- The middle half earn between $28.02 and $43.65 an hour.
- California ranks 12th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- California pays more than all 3 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 35,130 HVAC technicians on payrolls in California.
- At the state median wage, an HVAC business needs to bill about $131.84 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
HVAC Technician pay in California, bottom to top
BLS files these as heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers, which covers service techs, installers and refrigeration work.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.57 | $46,950 | $19.25 |
| 25th percentile | $28.02 | $58,280 | $23.25 |
| Median | $34.88 | $72,560 | $29.33 |
| 75th percentile | $43.65 | $90,780 | $37.05 |
| 90th percentile | $52.44 | $109,060 | $45.78 |
| Average (mean) | $36.24 | $75,370 | $31.14 |
From the bottom tenth ($22.57) to the top tenth ($52.44), the top of the scale pays about 2.3 times the bottom in California, close to the 2.4 times spread for HVAC technicians nationwide.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $22.57 against $19.25 at the bottom tenth, and $52.44 against $45.78 at the top.
The average, $36.24, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How California compares with other states
Over a full year, the California median of $72,560 is $11,550 more than the national $61,010.
In the state ranking, California sits 12th, between New Hampshire ($35.51) and Maryland ($33.67). The range runs from $23.13 in Arkansas to $40.57 in the District of Columbia.
California pays HVAC technicians more than any of its neighboring states, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Someone working near the border can earn more by taking work on this side of it.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in California. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
How many HVAC technicians work in California
BLS estimates 35,130 HVAC technicians on payrolls in California, 8.6% of the 409,670 nationwide. Only 1 state has more.
It is a smaller part of local jobs than in most of the country, at 1.9 per 1,000 jobs, 0.73 times the national share.
What an HVAC business in California should charge
Higher wages in California go straight into the price. Take an HVAC business in California paying the state median of $34.88 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $34.88 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $78,101 |
| Break-even rate | ($78,101 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $112.07 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $112.07 ÷ 0.85 | $131.84 |
That is $131.84 per billable hour, 3.8 times the wage, and $9.75 more than the $122.10 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $43.65 in California, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $147.25.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $28.02, the rate only drops to $119.80.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the HVAC labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as an HVAC technician in California
- Licensing. What California asks for before you can work on your own: HVAC license in California.
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how HVAC companies run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 49-9021, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: HVAC technician salary by state.