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.

HVAC Service Manager — 2026 Comp by Metro

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

Ranges reflect 8–15 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 $12–18k 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 8–12% over commercial-office at the same book size.

Bonus, sign-on, vehicle & retention norms

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