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

The median hourly wage is $32.06. The middle half earn between $24.87 and $39.77 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Sacramento, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.41 an hour ($46,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.87.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Sacramento or San Jose?

San Jose pays more: the median is $66,670 in Sacramento and $82,050 in San Jose, a 19% difference.

How does Sacramento pay compare with the rest of California?

The Sacramento median of $66,670 is 8% less than the California median of $72,560.

HVAC technician salary in Sacramento, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, CA area earn a median of $66,670 a year, or $32.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $101,260. Across all of California, the median is $72,560, so Sacramento pays 8% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$66,670

Bottom 10% under$46,620Top 10% over$101,260

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.41/hr
Jobs in this area: 2,940
After cost of living: $62,500
Median hourly pay: $32.06/hr
vs U.S. median: +9%
vs California median: −8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40900, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, 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	$46,620–$51,720$22.41–$24.87/hr
Experienced technician	$66,670$32.06/hr
Senior / top earners	$82,730–$101,260$39.77–$48.68/hr

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

How Sacramento, CA compares

Sacramento ranks 15th of 25 California metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians hold about the same share of jobs in the Sacramento area as nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $101,260, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,620: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Sacramento, CA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Sacramento, CA?: HVAC technicians in the Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, CA area earn a median of $66,670 a year, or $32.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $101,260.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Sacramento, CA?: The median hourly wage is $32.06. The middle half earn between $24.87 and $39.77 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Sacramento, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.41 an hour ($46,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.87.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Sacramento or San Jose?: San Jose pays more: the median is $66,670 in Sacramento and $82,050 in San Jose, a 19% difference.
How does Sacramento pay compare with the rest of California?: The Sacramento median of $66,670 is 8% less 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 40900 (Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, 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 (106.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures