- The middle half earn between $27.91 and $39.43 an hour.
- Colorado ranks 16th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- Colorado pays more than all 7 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 8,940 HVAC technicians on payrolls in Colorado.
- At the state median wage, an HVAC business needs to bill about $125.64 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
HVAC Technician pay in Colorado, 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 | $23.18 | $48,220 | $19.25 |
| 25th percentile | $27.91 | $58,050 | $23.25 |
| Median | $31.35 | $65,200 | $29.33 |
| 75th percentile | $39.43 | $82,010 | $37.05 |
| 90th percentile | $49.83 | $103,640 | $45.78 |
| Average (mean) | $34.29 | $71,330 | $31.14 |
Pay is bunched up in Colorado. The top tenth earn $49.83 an hour or more, about 2.1 times the $23.18 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.4 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $23.18 against $19.25 at the bottom tenth, and $49.83 against $45.78 at the top.
The average wage, $34.29, sits 9% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical HVAC technician makes.
How Colorado compares with other states
Over a full year, the Colorado median of $65,200 is $4,190 more than the national $61,010.
In the state ranking, Colorado sits 16th, between Hawaii ($31.47) and Maine ($30.37). The range runs from $23.13 in Arkansas to $40.57 in the District of Columbia.
Colorado pays HVAC technicians more than any of its neighboring states, Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming. 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 Colorado. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $31.35 | $65,200 | |
| Arizona | $28.56 | $59,400 | −$2.79 an hour |
| Kansas | $29.07 | $60,460 | −$2.28 an hour |
| Nebraska | $28.77 | $59,850 | −$2.58 an hour |
| New Mexico | $24.17 | $50,270 | −$7.18 an hour |
| Oklahoma | $27.67 | $57,560 | −$3.68 an hour |
| Utah | $28.24 | $58,730 | −$3.11 an hour |
| Wyoming | $26.30 | $54,700 | −$5.05 an hour |
How many HVAC technicians work in Colorado
About 8,940 HVAC technicians work on payrolls in Colorado, 2.2% of the 409,670 nationwide, the 15th largest count among the states.
That is 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in Colorado, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What an HVAC business in Colorado should charge
Higher wages in Colorado go straight into the price. Take an HVAC business in Colorado paying the state median of $31.35 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 | $31.35 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $70,196 |
| Break-even rate | ($70,196 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $106.80 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $106.80 ÷ 0.85 | $125.64 |
That is $125.64 per billable hour, 4 times the wage, and $3.55 more than the $122.10 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $39.43 in Colorado, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $139.83.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $27.91, the rate only drops to $119.60.
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 Colorado
- 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.