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

The median hourly wage is $34.88. The middle half earn between $29.49 and $49.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Salinas, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.84 an hour ($49,590 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.49.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Salinas or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $72,550 in Salinas and $78,490 in San Francisco, a 8% difference.

How does Salinas pay compare with the rest of California?

The Salinas median of $72,550 is about the same as the California median of $72,560.

HVAC technician salary in Salinas, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Salinas, CA area earn a median of $72,550 a year, or $34.88 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $115,990 a year. That's about the same as the California median of $72,560.

Median yearly pay$72,550

Bottom 10% under$49,590Top 10% over$115,990

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.84/hr
Jobs in this area: 300
After cost of living: $66,530
Median hourly pay: $34.88/hr
vs U.S. median: +19%
vs California median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41500, Salinas, 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	$49,590–$61,340$23.84–$29.49/hr
Experienced technician	$72,550$34.88/hr
Senior / top earners	$103,080–$115,990$49.56–$55.77/hr

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

How Salinas, CA compares

Salinas ranks 12th of 25 California metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Salinas area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.60 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $115,990, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,590: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Salinas, CA

Electrician Welder Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Salinas, CA?: HVAC technicians in the Salinas, CA area earn a median of $72,550 a year, or $34.88 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $115,990 a year.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Salinas, CA?: The median hourly wage is $34.88. The middle half earn between $29.49 and $49.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Salinas, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.84 an hour ($49,590 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.49.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Salinas or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $72,550 in Salinas and $78,490 in San Francisco, a 8% difference.
How does Salinas pay compare with the rest of California?: The Salinas median of $72,550 is about the same as 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 41500 (Salinas, 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 (109.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures