Maintenance & Refrigeration Pay Report — October 2026
As of October 29, 2026, 1,613 eligible NH3 Jobs postings with usable advertised pay had a median of $36.50 an hour (middle half $30.50–$44.00), using each posted range's midpoint, or its minimum when no maximum was posted.
These figures describe the included postings only: advertised pay, not actual earnings. Trades covered: Ammonia / Industrial Refrigeration Tech, Commercial Refrigeration Tech, Controls Technician, HVAC Technician, Industrial Electrician, Industrial Maintenance Tech, Maintenance Coordinator, Maintenance Manager / Supervisor, Maintenance Technician, Millwright, PSM / Boiler Operator.
By Jim Verrell, founder of NH3 Jobs · Updated October 29, 2026
Pay by trade
| Trade | Median / hr | Middle half | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSM / Boiler Operator | $48.50 | $37.00–$57.50 | 52 |
| Maintenance Manager / Supervisor | $47.50 | $41.00–$58.00 | 238 |
| HVAC Technician | $40.00 | $34.00–$48.50 | 188 |
| Industrial Electrician | $39.00 | $34.50–$43.00 | 93 |
| Controls Technician | $38.00 | $31.50–$46.00 | 224 |
| Ammonia / Industrial Refrigeration Tech | $36.00 | $30.50–$39.50 | 54 |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech | $33.00 | $29.50–$38.50 | 511 |
| Maintenance Coordinator | $29.50 | $27.00–$34.00 | 20 |
| Maintenance Technician | $29.00 | $25.00–$36.50 | 216 |
Pay by trade and state
The like-for-like view: one trade in one state, where at least 20 postings list pay.
| Trade and state | Median / hr | Middle half | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — California | $32.00 | $30.00–$37.50 | 48 |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Illinois | $33.50 | $29.00–$37.50 | 40 |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Minnesota | $30.00 | $28.50–$32.00 | 23 |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — New York | $32.50 | $30.00–$36.50 | 30 |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Wisconsin | $35.00 | $31.50–$40.00 | 33 |
| Maintenance Manager / Supervisor — California | $49.00 | $45.50–$72.00 | 20 |
By state, all covered trades combined
Each state's mix of jobs differs (more manager postings raise a median), so this is not a ranking of which state pays best. Use the trade-and-state table to compare like with like.
| State | Median / hr | Middle half | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $41.50 | $34.00–$51.50 | 27 |
| Michigan | $40.00 | $28.00–$44.50 | 39 |
| Tennessee | $40.00 | $32.50–$50.50 | 35 |
| South Carolina | $39.00 | $30.00–$51.50 | 31 |
| Indiana | $38.00 | $34.50–$43.00 | 28 |
| Massachusetts | $38.00 | $31.00–$43.50 | 21 |
| California | $37.50 | $31.00–$46.00 | 121 |
| Illinois | $37.50 | $30.50–$45.00 | 94 |
| Ohio | $37.50 | $30.50–$44.50 | 63 |
| Pennsylvania | $37.50 | $31.00–$42.50 | 59 |
| Maryland | $37.50 | $33.50–$45.50 | 22 |
| Iowa | $37.00 | $32.00–$43.00 | 47 |
| Missouri | $37.00 | $28.00–$41.50 | 38 |
| New York | $36.50 | $30.50–$43.50 | 65 |
| Georgia | $36.50 | $29.00–$43.00 | 48 |
| Colorado | $36.50 | $30.00–$44.00 | 43 |
| Arizona | $36.50 | $31.50–$41.00 | 37 |
| Wisconsin | $36.00 | $31.00–$42.00 | 82 |
| Florida | $36.00 | $33.50–$46.00 | 29 |
| Kansas | $36.00 | $29.50–$38.00 | 23 |
| Washington | $36.00 | $28.50–$42.00 | 22 |
| Virginia | $35.00 | $30.50–$42.00 | 54 |
| Minnesota | $33.50 | $29.50–$44.50 | 62 |
| North Dakota | $33.00 | $31.50–$36.50 | 20 |
| Texas | $32.50 | $26.00–$41.50 | 86 |
| North Carolina | $32.50 | $30.00–$43.00 | 38 |
| Alabama | $31.00 | $29.00–$39.00 | 24 |
How we measured
- The source is the pay printed in live job postings on NH3 Jobs for maintenance, refrigeration, controls and electrical roles in food plants, cold storage and related industry.
- Pay is in US dollars per hour. A yearly salary is divided by 2,080 hours (a full-time year). A posted range counts as its midpoint; a posting with only a minimum counts at its minimum.
- Exclusions: postings with no usable pay, postings whose posted range is malformed, and postings outside $10 to $150 an hour. Figures are rounded to the nearest 50 cents.
- This is advertised pay, not offers, placements or actual earnings. It is an index of the included postings, not a representative wage for a state. No employer is named, and any group with fewer than 20 postings is not shown.
- This is a rolling snapshot: the numbers refresh as postings open and close.