Lesley Baulding, Created: May 20, 2020, Last modified: Apr 08, 2022
HERS Rater Salary: How Much Do RESNET HERS Raters Make?
Here at Everblue, we provide vocational job training and professional development courses for professionals in the sustainability and energy efficiency industries. One of the popular career paths is to become a certified RESNET HERS Rater. Naturally, newcomers to the industry want to know about a RESNET HERS Rater salary before they invest in their education, so let’s take a look at that.
We reviewed the three most popular job search websites:
- Indeed.com
- Payscale.com
- ZipRecruiter.com
And we should note that a RESNET HERS Rater salary will certainly vary depending on the company, state, and a candidate’s background.
Indeed.com seemed to have the most transparency, with the most up-to-date information from credible sources.
How Much Do HERS Raters Make?
According to Indeed.com, the average salary for a HERS Rater ranges from approximately $17.85 per hour to $26.77 per hour. Assuming you work a typical 40-hour work week for 52 weeks, this equates to $37,128 to $55,681.60 per year.
Indeed says that the estimate is based on past and present job advertisements on Indeed as well as feedback from HERS Raters and Indeed users over the past 36 months.
I couldn’t help but notice that the featured positions on Indeed’s website were all for HERS Rater jobs in California, which actually skews our data a bit. The California HERS Rater designation is a different beast than the RESNET HERS Rater Certification known in every other state. So let’s spot-check a few other states to see if this salary estimate holds up.
- Maryland: $24,960-$37,440
- New Mexico: $55,000-$60,000
- North Carolina: $40,000
- Pennsylvania: $40,000
- Texas: $41,600
Yup, it sure does.
HERS Rater Salary by State
ZipRecruiter.com also posted its estimates for HERS Rater salary by state, broken down by hourly wage and annual salary.
ZipRecruiter, however, offered the least transparency on how they came to these estimates, so take it with a grain of salt.
| State | Hourly Wage | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $19.05 | $39,624 |
| Alaska | $16.68 | $34,685 |
| Arizona | $17.70 | $36,816 |
| Arkansas | $16.79 | $34,918 |
| California | $18.73 | $38,954 |
| Colorado | $17.90 | $37,226 |
| Connecticut | $19.18 | $39,885 |
| Delaware | $17.92 | $37,376 |
| Florida | $16.09 | $33,475 |
| Georgia | $17.07 | $35,516 |
| Hawaii | $19.88 | $41,347 |
| Idaho | $19.05 | $39,624 |
| Illinois | $16.70 | $34,728 |
| Indiana | $17.59 | $36,580 |
| Iowa | $17.25 | $35,870 |
| Kansas | $17.62 | $36,657 |
| Kentucky | $18.27 | $38,000 |
| Louisiana | $17.42 | $36,243 |
| Maine | $17.50 | $36,391 |
| Maryland | $19.18 | $39,898 |
| Massachusetts | $20.70 | $43,051 |
| Michigan | $16.80 | $34,943 |
| Minnesota | $17.97 | $37,371 |
| Mississippi | $16.51 | $34,334 |
| Missouri | $16.47 | $34,253 |
| Montana | $19.05 | $39,624 |
| Nebraska | $18.89 | $39.296 |
| Nevada | $19.05 | $39,624 |
| New Hampshire | $20.14 | $41,899 |
| New Jersey | $18.19 | $37,829 |
| New Mexico | $16.84 | $35,032 |
| New York | $20.90 | $43,462 |
| North Carolina | $15.32 | $31,875 |
| North Dakota | $19.05 | $39,624 |
| Ohio | $17.78 | $36,981 |
| Oklahoma | $17.56 | $36,522 |
| Oregon | $17.92 | $37,281 |
| Pennsylvania | $18.08 | $37,600 |
| Rhode Island | $19.02 | $39,561 |
| South Carolina | $17.98 | $37,405 |
| South Dakota | $18.23 | $37,911 |
| Tennessee | $17.91 | $37,249 |
| Texas | $16.88 | $35,108 |
| Utah | $17.62 | $36,641 |
| Vermont | $18.92 | $39,346 |
| Virginia | $18.64 | $38,781 |
| Washington | $20.55 | $42,750 |
| West Virginia | $18.16 | $37,783 |
| Wisconsin | $17.74 | $36,893 |
| Wyoming | $19.05 | $39,624 |
The website listed $39,624/year as the national average, with the majority of HERS Raters ranging between $32,000 and $45,000.
How HERS Raters Compare to Other Occupations
Payscale.com couldn’t specifically link to a HERS Rater job description, but based on the salaries of similar occupations (such as Energy Auditor at $37k, Energy Analyst at $43k, Sustainability Consultant at $58k, Sustainability Director at $82k), it seems they were able to determine an average salary for a HERS Rater to be around $54,000 per year.
Now I would argue that the HERS Rater job description is more closely aligned with the Energy Auditor than it is the Sustainability Director.
When I think of Sustainability Director, I typically think of a white-collar office job implementing corporate social responsibility policies at a Fortune 500 company like Walmart. For an Energy Auditor, I typically think of a blue-collar job where a person’s primary work environment is “in the field†(in this case, a home).
A RESNET HERS Rater’s job does fall somewhere in between the two but is more similar to an Energy Auditor’s job. In fact, HERS Raters conduct energy audits but they also perform more sophisticated analyses using energy modeling software. And unlike the Energy Auditor, who primarily works for homeowners, a HERS Rater can be employed by homeowners, builders, municipalities, and residential code enforcement agencies.
Now that you have an understanding of the average HERS Rater salary, continue pursuing your goal by registering for the RESNET HERS Rater training program. Still have questions? Give us a call at (800) 460-2575.
