Maintenance & Refrigeration Pay Report — November 2026
What do maintenance and refrigeration techs make? Right now the going rate in job ads on NH3 Jobs is $28.00 to $43.50 an hour, as of November 15, 2026.
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, Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance Technician, Millwright.
By Jim Verrell, founder of NH3 Jobs · Updated November 15, 2026
Pay by trade
Two pay ranges for each trade: what companies list in live job ads, and what candidates NH3 Jobs presented to employers asked to be paid. Manager, supervisor and coordinator pay is shown per year.
| Trade | Company-listed pay range | Candidate asking pay range |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance Manager | $101,500–$142,000/yr591 job ads | $108,500–$152,000/yr |
| Maintenance Supervisor | $83,000–$102,500/yr248 job ads | $89,500–$110,500/yr |
| Controls Technician | $36.00–$51.50/hr957 job ads | $36.00–$44.50/hr33 presentations |
| Maintenance Coordinator | $63,000–$92,000/yr185 job ads | $66,500–$97,000/yr |
| Industrial Electrician | $31.00–$43.00/hr515 job ads | $40.00–$46.50/hr62 presentations |
| Commercial Refrigeration Tech | $30.50–$44.00/hr56 job ads | $33.50–$48.50/hr |
| Ammonia / Industrial Refrigeration Tech | $31.00–$44.00/hr269 job ads | $37.00–$46.50/hr775 presentations |
| HVAC Technician | $30.00–$44.00/hr487 job ads | $34.00–$54.50/hr29 presentations |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech | $28.00–$37.50/hr2,775 job ads | $33.50–$42.00/hr278 presentations |
| Millwright | $29.00–$37.50/hr63 job ads | $32.00–$41.50/hr |
| Maintenance Technician | $22.00–$35.50/hr1,614 job ads | $24.00–$39.50/hr |
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 | Company-listed pay range |
|---|---|
| Ammonia / Industrial Refrigeration Tech — California | $33.50–$45.00/hr29 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Arizona | $40.00–$50.00/hr21 job ads |
| Controls Technician — California | $39.50–$65.00/hr52 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Colorado | $40.00–$53.50/hr32 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Florida | $34.00–$40.00/hr24 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Georgia | $34.00–$45.00/hr31 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Illinois | $38.50–$53.50/hr47 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Indiana | $32.00–$56.00/hr39 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Maryland | $35.00–$57.00/hr26 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Michigan | $30.00–$44.00/hr28 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Minnesota | $35.50–$57.50/hr25 job ads |
| Controls Technician — New York | $39.00–$53.50/hr33 job ads |
| Controls Technician — North Carolina | $33.00–$55.50/hr31 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Ohio | $35.00–$51.50/hr41 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Pennsylvania | $36.50–$48.00/hr37 job ads |
| Controls Technician — South Carolina | $32.50–$42.00/hr22 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Texas | $33.00–$48.00/hr64 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Virginia | $36.00–$49.00/hr29 job ads |
| Controls Technician — Wisconsin | $34.00–$43.50/hr39 job ads |
| HVAC Technician — Michigan | $27.50–$39.00/hr22 job ads |
| HVAC Technician — Texas | $26.00–$41.50/hr60 job ads |
| HVAC Technician — Virginia | $33.00–$40.00/hr20 job ads |
| Industrial Electrician — California | $34.50–$46.00/hr43 job ads |
| Industrial Electrician — Illinois | $34.00–$44.50/hr20 job ads |
| Industrial Electrician — New York | $32.00–$39.50/hr20 job ads |
| Industrial Electrician — North Carolina | $30.00–$39.50/hr27 job ads |
| Industrial Electrician — Ohio | $33.00–$41.50/hr23 job ads |
| Industrial Electrician — Texas | $26.50–$45.50/hr47 job ads |
| Industrial Electrician — Wisconsin | $36.00–$42.00/hr20 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Alabama | $30.00–$41.50/hr41 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Arizona | $26.50–$40.00/hr59 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Arkansas | $24.00–$32.50/hr44 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — California | $29.00–$39.50/hr265 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Colorado | $30.00–$45.50/hr51 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Connecticut | $26.00–$34.00/hr29 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Florida | $24.00–$35.00/hr58 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Georgia | $25.50–$38.50/hr83 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Idaho | $27.50–$37.00/hr27 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Illinois | $30.00–$38.00/hr181 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Indiana | $30.00–$38.00/hr65 