Find accredited HVAC training programs near Memphis. Compare schools by tuition, program length, certifications, and training format — then request info for free.
Key Takeaways
HVAC technicians in Memphis earn an estimated median of $47,300 per year ($22.74/hour), 2.7% below the national median of $48,630. Local certificate programs run $2,800–$13,500 and take 6–12 months, and the metro turns over about 170 HVAC openings a year.
Derived from BLS OEWS SOC 49-9021 Tennessee percentiles, scaled by a 1.04 metro wage index.
| Career stage | Experience | Annual range | Hourly | What the work looks like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice or helper | Year 1 | $25,900 – $31,600 | $12.45 – $15.19 | Riding along, pulling equipment, and learning the Memphis service territory while you finish EPA Section 608. |
| Entry service technician | Years 1–2 | $31,600 – $38,500 | $15.19 – $18.51 | Running your own maintenance calls and simple repairs, usually with a senior tech on speed dial. |
| Service technician | Years 2–5 | $38,500 – $47,300 | $18.51 – $22.74 | Diagnosing and repairing unsupervised through a full 6-month Memphis cooling season, including on-call rotations. |
| Journeyman or lead installer | Years 5–8 | $47,300 – $57,200 | $22.74 – $27.50 | Leading changeouts and new installs, sizing systems, and signing off on other techs’ work. |
| Senior or commercial specialist | Years 8+ | $57,200 – $68,000 | $27.50 – $32.69 | Commercial refrigeration, chillers, controls, or critical environments — the specialties that pay above residential service. |
| Service manager or licensed contractor | Years 10+ | $68,000 – $88,400 | $32.69 – $42.50 | Running a crew or holding the license yourself under Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. |
Metro pay figures are derived from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state percentiles for HVAC mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021), scaled by an editorial metro wage index. They are estimates for comparison, not published BLS metro series, and individual offers vary by employer, shift, and certification.
Examples of the employer landscape in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR. Not job listings or partner placements.
State contractor licensing applies above project thresholds. Because the metro spans three states, technicians working into Mississippi or Arkansas face separate licensing regimes.
HVAC technicians in Memphis earn an estimated median of $47,300 per year — about $22.74 an hour — which puts the metro 2.7% below the national HVAC median. That figure is the Tennessee BLS median of $45,480 scaled by the metro wage index of 1.04, so Memphis pay runs 4.0% above the Tennessee statewide figure. A first job in the trade here realistically starts near $31,600, while experienced and specialty technicians reach $68,000 and above.
Cost of living works in your favor here: at a local cost index of 85.8 (US average = 100), that median stretches like about $55,100 would in an average-cost city. The metro supports an estimated 1,800 HVAC technicians and turns over roughly 170 positions a year through retirements, promotions, and growth, against projected employment growth of 6% through 2032.
Memphis is hot and humid in summer with ice storms in winter, so equipment here faces the full range of load conditions. Typical summer highs run near 92°F and winter lows near 33°F, with cooling equipment carrying real load about 6 months of the year. That balance means you will work furnaces and heat pumps as seriously as condensers — technicians trained only on cooling struggle through the first winter here.
Logistics and cold-chain employers hire year round on shift schedules; residential shops staff up in April.
Three things keep Memphis employers hiring. The global air-cargo hub and its cold-chain facilities need refrigeration technicians around the clock. Distribution and logistics warehouses require large-envelope ventilation and make-up air work. Regional medical centers operate central plants with in-house mechanical staffing.
In practice that means the local job board is not just residential service companies: Memphis technicians work across industrial refrigeration, industrial ventilation, institutional facilities, and residential service, and the employers hiring them include Air-cargo and cold-chain logistics operators, Memphis distribution and warehouse facilities, Regional One and Methodist Le Bonheur facilities, and Mid-South residential service contractors.
HVAC certificate programs serving Memphis generally run $2,800 to $13,500, while two-year associate degrees run $3,600 to $16,500. Tennessee grant-funded technical college seats make Memphis training close to free for many in-state residents.
The programs listed on this page bear that out: tuition across them spans $1,800 to $17,200 with a median of $5,450, and 4 of the 4 offer financial aid.
Against a typical certificate cost of about $8,200, a Memphis technician earning the metro median recovers that tuition in roughly 2 months of gross pay. Even at an entry wage of $31,600, first-year earnings clear the training cost by about $23,400 — which is why the trade competes well against four-year degrees on payback, if not on ceiling.
State contractor licensing applies above project thresholds. Because the metro spans three states, technicians working into Mississippi or Arkansas face separate licensing regimes.
Tennessee requires licensing through the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (HVAC Contractor License), so pick a program whose curriculum maps to that credential rather than a generic certificate. EPA Section 608 certification is required nationwide before you handle refrigerants, and most local programs build the exam into the coursework. Registered apprenticeships are available in Tennessee if you would rather earn while you train.
A Memphis HVAC job rarely stays inside the city limits. Local service territories typically cover Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, Southaven, MS, Olive Branch, MS, and West Memphis, AR, so your daily route is a metro-wide one from the first week.
The metro spans the Mississippi state line, and many DeSoto County students commute north into Memphis for coursework.
Metro pay figures are derived from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state percentiles for HVAC mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021), scaled by an editorial metro wage index. They are estimates for comparison, not published BLS metro series, and individual offers vary by employer, shift, and certification.
Showing accredited programs in Tennessee that commonly serve the Memphis metro.
Diploma program covering HVAC/R fundamentals, installation, and service with hands-on lab training and EPA certification preparation.
Two-year associate degree covering HVAC-R for Mississippi's humid subtropical climate, including high-efficiency cooling, refrigeration, and gas heating.
Short, 432-hour certificate covering HVAC and refrigeration fundamentals, basic electricity, and safety, preparing graduates for entry-level helper and…
Fifty-nine-credit-hour HVAC Excellence-accredited program combining career fundamentals, refrigeration theory, automated controls, and motor controls with…
Programs listed for Memphis draw students from across these communities. Areas with their own guide are linked.