Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary
In Delaware, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn $62,320 at the median, or about $29.96 an hour. The range runs from $45K at the entry level to $98K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.51), that's roughly $63,911 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,448/month, about 35.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Delaware. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $62K get you in Delaware?
About heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
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What this looks like in Delaware
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers pay in Delaware tracks closely to the national median, $62K locally vs. $61K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,448/month, which is 35.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.51) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Delaware
Entry-level heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (10th percentile) start around $45K. Mid-career wages sit at $62K. Top earners bring in $98K or more, a $53K spread from bottom to top.
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers salary by metro in Delaware
1 metro area with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | $60K | -4% | 180 |
Compare to other states
Track heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Delaware numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Delaware?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $62K, rent takes 35.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,448/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in Delaware?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,700/month. At HUD’s $1,448/month FMR, rent would take 54% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer a high-paying job in Delaware?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $62K locally vs. $61K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Delaware compare to the national average for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers?
Delaware pays $62K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.51), the purchasing-power equivalent is $64K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make in Delaware?
The median is $62,320 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,000, and experienced heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers can clear $97,600. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $62K enough to live in Delaware?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,103/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,448/month, which eats 35.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary go in Delaware?
Delaware has a Regional Price Parity of 97.51 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary is worth about $63,911 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.