Trades

HVAC Technician Salary in Montana (2026)

The average HVAC Technician in Montana earns around $60,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $47,716/year ($3,976/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$47,716
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$3,976
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,835
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$23/hr
Federal Tax
$5,020
State Tax
$2,675
FICA Taxes
$4,590
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

20.47%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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HVAC Technician Salary Ranges in Montana

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$44,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$66,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$130,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all HVAC Technicians earn the same — not even close

Montana's HVAC technician market is anchored by the Billings metro residential + commercial HVAC cluster (Billings + Laurel + the substantial Phillips 66 + ExxonMobil + CHS Laurel refinery cluster + Billings Clinic + St Vincent + the substantial extreme cold winter + summer high-desert + the substantial Billings industrial), Bozeman + Belgrade + Big Sky HVAC (the substantial Bozeman MSU + Bozeman Health + the substantial post-2020 Bozeman tech boom + the substantial Big Sky Resort + Yellowstone Club UHNW residential + the substantial post-2020 Bozeman fastest-growing MT metro luxury), Missoula HVAC (Providence Health + UM + the substantial Bitterroot Valley), Great Falls + Helena HVAC (Malmstrom AFB + the substantial Cascade County + Helena state capital), Kalispell + Whitefish HVAC (Logan Health + the substantial Flathead Lake + Whitefish ski + Glacier NP gateway), Butte HVAC (the substantial Butte mining heritage), plus substantial MT industrial HVAC + chiller + cleanroom specialty at Phillips 66 + ExxonMobil + CHS Laurel refineries (the substantial Billings refining cluster process HVAC + cleanroom) + Stillwater Mining Sibanye palladium + platinum (the substantial Stillwater Columbus + Nye + the substantial Stillwater process HVAC) + Malmstrom AFB (~5K personnel + 341st Missile Wing Minuteman III ICBM + post-2027 Sentinel ICBM cleared facility + cleared cleanroom HVAC) + the substantial Boeing Helena composites + the substantial Billings Clinic + St Vincent + Bozeman Health + Providence + Logan Health hospital HVAC.

Senior Commercial HVAC Tech (NATE)

$55,000–$85,000+ OT

Senior commercial tech · NATE Master + EPA 608 Universal · Billings + Bozeman + Missoula + Great Falls

Aerospace Cleared HVAC (Malmstrom AFB)

$68,000–$108,000+ OT

Malmstrom AFB · 341st Missile Wing Minuteman III + post-2027 Sentinel ICBM cleared facility + cleanroom HVAC

Refinery Process HVAC (Phillips 66 / Exxon / CHS)

$62,000–$98,000+ OT

Phillips 66 + ExxonMobil + CHS Laurel refineries · process HVAC + chiller + cleanroom + ammonia refrigeration

Mining Process HVAC (Stillwater)

$58,000–$92,000+ OT

Stillwater Mining Sibanye palladium + platinum · mining process HVAC + smelter ventilation

Luxury Resort HVAC (Big Sky / Yellowstone Club)

$58,000–$92,000+ OT

Big Sky Resort + Yellowstone Club + Whitefish luxury residential + commercial · UHNW residential VRF + smart home

VRF / Heat Pump Specialist

$58,000–$88,000+ OT

VRF + heat pump specialty · commercial + multifamily + IRA 25C cold-climate heat pump + NorthWestern Energy rebate

HVAC Controls Technician (BACnet)

$55,000–$82,000+

BACnet + Tridium Niagara + building automation · commercial + industrial + hospital + Malmstrom + refineries

Senior Residential HVAC Tech

$45,000–$68,000+ OT

Senior residential service tech · Billings + Bozeman + Missoula · extreme cold + alpine winter

Mid-Career HVAC Tech (3-6 yrs)

$38,000–$52,000+ OT

Mid-career tech transitioning to NATE + EPA 608 Universal · MT HVAC service shops

Entry Helper / Apprentice

$28,000–$40,000+ OT

Entry helper apprentice · MSU-Northern + Great Falls College + Missoula College + UA Local 41 Billings Plumbers Pipefitters pipeline

Worth knowing: Montana's Phillips 66 + ExxonMobil + CHS Laurel refineries + Stillwater Mining + Malmstrom AFB Minuteman III + Big Sky Resort + Yellowstone Club UHNW concentration is a distinctive MT HVAC feature most national HVAC surveys understate. MT's extreme climate (Billings summer high ~88°F + winter low ~15°F + Helena winter low ~10°F + the substantial MT polar vortex -50°F+ extreme cold + the substantial MT alpine elevation 4,000-8,000+ ft + the substantial Big Sky winter -30°F+ + the substantial MT diurnal swing + the substantial MT Chinook wind) drives substantial residential + commercial HVAC service — MT routinely sees the coldest US temperatures outside of AK. Phillips 66 Billings refinery + ExxonMobil Billings refinery + CHS Inc Laurel refinery (the substantial Billings + Laurel refining cluster + the substantial Phillips 66 Billings ~58K barrel/day + the substantial ExxonMobil Billings ~60K barrel/day + the substantial CHS Inc Laurel ~55K barrel/day + the substantial Billings refining process HVAC + chiller + cleanroom + ammonia refrigeration) supports specialized refinery process HVAC tech work — refinery process HVAC specialists clear $62-98K. Stillwater Mining Sibanye-Stillwater (the substantial only US palladium + platinum source + the substantial Stillwater Columbus + Nye Sweetgrass County mine + the substantial Stillwater ~1,500 employees + the substantial Stillwater smelter + refinery process HVAC) supports specialized mining process HVAC tech work. Malmstrom AFB Great Falls (~5K Malmstrom personnel + the substantial 341st Missile Wing Minuteman III ICBM + the substantial Malmstrom 150 Minuteman III silos + the substantial post-2027 Sentinel ICBM LGM-35A beddown + the substantial Malmstrom $3B+ Sentinel infrastructure modernization + the substantial Malmstrom cleared facility + cleared cleanroom HVAC) supports specialized aerospace cleared HVAC tech work — Malmstrom cleared HVAC specialists clear $68-108K + overtime with cleared facility access. Big Sky Resort + Yellowstone Club UHNW residential HVAC (the substantial Big Sky Resort largest US ski area by acreage + the substantial Yellowstone Club invitation-only UHNW + the substantial Big Sky ~$5M-$50M+ UHNW second-home + the substantial Yellowstone Club ultra-luxury smart-home VRF + the substantial post-2020 Bozeman + Big Sky remote-tech migration) supports specialized UHNW residential HVAC work — Big Sky + Yellowstone Club luxury HVAC specialists clear $58-92K. The 2025-2026 R-454B refrigerant transition + IRA 25C cold-climate heat pump credit + NorthWestern Energy heat pump rebate + the substantial MT heat-pump program drive sustained heat-pump installation. NATE + EPA 608 Universal + commercial chiller cert + cleared facility cert + cleanroom cert + refinery process cert drive 25-50% wage premium. MSU-Northern Havre + Great Falls College MSU + Missoula College + Bitterroot College + Helena College + UA Local 41 Billings + UA Local 30 Boise ID cross-border pipeline. MT progressive 4.7%/5.9% + MT 0% state sales tax + MT NO estate tax + MT NOT a RTW state + MPERA public pension anchor the MT HVAC proposition.

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