Statewide pay Government data
Hvac technicians in North Dakota earn a statewide median of $74,490 a year, 25% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #8 of 50 states and DC. About 970 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near North Dakota
See all states on the HVAC technician overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes HVAC technician pay for 4 North Dakota metros. The highest-paying is Fargo at $75,920, followed by Grand Forks and Bismarck.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $75,920 | $83,547 | 370 |
| Grand ForksNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $75,470 | $87,084 | 130 |
| BismarckNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $64,770 | $71,157 | 200 |
| MinotNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $63,950 | $73,482 | 60 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for North Dakota's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,600 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
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.
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.
Where to train in North Dakota Government data
3 schools in North Dakota offer HVAC/R programs below the bachelor's level, 2 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND · Public | Certificate | $16,017 | 13 | — |
| Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND · Public | Associate degree | $16,017 | 5 | — |
| Turtle Mountain College Belcourt, ND · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $13,740 | 3 | — |
| North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton, ND · Public | Associate degree | $17,565 | 0 | — |
| Turtle Mountain College Belcourt, ND · Private nonprofit | Associate degree | $13,740 | 0 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in North Dakota Official source
The main state licensing office in North Dakota is the North Dakota Secretary of State. Contractor licensing; electricians and plumbers have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for HVAC technicians.
Official North Dakota licensing site ↗
Requirements for HVAC technicians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.0% of wage and salary workers in North Dakota were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#35 of 51 states and D.C.), and 7.4% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only HVAC technicians.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in North Dakota
All trades in North Dakota.