Commercial HVAC Service Technician Salary: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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The median annual wage for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $77,960 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $61,050 and $96,790.
Broader occupation Our title "Commercial HVAC Service Technician" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-9021 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers. BLS groups Commercial HVAC Service Technician within Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $16,950 above the national median of $61,010 (27.8%).
Annual wages
Commercial HVAC Service Technician, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, annual wages: 10% earned less than $47,460, half earned less than the median of $77,960, 90% earned less than $117,940 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,460 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $61,050 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $77,960 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $96,790 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $117,940 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $79,340 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Commercial HVAC Service Technician, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $22.82, half earned less than the median of $37.48, 90% earned less than $56.70 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.82 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $29.35 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $37.48 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $46.53 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $56.70 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $38.14 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,050 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $48,360 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $61,010 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $77,060 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $95,210 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $64,780 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-9021 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
HVAC Foreman (47-1011)Sheet Metal Foreman (47-1011)HVAC Superintendent (11-9021)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, the published median for SOC 49-9021, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, is $77,960 per year. The middle half of the Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution runs from $61,050 to $96,790, a width of $35,740 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $16,950 above the national median of $61,010. For Commercial HVAC Service Technician, Kankakee, IL reports $62,570 per year, $15,390 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN; For Commercial HVAC Service Technician, Niles, MI reports $58,130 per year, $19,830 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The neighbors used for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, read alongside Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, are Computer Systems Design and Related Services at $115,910 per year (NAICS 541500); Scheduled Air Transportation at $114,080 per year (NAICS 481100); Air Transportation at $113,960 per year (NAICS 481000). Those Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median was $74,400 per year in May 2024, compared with $77,960 in May 2025, a published difference of $3,560. That Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $74,400 and $77,960 Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $77,960 per year for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, separate on-call duties, overtime, travel reimbursement, tool replacement and any truck allowance separately; prevailing wage and union requirements must be checked against the actual assignment. The Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is broader: BLS groups Commercial HVAC Service Technician within Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN opening, the work checks include EPA 608 Universal; RTUs, VAV, economizers; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer?
Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has a published middle-half band of $61,050 to $96,790, a width of $35,740 per year, with median $77,960. An offer inside that Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Kankakee, IL and Niles, MI are the nearest published metro reference points used for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Comparing those Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers tables with the $77,960 Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN uses national industry rows for SOC 49-9021, not local sector-specific wages. Computer Systems Design and Related Services leads the selected sortable rows at $115,910 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What changed between the releases for Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN moved from $74,400 in May 2024 to $77,960 in May 2025. These Commercial HVAC Service Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 49-9021. Published annual median: $74,400 (May 2024) and $77,960 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.