Career Training Path
Students training in a hvac program

Career Training PathHVAC schools › North Carolina

HVAC schools in North Carolina

North Carolina has 36 accredited campuses awarding hvac credentials. If you finish and work as an HVAC technician in North Carolina, expect to start around $37,780–$46,830 and reach a median of $57,260 with experience; the top quarter earn $64,310 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, North Carolina). Graduates of these North Carolina programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $35,135 in their first year, against $32,848 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What hvac and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn in North Carolina

$37,780starting (10th percentile)
$46,830early career (25th)
$57,260median, all experience
$64,310experienced (75th)
$77,160top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 15,230 employed in North Carolina. National median: $61,010.

Campuses in North Carolina, ranked by what their graduates earned

36campuses in North Carolina
1,013credentials awarded / yr
$35,135median earnings, yr 1 (North Carolina)
$32,848median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: AhoskieAlbemarleAshevilleCharlotteClintonDallasDobsonElizabeth CityFayettevilleGoldsboroGrahamHamletHendersonHickoryJacksonvilleJamestownLumbertonMarionMurphyPolktonRaleighSalisburySanfordShelbySmithfieldStatesvilleSylvaThomasvilleTroyWentworthWhitevilleWilliamstonWilmingtonWilsonWinston-SalemWinterville

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem Public 37 $35,135 not reported 34% not reported
Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown Public 60 $34,549 not reported 31% not reported
Wake Technical Community College Raleigh Public 152 not reported not reported 33% not reported
Johnston Community College Smithfield Public 77 not reported not reported 37% not reported
Cape Fear Community College Wilmington Public 66 not reported not reported 35% not reported
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury Public 61 not reported not reported 35% not reported
Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville Public 49 not reported $12,273 24% not reported
Gaston College Dallas Public 40 not reported not reported 63% not reported
Cleveland Community College Shelby Public 34 not reported not reported 32% not reported
College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City Public 33 not reported not reported 35% not reported
Martin Community College Williamston Public 31 not reported not reported 39% not reported
Alamance Community College Graham Public 30 not reported not reported 39% not reported
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville Public 28 not reported not reported 40% not reported
Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville Public 27 not reported not reported 49% not reported
Robeson Community College Lumberton Public 27 not reported not reported 33% not reported
Pitt Community College Winterville Public 26 not reported not reported 35% not reported
Wayne Community College Goldsboro Public 26 not reported not reported 49% not reported
Central Carolina Community College Sanford Public 22 not reported not reported 43% not reported
Davidson-Davie Community College Thomasville Public 21 not reported not reported 46% not reported
Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte Public 19 not reported not reported 31% not reported
McDowell Technical Community College Marion Public 16 not reported not reported 48% not reported
Montgomery Community College Troy Public 16 not reported not reported 84% not reported
Richmond Community College Hamlet Public 16 not reported not reported 46% not reported
Roanoke-Chowan Community College Ahoskie Public 16 not reported not reported 37% not reported
Surry Community College Dobson Public 15 not reported not reported 6.4% not reported
South Piedmont Community College Polkton Public 13 not reported not reported 38% not reported
Southwestern Community College Sylva Public 12 not reported not reported 53% not reported
Wilson Community College Wilson Public 10 not reported not reported 27% not reported
Catawba Valley Community College Hickory Public 8 not reported not reported 35% not reported
Stanly Community College Albemarle Public 6 not reported not reported 48% not reported
Sampson Community College Clinton Public 5 not reported not reported 57% not reported
Vance-Granville Community College Henderson Public 5 not reported not reported 53% not reported
Southeastern Community College Whiteville Public 4 not reported not reported 44% not reported
Mitchell Community College Statesville Public 3 not reported not reported 28% not reported
Rockingham Community College Wentworth Public 1 not reported not reported 35% not reported
Tri-County Community College Murphy Public 1 not reported not reported 54% not reported

Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.

Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.

The Path
Lineworkers earn $95k. Dental hygienists $98k. Barbers $38k.
The federal numbers on every trade, technical and healthcare career, in a free weekly newsletter.
Subscribe →

Other trades in North Carolina

All trade and career schools in North Carolina →

The Path
Nine months to a paycheck that AI can't take.
A free weekly newsletter for people choosing a hands-on career: trades, technical and healthcare.
Subscribe →