SalaryExplorer

SOC 49-9021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers — Gainesville

Gainesville, FL · 10 metro areas compared

$55,670 /year
$26.77per hour
480jobs in area
−8.8%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Gainesville, FL is $55,670 a year, trailing the national median of $61,010 by 8.8%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $61,01010TH$36,07025TH$46,460MEDIAN$55,67075TH$60,89090TH$75,240

How pay has moved

$59,833$34,8582019202020212022202320242025$55,670
$39,020 in 2019 to $55,670 in 2025, +42.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+8.1%
Openings per year
40,100
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Gainesville, FL.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Gainesville, FL is $55,670 a year, trailing the national median of $61,010 by 8.8%. Half of workers earn between $46,460 and $60,890. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $36,070 and the ninetieth at $75,240.

The area has 480 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.18 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Naples leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $59,540. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 155th of 349 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Gainesville, FL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$36,070−40.9%
25th$46,460−23.8%
Median (50th)$55,670−8.8%
75th$60,890−0.2%
90th$75,240+23.3%
Mean$54,860−10.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Florida

Median annual wage for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Naples$59,540910
2North Port$59,0701,870
3Jacksonville$58,5903,340
4Cape Coral$58,1702,110
5Miami$58,0409,140
6Pensacola$58,030950
7Palm Bay$57,2401,130
8Port St. Lucie$57,210830
9Punta Gorda$57,090290
10Lakeland$56,6801,120

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Gainesville run 3.3% below the national average, so the median of $55,670 goes as far as $57,570 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.6% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$55,670as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$57,570US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $55,670 a year, 8.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $36,070 to $75,240 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 480 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Naples, at $59,540.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in Gainesville, FL?

The median annual wage is $55,670, or $26.77 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $61,010, so pay in Gainesville, FL is 8.8% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Gainesville, FL earns more than $75,240 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $36,070 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Naples, at $59,540 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 480 jobs in this occupation in Gainesville, FL. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary in Gainesville, FL (2025): $55,670 Median | Salary Explorer