HVAC technician salary in Riverside, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
HVAC technicians in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA area earn a median of $64,300 a year, or $30.92 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $95,910. That's 11% less than the California median of $72,560.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.48/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 4,820
- After cost of living
- $60,410
- Median hourly pay
- $30.92/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +5%
- vs California median
- −11%
- Mean (average) pay
- $68,660 a year · $33.01 an hour
Pay by percentile
What HVAC technicians in Riverside, CA earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.48 | $46,760 |
| 25th percentile | $24.99 | $51,970 |
| Median (50th) | $30.92 | $64,300 |
| 75th percentile | $37.65 | $78,320 |
| 90th percentile | $46.11 | $95,910 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Riverside, CA compares
- Riverside ranks 19th of 25 California metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
- HVAC technicians hold about the same share of jobs in the Riverside area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in Riverside, CA
Questions
- Do HVAC technicians make more in Riverside or San Jose?
- San Jose pays more: the median is $64,300 in Riverside and $82,050 in San Jose, a 22% difference.
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 40140 (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, 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 (106.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures