Which Cities Employ the Most HVAC Workers?
The BLS (May 2023) found that the following metropolitan divisions currently employ the highest number of HVAC mechanics and installers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
22,780 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
10,060 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
9,540 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
9,080 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
8,440 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
8,180 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
7,840 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
7,590 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
7,230 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
6,610 |
The data shows that the cities with the highest rate of employment are not always in the states of high employment. The New York-Newark-Jersey City area, for example, is first on the list; however, neither New York nor New Jersey overall is the highest-employment state for HVAC, although each ranks higher than some other states.
The BLS (May 2023) found that the following metropolitan divisions have the highest rate of pay for HVAC professionals:
| Metropolitan area |
Average Annual Salary |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
$91,500 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
$79,870 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
$79,280 |
| Anchorage, AK |
$78,090 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
$77,130 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
$75,290 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
$75,180 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
$73,120 |
| Bellingham, WA |
$72,800 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
$72,220 |
There is little correlation between employment and pay in these areas. At first glance, there appears to be some correlation in California, as it has three metropolitan divisions ranked as high-paying. Those areas, however, are in the northern part of the state, while the metropolitan area with the highest employment is in the southern part of the state.
The US Census tracks which cities are growing the fastest. Although their data doesn’t specifically address construction activity, growth requires new homes and workplaces, thus adding to the demand for HVAC installers and mechanics. The top ten are:
- Georgetown, Texas
- Santa Cruz , California
- Kyle, Texas
- Leander, Texas
- Little Elm, Texas
- Westfield, Indiana
- Queen Creek, Arizona
- North Port, Florida
- Cape Coral, Florida
- Port St. Lucie, Florida
According to Quicken Loans (Jan 2023), the fastest-growing cities based on their overall population and what makes them attractive are as follows:
| City |
Percentage Population Growth in 2018 |
| Ft Meyers/ Cape Coral, FL |
6.8 percent |
| North Point, FL |
5.5 percent |
| Winter Haven, FL |
4.2 percent |
| New Braundels TX |
8.3 percent |
| Port St. Lucie, FL |
5.2 percent |
| Daytona Beach, FL |
3.6 percent |
| Edinburg, TX |
2.4 percent |
| Madera, CA |
2.1 percent |
| Palm Beach, FL |
2.3 percent |
| Roseville, CA |
2.3 percent |
There is little correlation between the two sets of statistics, as they cover different growth factors. What is worth noting is that the greatest increase in population growth is not in the cities that appear to be experiencing the most economic growth. Population growth and expanding economies both point to the need for HVAC technicians, although the systems they will be installing and servicing may require differing specialties.
Commercial Property Executive (CPE), a commercial real estate resource, compiles statistics from various industry reports. Their latest data (November 2023) shows the following cities as having the highest rates of industrial construction:
- Phoenix, AZ
- Las Vegas, NV
- Denver, CO
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Reno, NV
Mixed-use buildings lead the way in new construction, followed by structures for residential, educational, commercial, healthcare, and hospitality use. Their criteria for determining the number of new buildings is the number of cranes at work. The data, therefore, only reflects construction in progress.
Additionally, Dodge Data & Analytics (July 2023) quoted that “commercial and multifamily construction has suffered thus far into 2023 as tighter lending standards, higher interest rates, slowing demand and societal changes, such as continued remote work, impact the sector.” However, there were some areas that still had significant growth such as Atlanta, Georgia.
Based on this, Dodge Data & Analytics shows the top ten metro areas for ‘commercial and multifamily construction starts’ during the first half of 2023:
- New York City, NY
- Dallas, TX
- Atlanta, GA
- Miami, FL
- Houston, TX
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Phoenix, AZ
- Boston, MA
- Washington, D.C.