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Iowa | $28.00–$33.50/hr69 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Kansas | $27.00–$35.50/hr38 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Kentucky | $28.00–$33.50/hr46 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Louisiana | $25.50–$33.50/hr33 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Maryland | $28.50–$38.50/hr59 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Massachusetts | $31.50–$42.50/hr56 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Michigan | $26.00–$35.00/hr58 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Minnesota | $28.50–$36.00/hr71 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Missouri | $26.00–$34.50/hr53 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Nebraska | $28.50–$40.00/hr25 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — New Jersey | $30.00–$41.00/hr62 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — New York | $28.50–$35.50/hr130 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — North Carolina | $27.50–$36.00/hr85 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Ohio | $29.00–$38.00/hr124 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Oregon | $29.00–$37.50/hr28 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Pennsylvania | $29.50–$37.50/hr82 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — South Carolina | $26.00–$36.50/hr46 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Tennessee | $27.50–$35.00/hr58 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Texas | $25.00–$34.00/hr198 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Utah | $29.50–$44.00/hr27 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Virginia | $29.00–$38.00/hr99 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Washington | $28.50–$36.00/hr54 job ads |
| Industrial Maintenance Tech — Wisconsin | $29.00–$38.50/hr138 job ads |
| Maintenance Manager — California | $115,000–$150,000/yr72 job ads |
| Maintenance Manager — Georgia | $100,500–$132,500/yr31 job ads |
| Maintenance Manager — Illinois | $95,500–$142,000/yr42 job ads |
| Maintenance Manager — Massachusetts | $115,000–$142,500/yr21 job ads |
| Maintenance Manager — Michigan | $100,500–$141,500/yr26 job ads |
| Maintenance Manager — Texas | $100,000–$135,500/yr41 job ads |
| Maintenance Supervisor — California | $90,000–$114,500/yr42 job ads |
| Maintenance Supervisor — New York | $89,000–$100,000/yr23 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Alabama | $22.00–$27.50/hr23 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Arizona | $22.50–$32.50/hr29 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — California | $21.00–$37.00/hr196 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Colorado | $22.00–$35.00/hr45 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Florida | $20.00–$31.50/hr66 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Georgia | $21.50–$32.00/hr43 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Illinois | $25.00–$37.50/hr76 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Indiana | $20.00–$32.00/hr41 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Kentucky | $20.50–$26.50/hr22 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Maryland | $23.50–$35.00/hr38 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Massachusetts | $24.50–$40.00/hr37 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Michigan | $21.00–$29.50/hr43 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Minnesota | $24.50–$38.00/hr32 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Missouri | $23.00–$36.50/hr26 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — New Jersey | $24.00–$44.00/hr37 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — New York | $24.00–$38.00/hr78 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — North Carolina | $23.00–$30.50/hr32 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Ohio | $22.50–$40.00/hr58 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Pennsylvania | $20.00–$30.50/hr45 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — South Carolina | $24.00–$41.00/hr36 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Tennessee | $23.00–$33.00/hr34 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Texas | $21.00–$32.50/hr129 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Utah | $20.50–$35.50/hr22 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Virginia | $22.00–$35.50/hr52 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Washington | $21.00–$38.00/hr47 job ads |
| Maintenance Technician — Wisconsin | $24.00–$35.00/hr47 job ads |
By state, all covered trades combined
Each state's mix of jobs differs (more manager postings raise the range), so this is not a ranking of which state pays best. Use the trade-and-state table to compare like with like.
