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Home › 2026 HVAC Service Manager Comp Report

2026 HVAC Service Manager Comp Report

Full base + bonus benchmarks across 12 US metros, plus what's actually driving the top of the range this year.

Full base + bonus benchmarks across 12 US metros, plus what's actually driving the top of the range this year.

HVAC Service Manager, 2026 Comp by Metro

MetroBase salary (P25-P75)Target bonusTotal cash comp
Orange County, CA$113,000 to $173,000$17,000 to $26,000 (~15%)$130,000 to $199,000
Los Angeles, CA$116,000 to $176,000$17,000 to $26,000 (~15%)$133,000 to $202,000
San Diego, CA$110,000 to $168,000$17,000 to $25,000 (~15%)$127,000 to $193,000
Inland Empire, CA$105,000 to $160,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$121,000 to $184,000
Bay Area, CA$124,000 to $189,000$19,000 to $28,000 (~15%)$142,000 to $217,000
Sacramento, CA$107,000 to $163,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$123,000 to $188,000
Seattle, WA$113,000 to $173,000$17,000 to $26,000 (~15%)$130,000 to $199,000
Portland, OR$105,000 to $160,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$121,000 to $184,000
Salt Lake City, UT$103,000 to $157,000$15,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$118,000 to $180,000
Phoenix, AZ$102,000 to $155,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$117,000 to $178,000
Las Vegas, NV$103,000 to $157,000$15,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$118,000 to $180,000
Denver, CO$107,000 to $163,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$123,000 to $188,000
Houston, TX$105,000 to $160,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$121,000 to $184,000
Dallas, TX$107,000 to $163,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$123,000 to $188,000
Austin, TX$110,000 to $168,000$17,000 to $25,000 (~15%)$127,000 to $193,000
San Antonio, TX$100,000 to $152,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$115,000 to $175,000
Atlanta, GA$103,000 to $157,000$15,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$118,000 to $180,000
Charlotte, NC$101,000 to $154,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$116,000 to $177,000
Raleigh-Durham, NC$102,000 to $155,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$117,000 to $178,000
Nashville, TN$102,000 to $155,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$117,000 to $178,000
Miami, FL$105,000 to $160,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$121,000 to $184,000
Orlando, FL$100,000 to $152,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$115,000 to $175,000
Tampa, FL$101,000 to $154,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$116,000 to $177,000
New York, NY$128,000 to $195,000$19,000 to $29,000 (~15%)$147,000 to $224,000
Northern New Jersey$121,000 to $184,000$18,000 to $28,000 (~15%)$139,000 to $212,000
Boston, MA$121,000 to $184,000$18,000 to $28,000 (~15%)$139,000 to $212,000
Philadelphia, PA$110,000 to $168,000$17,000 to $25,000 (~15%)$127,000 to $193,000
Pittsburgh, PA$102,000 to $155,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$117,000 to $178,000
Washington, DC$118,000 to $179,000$18,000 to $27,000 (~15%)$135,000 to $206,000
Baltimore, MD$108,000 to $165,000$16,000 to $25,000 (~15%)$124,000 to $190,000
Chicago, IL$113,000 to $173,000$17,000 to $26,000 (~15%)$130,000 to $199,000
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN$108,000 to $165,000$16,000 to $25,000 (~15%)$124,000 to $190,000
Detroit, MI$105,000 to $160,000$16,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$121,000 to $184,000
Cleveland, OH$102,000 to $155,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$117,000 to $178,000
Columbus, OH$102,000 to $155,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$117,000 to $178,000
Cincinnati, OH$101,000 to $154,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$116,000 to $177,000
Indianapolis, IN$101,000 to $154,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$116,000 to $177,000
Kansas City, MO$101,000 to $154,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$116,000 to $177,000
St. Louis, MO$102,000 to $155,000$15,000 to $23,000 (~15%)$117,000 to $178,000
Milwaukee, WI$103,000 to $157,000$15,000 to $24,000 (~15%)$118,000 to $180,000
Honolulu, HI$118,000 to $179,000$18,000 to $27,000 (~15%)$135,000 to $206,000
Guam$121,000 to $184,000$18,000 to $28,000 (~15%)$139,000 to $212,000

Ranges reflect 8 to 15 years of relevant experience. Base + bonus only, LTI, sign-on, and vehicle broken out below.

What actually moves an HVAC Service Manager to the top of range

Recurring-revenue book size
Managers running $6M+ in service maintenance revenue clear the P75 band. Break-fix-heavy books cap near P50.
Tech headcount + retention
20+ direct-report techs with sub-15% annual attrition adds $12 to 18k over the median. Rebuilding a churned team drops the offer.
P&L accountability
True P&L ownership (gross margin + labor + subs) vs. dispatch-only unlocks the top of range. Verify with prior W-2 bonus math.
Vertical mix
Healthcare / mission-critical / life-science service pays 8 to 12% over commercial-office at the same book size.

Bonus, sign-on, vehicle & retention norms

Bonus (annual)
12 to 18% of base • tied to service GM + tech utilization
Sign-on
$8k to $25k • higher when moving from same-region competitor
Vehicle
Company truck or $650 to $1,000/mo allowance + gas card
LTI / retention
Retention bonus $10 to 25k over 2 yrs common at $75M+ shops
Relocation
$15k to $40k lump sum for interstate; typical 12-mo clawback

Talent-pool note

Gulfstream's active + passive HVAC service management pool sits at ~1,200 candidates across the 16 metros above. Roughly 28% are open to a move for the right P&L scope; the balance are passive but reachable.

Download the full PDF report.

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