HVAC Technicians in the Altoona area earn a median of $58,550 a year, 2% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #231 of 389 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Chambersburg and Harrisburg, but less in Johnstown.
Altoona scorecard for hvac technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Altoona 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).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Altoona Our calculation
Prices in the Altoona area run 10% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $65,414 would in a typical place, ranking #137 of 385 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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.
Licensing in Pennsylvania Official source
The main state licensing office in Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Home improvement contractors register with the state; most trades are licensed locally. It can point you to the right license for hvac technicians.
Official Pennsylvania 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 PA metros for hvac technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhiladelphiaPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $64,580 | $62,972 | 8,610 |
| AllentownPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $63,130 | $63,150 | 1,000 |
| HarrisburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $62,570 | $63,426 | 910 |
| LebanonPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $62,370 | $66,911 | 200 |
| PittsburghPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $62,140 | $65,638 | 2,680 |
| ChambersburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $62,090 | $65,605 | 230 |
| YorkPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $61,970 | $64,552 | 560 |
| ScrantonPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $61,750 | $66,003 | 650 |
| ReadingPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $61,740 | $63,610 | 510 |
| GettysburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $60,530 | $63,463 | 90 |
See every metro in Pennsylvania.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Altoona area's unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2025 (all workers, not just hvac technicians), equal to the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Altoona area is 20 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 7% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 0% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Altoona are down 9% from 2021 to 2025 (94 → 86).
In 2025 the Altoona area approved permits for 86 new homes (66 single-family), or 0.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #375 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 50 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $83,760 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 46 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 336 workers in total). 52% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $58,550 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
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 Altoona with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.