HVAC Technicians in the Durham area earn a median of $59,180 a year, 1% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #208 of 389 metros for HVAC technicians nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Burlington.
It's one of 15 North Carolina metros with published pay for this trade; see HVAC technician pay in North Carolina.
HVAC Technician pay in Durham at a glance
- Hvac technicians in the Durham, NC metro earn a median $59,180 a year ($28.45 an hour), #208 of 389 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $39,560 and $77,360.
- After local prices, that median buys what $60,653 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,505 a month, 31% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among HVAC technicians in Durham.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for HVAC technicians here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.4%) and the population is growing faster than most (+7.5% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 311 one-person plumbing & HVAC contracting businesses averaging $72,627 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $74/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Durham scorecard for HVAC technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Durham with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($59,590).
Pay over time
The median pay for HVAC technicians in the Durham area went from $48,490 in 2020 to $59,180 in 2025, up 22.0%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -2.7% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Durham Our calculation
Prices in the Durham area run 2% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $60,653 would in a typical place, ranking #241 of 385 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Durham from this pay, local rent and prices.
What HVAC technicians do
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.
- Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.
- Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring.
- Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools.
- Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, HVAC technician jobs are projected to grow 10.9% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 40,600 openings a year. About 6% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often HVAC technicians deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in North Carolina Official source
The main state licensing office in North Carolina is the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical and plumbing/HVAC have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for HVAC technicians.
Official North Carolina licensing site ↗
Requirements for HVAC technicians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, HVAC technicians have 214 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 2.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying NC metros for HVAC technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| CharlotteNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $59,840 | $61,470 | 3,860 |
| DurhamNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $59,180 | $60,653 | 750 |
| RaleighNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $58,900 | $60,006 | 2,550 |
| GreensboroNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $58,520 | $63,016 | 1,170 |
| AshevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $58,120 | $60,224 | 660 |
| FayettevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $56,220 | $61,123 | 490 |
| Rocky MountNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $55,690 | $63,275 | 150 |
| WinstonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $55,360 | $60,146 | 700 |
| GreenvilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $53,160 | $60,134 | 220 |
| PinehurstNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $52,580 | $59,523 | 160 |
See every metro in North Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Durham area's unemployment rate was 3.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just HVAC technicians), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Durham area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 12% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 64% drive alone, 3% take transit and 20% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Durham area's population grew 7.5% from 2020 to 2025 (582,060 → 625,485), ranking #60 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +35,472) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Durham
The Durham area has about 282,635 homes. 30% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 23% were built in 2010 or later. 61% of households own their home, and the median home value is $441,300.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Durham are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (5,900 → 6,100).
In 2025 the Durham area approved permits for 6,100 new homes (3,751 single-family), or 10.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #29 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 311 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $72,627 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Durham compares among the best cities to start a HVAC technician business.
They compete with 179 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 1,709 workers in total). 57% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $59,180 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get HVAC technician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Durham with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for HVAC techniciansRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in DurhamSee where it falls among local HVAC technicians, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolDurham budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Durham metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Durham against every other metro for HVAC technicians. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.