93,105. The lowest is Arkansas at $60,650.
What is a location quotient?
It compares an industry’s share of a state’s employment with its share nationally. A location quotient of 1.40 means the industry is 40% more concentrated in that state’s workforce than in the country as a whole. It is the standard measure of regional specialisation, published by BLS alongside QCEW.
Which states are most concentrated in HVAC and plumbing contracting?
Arizona (1.40), Idaho (1.37) and Maryland (1.34) in 2024. Concentration tracks construction activity and climate, since both new building and air conditioning load raise the demand for the trade.
Why is this different from the monthly employment figure?
The monthly BLS Current Employment Statistics figure, 1,355,400 for July 2026, comes from a survey of employers and is revised. QCEW is a near-complete count from unemployment insurance records, published with a lag of several months. QCEW is the benchmark the monthly survey is later revised toward.
Methodology and limitations
- Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, NAICS 23822, private ownership, annual averages 2014 to 2024 and quarterly 2025 Q1 to 2026 Q1.
- NAICS 238220 is Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors. Plumbing is included and cannot be separated.
- Employment and pay cover every employee of these establishments, including office, sales and management staff. They are not technician-only figures; for those, see BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for SOC 49-9021.
- Average annual pay is total annual wages divided by annual average employment, as published by BLS.
- Ten-year change compares 2014 and 2024 annual averages for the same state.
- Location quotients are BLS’s own, published with QCEW, and compare the industry’s share of state private employment with its share nationally.
- The 2026 Q1 figures use the third month of the quarter for employment and the quarterly average weekly wage. Over-the-year changes are BLS’s published comparisons with the same quarter a year earlier.
- QCEW suppresses cells where an employer could be identified. No state cell for this industry was suppressed in 2024.
- QCEW differs from the monthly Current Employment Statistics survey, which is sample-based and later benchmarked to QCEW.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, open data files for NAICS 23822, annual 2014 to 2024 and quarterly 2025 Q1 to 2026 Q1.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Location Quotients Explained.
The HVAC Brief is an independent trade publication. We do not sell equipment, take manufacturer advertising, or accept payment for placement in our research. Corrections welcome.
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