Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary in Birmingham, AL
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in the Birmingham, AL metro area earn a median $48,740 a year — 20% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $39,171 take-home, or $3,264 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary in Birmingham, AL. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$3,669
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,022
- Medicare (1.45%)$707
- Alabama income tax$2,172
- Take-home pay$39,171
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 5.00% state
Living in Birmingham? City residents also pay Birmingham’s Occupational Tax — about $487 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $38,683 ($3,224 a month). Choose “Birmingham” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay by experience in Birmingham, AL
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $37,440 | $18.00 | $30,656 | $2,555 |
| 25th percentile | $42,630 | $20.50 | $34,567 | $2,881 |
| Median (50th) | $48,740 | $23.43 | $39,171 | $3,264 |
| 75th percentile | $60,420 | $29.05 | $47,971 | $3,998 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $69,830 | $33.57 | $54,729 | $4,561 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Alabama resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $48,740 buys in Birmingham, AL
Prices in Birmingham, AL are 8.4% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 28% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers's $39,171 take-home pay has the buying power of $42,742 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Birmingham, AL has 1.7× the national concentration of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers jobs — a strong local market for this occupation.
Best-paying cities for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, adjusted for cost of living
Birmingham, AL ranks #40 of 41 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $80,100 | $65,180 | $58,651 |
| 2 | Chicago, IL | $77,960 | $59,961 | $57,880 |
| 3 | Minneapolis, MN | $77,490 | $59,598 | $56,857 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $78,530 | $60,369 | $55,760 |
| 5 | Columbus, OH | $64,440 | $52,968 | $55,482 |
| 6 | Cleveland, OH | $62,790 | $51,687 | $55,032 |
| 7 | Kansas City, MO | $62,680 | $50,535 | $54,607 |
| 8 | Cincinnati, OH | $62,240 | $51,261 | $53,749 |
| 40 | Birmingham, AL | $48,740 | $39,171 | $42,742 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 41 metros →
About the job: heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
- Typical education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +10.9% (much faster than average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make in Birmingham, AL?
The median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary in the Birmingham, AL metro area is $48,740 a year, or about $23.43 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $42,630 and $60,420.
What is a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers’s take-home pay in Birmingham, AL?
On the median $48,740 salary, a single filer living in Alabama takes home about $39,171 a year ($3,264 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,172 in Alabama taxes in 2026.
Is Birmingham, AL a good place to work as a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers?
Pay here is 20% below the national median of $61,010. Local prices are 8.4% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $42,742 would in a typical U.S. city. Birmingham, AL ranks #40 of 41 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers afford rent in Birmingham, AL?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Birmingham, AL is $1,115 a month ($1,234 for two bedrooms) — 34% of a median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.