Salary guide › California › HVAC Technician
HVAC Technician salary in California (2025)
Most HVAC technicians in California earn $28.02 to $43.65 an hour.
The typical HVAC technician salary in California is $34.88 an hour, or $72,560 a year. That is 19% more than the national typical pay of $29.33. About 35,130 people do this work in California.
Pay by job level
| Job | Hourly | Yearly | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $21.48 | $44,670 | BLS median pay for Helpers, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers. BLS has no apprentice category. Apprentices often start near helper pay, then step up each year toward journeyman pay. Medium |
| Journeyman | $34.88 | $72,560 | Typical pay in the trade. BLS does not split pay by license level. Medium |
| Foreman | $46.96 | $97,680 | BLS pay for construction supervisors across all trades. Medium |
| Superintendent | $64.02 | $133,160 | BLS pay for construction managers, the closest official category. Medium |
| Project Manager | $64.02 | $133,160 | BLS pay for construction managers, the closest official category. Medium |
| Estimator | $41.09 | $85,460 | BLS pay for cost estimators in all industries. Medium |
| Owner Operator | Depends on the business | There is no wage data for owners. They earn from business profit, not a wage. None | |
High exact government figure Medium closest government category Low estimate, method shown None no data
Best paying areas for HVAC technicians in California
| Area | Typical hourly | Typical yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | $40.66 | $84,570 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $39.45 | $82,050 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $38.23 | $79,510 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $37.81 | $78,640 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $37.73 | $78,490 |
Typical means the median: half earn more, half earn less. Only areas where the government publishes a figure are listed.
Ready to get licensed in California? Start your HVAC technician exam prep with Contractor Pathway.
C-20 HVAC exam prepUnion and prevailing wage pay for HVAC technicians in California
The federal wage list for California has no separate classification for HVAC technicians, so there is no official union or prevailing rate to show. Ask the local union in your area for its wage sheet. Federal rates by county are on SAM.gov.
How to earn more
- Get licensed. A license lets you bid work in your own name. See C-20 HVAC exam prep.
- Know the steps. Experience, application, exams and what comes after. How to get licensed in California.
- Run your own company. Many states also require a business and law exam. Business exam prep.
- Move up to foreman. Construction supervisors in California typically earn $46.96 an hour.
Common questions
How much does a HVAC technician make in California?
Typical pay is $34.88 an hour, or $72,560 a year, based on government data for May 2025. Most earn between $28.02 and $43.65 an hour. That includes union and non union workers.
What is the starting pay for a HVAC technician apprentice in California?
Expect about $21.48 an hour to start. That is typical pay for helpers in this trade. Apprentice pay then rises each year. The local union or the California apprenticeship agency publishes the exact steps.
Do union HVAC technicians make more in California?
We have no official union rate for this trade in California. Government pay figures mix union and non union workers, so they cannot answer this alone. Ask the local union for its wage sheet and compare wages plus benefits.
What is the prevailing wage for HVAC technician in California?
The federal wage list has no separate classification for this trade in California. Prevailing wage is the minimum on covered public jobs and changes by county. Check SAM.gov for your county, and whether California has its own prevailing wage law.
What is the highest paying city for HVAC technicians in California?
Napa, CA pays the most, with typical pay of $40.66 an hour, based on government data for May 2025. Smaller areas may be missing because the government does not publish a figure for them.
Ready to get licensed in California? Start your HVAC technician exam prep with Contractor Pathway.
C-20 HVAC exam prepSee the full numbers and sources
HVAC Technician salary in California: full pay range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.57 | $46,950 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 25th percentile | $28.02 | $58,280 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| Median | $34.88 | $72,560 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 75th percentile | $43.65 | $90,780 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
| 90th percentile | $52.44 | $109,060 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 | High |
A percentile shows where pay falls: the 10th percentile means 10% earn less. BLS publishes hourly and yearly figures; yearly assumes 2,080 paid hours (40 hours times 52 weeks). $115.00+ means BLS reports it only as at least that amount.
What affects HVAC technician pay in California
- Metro area. Napa, CA pays a median of $40.66 an hour, 17% above the California median.
- Experience and skill. In California, the top 10% earn at least $52.44 an hour, while the bottom 10% earn $22.57 or less. That gap of $29.87 an hour reflects experience, specialty and responsibility.
- State market. The California median is 19% above the national median of $29.33 for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers.
- Overtime. BLS figures are straight time pay. Overtime, shift pay and bonuses are not included, so total earnings can be higher.
- Union status and public work. Union contracts and prevailing wage jobs set their own rates. Those are separate from the market figures above.
- License classification. A contractor license lets you bid and run your own jobs instead of earning a wage.
Comparing union, prevailing and market pay
These are not directly comparable. A union total package includes benefits, a prevailing wage applies only to covered public jobs, and the BLS market wage is straight time pay for everyone in the trade.
Methodology
Market figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, state and metro tables, May 2025. We never average across sources or occupations. Full methodology.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state, metro and national tables. bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination CA20260022 (Davis-Bacon, building), Los Angeles, revision 5. sam.gov
- U.S. Department of Labor, state prevailing wage laws. dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/prevailing-wages
Salary information on Contractor Pathway is an estimate for educational purposes only. Figures come from public sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, state prevailing wage determinations, federal wage determinations, and published union wage sheets. Actual pay depends on your employer, experience, local market, license classification, overtime, benefits, and the date of the data. Market wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics includes both union and non union workers. Union, prevailing wage, and market figures come from different sources and are not directly comparable. Some positions do not have official wage data, and those figures are marked as estimates with the method shown. This tool does not guarantee any wage, job offer, or income. Always confirm current rates with your local union, your state labor agency, or a prospective employer before making career or business decisions. Contractor Pathway is not responsible for decisions made based on these estimates.