| State | Company-listed pay range |
|---|---|
| Delaware | $29.50–$55.50/hr27 job ads |
| Massachusetts | $32.00–$53.00/hr160 job ads |
| Maine | $33.00–$43.50/hr36 job ads |
| New Jersey | $30.00–$50.00/hr159 job ads |
| Colorado | $30.00–$45.50/hr176 job ads |
| Illinois | $30.00–$44.50/hr407 job ads |
| California | $29.00–$46.50/hr743 job ads |
| Arizona | $28.00–$43.00/hr150 job ads |
| Alabama | $27.00–$43.00/hr124 job ads |
| North Dakota | $32.00–$40.00/hr33 job ads |
| Minnesota | $29.50–$47.00/hr182 job ads |
| Nebraska | $28.00–$42.00/hr68 job ads |
| Ohio | $29.00–$42.00/hr326 job ads |
| Wisconsin | $30.00–$41.00/hr304 job ads |
| Virginia | $29.00–$43.50/hr268 job ads |
| Utah | $27.50–$42.50/hr78 job ads |
| Connecticut | $28.50–$47.00/hr70 job ads |
| Oregon | $28.50–$43.50/hr67 job ads |
| New York | $28.50–$43.00/hr328 job ads |
| Pennsylvania | $29.50–$42.00/hr256 job ads |
| Indiana | $29.00–$43.00/hr192 job ads |
| Maryland | $29.50–$44.50/hr166 job ads |
| Washington | $30.00–$48.00/hr155 job ads |
| South Carolina | $27.50–$45.00/hr145 job ads |
| Idaho | $27.50–$44.50/hr78 job ads |
| New Mexico | $24.50–$40.00/hr43 job ads |
| Vermont | $27.00–$43.50/hr24 job ads |
| Georgia | $26.50–$43.50/hr251 job ads |
| Tennessee | $27.00–$41.00/hr145 job ads |
| Iowa | $29.00–$39.50/hr135 job ads |
| Missouri | $26.00–$40.50/hr134 job ads |
| Kansas | $26.50–$39.00/hr90 job ads |
| Nevada | $27.00–$45.00/hr50 job ads |
| North Carolina | $27.50–$48.00/hr227 job ads |
| Michigan | $27.00–$44.00/hr205 job ads |
| Louisiana | $26.50–$39.50/hr93 job ads |
| Oklahoma | $25.00–$40.00/hr56 job ads |
| Florida | $23.50–$38.50/hr216 job ads |
| Kentucky | $25.00–$36.50/hr113 job ads |
| Texas | $25.00–$41.00/hr580 job ads |
| Arkansas | $25.00–$39.50/hr112 job ads |
| West Virginia | $24.50–$42.50/hr37 job ads |
| South Dakota | $25.00–$33.50/hr24 job ads |
| Mississippi | $22.50–$37.50/hr40 job ads |
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: 7,760 postings with a usable pay figure as of November 15, 2026.
- 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.
- Each pay range is the middle half of the group: a quarter of the job ads (or presentations) sit below it and a quarter above it, so a few unusual ads cannot stretch it.
- 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.
- Candidates ask: the "wage request" of the candidates NH3 Jobs presented to employers from August 2021 to March 2026, adjusted to today's pay levels by how pay rose year to year in those same records. Counted per presentation (a person presented twice counts twice) and shown only where there were at least 20 presentations. No candidate or employer is ever named.
- Where a trade has fewer than 20 presentations (manager, supervisor, coordinator and maintenance technician), the candidate range is an estimate: the listed range raised by 5% to 14% depending on the trade, set from the gaps measured where real presentations exist (4% to 19%, about 11% on average). It is not measured from presentations.
- Manager, supervisor and coordinator pay is shown per year: the hourly figure times 2,080 hours, rounded to the nearest $500. Managers and supervisors are told apart by job title.
- 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.