Licensed supply, credential mix, wages and demand outlook for HVAC technicians in Buncombe County, NC, updated nightly from the state register and BLS.
Buncombe County, NC carries 84 licensed HVAC technicians and a median wage of $58,120/yr ($27.94/hr).
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This county sits at the 36th percentile nationally for HVAC technicians pay, below the median US county. Average weekly wages across the county's construction trades fell 12.8% year over year (BLS QCEW).
Counties within 150 miles whose published median for this occupation is higher than Buncombe County's. Medians from the same BLS OEWS series shown above, not offers, and pay is only one reason to move.
| County | Median | Difference | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray County, GA | $65,560 | +$7,440 | 137 mi |
| Whitfield County, GA | $65,560 | +$7,440 | 149 mi |
| Lincoln County, NC | $59,840 | +$1,720 | 74 mi |
| Gaston County, NC | $59,840 | +$1,720 | 79 mi |
| York County, SC | $59,840 | +$1,720 | 88 mi |
Active, licensed firms and master-tier individuals on the NC register.
| Name | Tier |
|---|---|
| 828 Air Experts Heating & Cooling, LLC | Contractor |
| Advanced H.v.a.c. Services | Contractor |
| Aire Serv Of Western North Carolina (dba) | Contractor |
| All Ways Heating & Air (dba) | Contractor |
| American Air Heating & Cooling | Contractor |
| Andy's Heating & Cooling Inc | Contractor |
| Blue Planet Plumbing & Air (dba) | Contractor |
| Blue Planet Services (dba) | Contractor |
| Bullman Heating & Air (dba) | Contractor |
| Candler Heating & Air, LLC | Contractor |
Buncombe County holds 68% of the metro area's 124 licensed HVAC technicians (the largest HVAC technicians pool among its 3 counties), at 3.0 per 10,000 residents against 3.0 metro-wide.
Counted from ATI's nightly diff of the NC register itself, over the trailing year. Runs that failed a data-quality gate are excluded, so a scraper outage is never reported as workers leaving.
| Movement | Workers | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New licences issued | 3 | People who entered the licensed workforce here. |
| Licences lapsed | 0 | Expired or not renewed. Retirement, relocation or leaving the trade. |
| Moved up a credential tier | 0 | Apprentice to journeyman, journeyman to master, and so on. |
| Net change | 3 | New licences minus lapsed. Negative means the licensed base shrank. |
Employment from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages for the industry this trade sits in; payroll from the Census County Business Patterns. Establishment counts are QCEW where the county is disclosed and an ATI estimate otherwise.
| Measure | Value | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Employer establishments | 142 | Physical business locations in this industry. |
| Industry employment | 1,184 | Everyone on those payrolls, not only licensed trades. |
| Annual industry payroll | $67M | Total wages paid across those establishments (Census CBP, 2023). |
County-wide construction activity, across all trades rather than HVAC technicians specifically. Each figure names its source and the period it covers.
| Measure | Value | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| New housing units permitted | 2,028 | Last full year, county-wide. 74 per 10,000 residents. Permits lead construction hiring by months, so this is the earliest honest signal of work arriving (Census Building Permits Survey). |
| Construction employment | 4,302 | Everyone working in construction in this county, all trades and office staff. Average pay $1,096 per week. BLS QCEW. |
| Median year homes were built | 1991 | Older stock means more repair, replacement and retrofit work, which is steadier than new build and does not stop in a downturn (Census ACS). |
| Net migration | +2,534 | People who moved in minus people who moved out, from IRS address changes. Arrivals need housing, wiring, plumbing and heat. |
3.0 licensed HVAC technicians per 10,000 residents; 17 licensed holders per 100 estimated workers in the trade; 2.0 registered apprentices per 100 estimated workers; 0.4 apprentices per 10,000 residents. A thin pipeline against an ageing licensed base is how a shortage forms years before it shows up in wages.
License register: 2026-09-17; Wages: 2025-05-31; Demand: 2026-09-17; Apprenticeship: 2025-12-31.
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