How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in El Centro, CA?

The median hourly wage is $36.16. The middle half earn between $28.83 and $46.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in El Centro, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.78 an hour ($47,370 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.83.

Do HVAC technicians make more in El Centro or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $75,220 in El Centro and $78,490 in San Francisco, a 4% difference.

How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?

The El Centro median of $75,220 is 4% more than the California median of $72,560.

HVAC technician salary in El Centro, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $75,220 a year, or $36.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $111,110. Statewide, HVAC technicians earn a median of $72,560; El Centro is 4% above it.

Median yearly pay$75,220

Bottom 10% under$47,370Top 10% over$111,110

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.78/hr
Jobs in this area: 120
After cost of living: $79,030
Median hourly pay: $36.16/hr
vs U.S. median: +23%
vs California median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20940, El Centro, CA). Excludes self-employed HVAC technicians. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Apprentice to senior HVAC technician pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice / entry level	$47,370–$59,960$22.78–$28.83/hr
Experienced technician	$75,220$36.16/hr
Senior / top earners	$95,910–$111,110$46.11–$53.42/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How El Centro, CA compares

El Centro ranks 8th of 25 California metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the El Centro area than nationally: 1.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.69 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $111,110, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,370: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in El Centro, CA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in El Centro, CA?: HVAC technicians in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $75,220 a year, or $36.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $111,110.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in El Centro, CA?: The median hourly wage is $36.16. The middle half earn between $28.83 and $46.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in El Centro, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.78 an hour ($47,370 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.83.
Do HVAC technicians make more in El Centro or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $75,220 in El Centro and $78,490 in San Francisco, a 4% difference.
How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?: The El Centro median of $75,220 is 4% more than the California median of $72,560.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-9021 (Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers), area code 20940 (El Centro, CA). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed HVAC technicians and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (95.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures