Electrician vs HVAC Technician

Put two roles head to head — any role, in any location or worldwide-remote.

Side A

Side B

Electrician pays about 17% more at the median.

Side-by-side distribution

Electrician HVAC Technician
$80k
$68.3k
$46.5k box = 25th–75th · whiskers = 10th–90th $106.9k

Electrician

$38.46/hr

per hour · USD

Median over time ▼ -0.6%
$80,500 $80,007
$33.50/hr 25th
$38.46/hr Median
$43.73/hr 75th
$27.77/hr
$49.40/hr
Box 25th–75th · whiskers 10th–90th Full range $5.00/hr – $110.00/hr · outliers off-axis
Disclosing
44.9%
Live roles
1,262
Browse roles Set alert

HVAC Technician

$32.84/hr

per hour · USD

Median over time ▼ -44.2%
$122,500 $68,297
$27.56/hr 25th
$32.84/hr Median
$39.51/hr 75th
$24.34/hr
$48.22/hr
Box 25th–75th · whiskers 10th–90th Full range $17.00/hr – $82.00/hr · outliers off-axis
Disclosing
51.4%
Live roles
1,090
Browse roles Set alert

Highest-paying jobs

Critical Loop

Master Electrician - Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)

Critical Loop · Torrance (On-Site)

$176,800 – $228,800 Anheuser-Busch

Industrial Controls Electrician

Anheuser-Busch · Van Nuys, California

$92,000 – $213,000 Renuity

1099 Master Electrician

Renuity · Boise, ID

SI

Service Electrician

Sila · Beltsville, MD

$100,000 – $200,000 Clark Construction Group

Electrician Foreman

Clark Construction Group · Capitol Heights, MD

$176,030 – $184,746 Clark Construction Group

Electrician Foreman

Clark Construction Group · Northern Virginia

$176,030 – $184,746 Clark Construction Group

Electrician Foreman

Clark Construction Group · Washington, DC

$176,030 – $184,746 ACT Power Services

Solar Master Electrician - Worcester, MA

ACT Power Services · Worcester, MA

$93,600 – $176,800 Sunrun

Multifamily Certified Electrician 3

Sunrun · CA, Downey

$117,312 – $156,416 Periodic Labs

Instrumentation & Controls (Technician/Electrician)

Periodic Labs · Menlo Park, CA

$124,000 – $153,600

Highest-paying jobs

Genz-Ryan

HVAC Selling Technician

Genz-Ryan · Burnsville, Minnesota, United Stat…

$100,000 – $250,000 Fetch-A-Tech

HVAC Service Technician

Fetch-A-Tech · Las Vegas, NV

$80,000 – $200,000 Seatown

Lead HVAC Service Technician

Seatown · Mukilteo, WA

$100,000 – $200,000 M and M Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Electrical

HVAC Senior Service Technician

M and M Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Electrical · Boulder, CO

$100,000 – $200,000 Superior Contracting & Maintenance

HVAC - Mechanical 1099 Contractor - Maintenance Technician

Superior Contracting & Maintenance · Dallas, Texas, United States

$135,200 – $176,800 Superior Contracting & Maintenance

HVAC - Mechanical 1099 Contractor - Maintenance Technician

Superior Contracting & Maintenance · Birmingham, Alabama, United States

$135,200 – $176,800 Superior Contracting & Maintenance

HVAC - Mechanical 1099 Contractor - Maintenance Technician

Superior Contracting & Maintenance · Fort Worth, Texas, United States

$135,200 – $176,800 Superior Contracting & Maintenance

HVAC - Mechanical 1099 Contractor - Maintenance Technician

Superior Contracting & Maintenance · Fayetteville, North Carolina, Unit…

$135,200 – $176,800 Superior Contracting & Maintenance

HVAC - Mechanical 1099 Contractor - Maintenance Technician

Superior Contracting & Maintenance · Sarasota, Florida, United States

$135,200 – $176,800 Superior Contracting & Maintenance

HVAC - Mechanical 1099 Contractor - Maintenance Technician

Superior Contracting & Maintenance · Augusta, Georgia, United States

$135,200 – $176,800

Top companies hiring

Company Median Roles
Amentum $72,509 39
Ameresco $94,234 13
Mears Group $56,858 13
Sunrun $109,824 11
AE American Electric Power $93,548 11
Johnson Electric $90,948 11
Anheuser-Busch $83,054 11
Base Power Company $81,120 11

Top companies hiring

Company Median Roles
Sunbelt Rentals $54,184 71
DA Daikin Applied $85,249 59
JC Johnson Controls $63,440 50
Carrier $85,940 26
CaptiveAire $72,500 25
SI Sila $72,800 21
Ace Hardware $63,960 20
Comfort Systems USA $84,240 19

Electrician salary by location

Location Median Roles
Chicago $90,875 9
New York $89,118 10
Seattle $88,400 3
Los Angeles $75,920 6
Austin $75,140 8
London $57,551 4

HVAC Technician salary by location

Location Median Roles
Chicago $118,560 3
Boston $94,400 8
Seattle $91,000 6
San Francisco $80,080 3
Denver $63,960 5
Atlanta $60,320 8
Austin $58,500 11

Electrician vs HVAC Technician: which pays more?

The median for Electrician is $38.46/hr per year (typically $33.50/hr–$43.73/hr), versus $32.84/hr for HVAC Technician ($27.56/hr–$39.51/hr). That puts Electrician about 17% ahead at the median.

Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Electrician and HVAC Technician are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.

See full salary data

Electrician salary HVAC Technician salary

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