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Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration at Hennepin Technical College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration degree from Hennepin Technical College earn a median salary of $77,316 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $82,164. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.1 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$58,427

Typical Career

$77,316

Top Performers

$96,791

Estimated break-even: 5.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$515

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,443. Most students can comfortably afford about a $515 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 27.5%
Manufacturing 18.2%
Retail Trade 7.6%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$82,164

Nominal: $77,316 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

5.1 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $47,034 $61,121 $77,440
5 Years After Graduation $58,427 $77,316 $96,791
10 Years After Graduation $69,310 $83,267 $103,966

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $77,316 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $77,316 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $82,164 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, and Refrigeration program at Hennepin Technical College can expect a promising earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $55,879, which increases to $70,298 after five years and reaches $79,598 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary equates to $74,705.63 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to their peers across the country, despite the cost of living index in Minnesota being slightly lower than the national average.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for a significant portion of employment opportunities, with percentages of 27.5%, 27.2%, and 22.5% across different roles. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately six years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this program appears favorable. Graduates not only benefit from a solid earnings potential but also enter a robust job market, making this career path a viable option for students.

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See how the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration degree at Hennepin Technical College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.