Trades

HVAC Technician Salary in Wisconsin (2026)

The average HVAC Technician in Wisconsin earns around $62,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $50,019/year ($4,168/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$50,019
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$4,168
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,924
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$24/hr
Federal Tax
$5,260
State Tax
$1,978
FICA Taxes
$4,743
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

19.32%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

Want to model 401(k), HSA, or pre-tax contributions against your full salary? Open the salary calculator

Working overtime? The 2025 OBBBA deduction may save you up to $12,500 on federal tax. Open the No Tax on Overtime calculator

1099 contract work or side gigs? Self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top. Open the 1099 tax calculator

Key terms:···

HVAC Technician Salary Ranges in Wisconsin

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

Wisconsin's HVAC technician market is anchored by the Milwaukee metro residential + commercial HVAC cluster (Milwaukee East Side + Brookfield + Wauwatosa + Mequon + the substantial Milwaukee 4-season climate + cold winter heat-pump + furnace demand + summer humidity AC demand), Madison-Dane County HVAC (Epic Systems campus + UW-Madison + UW Health + the substantial Epic cleanroom + research lab HVAC + state government), Green Bay + Fox Valley HVAC (Schreiber Foods food-grade HVAC + Kimberly-Clark paper mill industrial + Plexus + the substantial Green Bay commercial), Sheboygan-Racine-Kenosha HVAC (Kohler + SC Johnson + Snap-on Tools + Generac industrial + the substantial Lake Michigan shoreline residential), plus substantial WI industrial HVAC + chiller + cooling tower specialty at Harley-Davidson Milwaukee + Rockwell Automation + GE Healthcare Wauwatosa + Johnson Controls + Briggs & Stratton + Mercury Marine Fond du Lac + Manitowoc Cranes + Marinette Marine industrial HVAC, plus the substantial WI dairy industry ammonia refrigeration + food-grade HVAC at Schreiber Foods + Saputo + Foremost Farms + Sargento dairy plants.

Senior Commercial HVAC Tech (NATE)

$65,000–$98,000+ OT

Senior commercial tech · NATE Master + EPA 608 Universal · Milwaukee + Madison + Green Bay

Industrial Chiller / Cleanroom Specialist

$72,000–$112,000+ OT

Milwaukee manufacturing + Epic Madison cleanroom + GE Healthcare + Mercury Marine chiller

Ammonia Refrigeration Specialist (Dairy)

$72,000–$108,000+ OT

WI dairy industry ammonia refrigeration · Schreiber + Saputo + Foremost + Sargento · RETA cert

VRF / Heat Pump Specialist

$68,000–$105,000+ OT

VRF + heat pump specialty · commercial + multifamily + IRA 25C heat pump retrofit

HVAC Controls Technician (BACnet)

$65,000–$98,000+

BACnet + Tridium Niagara + building automation · commercial + industrial + hospital + Epic

Senior Residential HVAC Tech

$52,000–$78,000+ OT

Senior residential service tech · Milwaukee + Madison + Green Bay · cold winter + summer humidity

Refrigeration Technician (Commercial)

$58,000–$88,000+ OT

Supermarket + restaurant + ice plant + cold storage commercial refrigeration · EPA 608 + ammonia

HVAC Installer (New Construction)

$45,000–$65,000+ OT

New residential + light commercial installer · IRA 25C heat pump + furnace replacement

Mid-Career HVAC Tech (3-6 yrs)

$42,000–$58,000+ OT

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

Entry Helper / Apprentice

$32,000–$42,000+ OT

Entry helper apprentice · MATC + Madison College + NWTC + FVTC + ABC of WI pipeline

Worth knowing: Wisconsin's substantial 4-season climate + Milwaukee manufacturing industrial HVAC + Epic Madison cleanroom + dairy industry ammonia refrigeration specialty is a distinctive WI HVAC feature most national HVAC surveys understate. WI's 4-season climate (Milwaukee winter low average ~15°F + summer humidity + the substantial WI year-round HVAC operation + the substantial WI furnace replacement + heat pump retrofit demand) drives sustained residential + light commercial HVAC service. The country's substantial Wisconsin manufacturing cluster (Harley-Davidson Milwaukee + Rockwell Automation + GE Healthcare Wauwatosa + Johnson Controls + Briggs & Stratton + Kohler Sheboygan + Snap-on Tools Kenosha + SC Johnson Racine + Generac Waukesha + Mercury Marine Fond du Lac + Manitowoc Cranes + Marinette Marine) supports a large industrial HVAC + chiller + cooling tower specialty market — industrial chiller specialists at WI manufacturing plants clear $72-112K + overtime. Epic Systems Madison campus (the country's substantial US EHR company + ~13K Epic Madison employees + the substantial Epic Verona campus + the substantial Epic cleanroom + research lab + data center HVAC demand) supports substantial Madison commercial + cleanroom HVAC. The substantial WI dairy industry (the country's largest US cheese-producing state + ~1.3M dairy cattle + ~10K dairy farms + the substantial WI dairy plants + Schreiber Foods + Saputo + Foremost Farms + Sargento + the substantial dairy ammonia refrigeration + food-grade HVAC + freezing systems) supports specialized ammonia refrigeration + RETA-certified specialty work — ammonia refrigeration specialists clear $72-108K. The 2025-2026 R-410A → R-454B refrigerant transition (EPA AIM Act phase-down) + IRA 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit ($2,000 heat pump credit) + WI Focus on Energy program drive sustained residential + light commercial heat-pump installation + retrofit demand. NATE + EPA 608 Universal + commercial chiller cert + ammonia refrigeration RETA cert drive 25-50% wage premium. MATC + Madison College + NWTC + FVTC + ABC of Wisconsin pipeline. WI progressive top 7.65% + no state estate tax + WI RTW since 2015 anchor the WI HVAC proposition.

Calculate Your Exact Take-Home Pay

Add 401(k) contributions, HSA, dependents, and more to see your personalized take-home.

Open Full Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about your taxes and our calculator.

Compare Two States

See how income tax, take-home pay, and total tax burden differ between any two US states side by side.

State 1

State 2

HVAC Technician Salary in Other States

More on Wisconsin