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

The median hourly wage is $37.73. The middle half earn between $29.78 and $48.98 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in San Francisco, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.64 an hour ($49,180 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.78.

Do HVAC technicians make more in San Francisco or San Jose?

San Jose pays more: the median is $78,490 in San Francisco and $82,050 in San Jose, a 4% difference.

How does San Francisco pay compare with the rest of California?

The San Francisco median of $78,490 is 8% more than the California median of $72,560.

HVAC technician salary in San Francisco, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $78,490 a year, or $37.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $129,380 a year. Statewide, HVAC technicians earn a median of $72,560; San Francisco is 8% above it.

Median yearly pay$78,490

Bottom 10% under$49,180Top 10% over$129,380

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.64/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,980
After cost of living: $67,890
Median hourly pay: $37.73/hr
vs U.S. median: +29%
vs California median: +8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41860, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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	$49,180–$61,930$23.64–$29.78/hr
Experienced technician	$78,490$37.73/hr
Senior / top earners	$101,870–$129,380$48.98–$62.20/hr

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

How San Francisco, CA compares

San Francisco ranks 5th of 25 California metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the San Francisco area than nationally: 1.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.64 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $129,380, is 2.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,180: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in San Francisco, CA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in San Francisco, CA?: HVAC technicians in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $78,490 a year, or $37.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $129,380 a year.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in San Francisco, CA?: The median hourly wage is $37.73. The middle half earn between $29.78 and $48.98 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in San Francisco, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.64 an hour ($49,180 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.78.
Do HVAC technicians make more in San Francisco or San Jose?: San Jose pays more: the median is $78,490 in San Francisco and $82,050 in San Jose, a 4% difference.
How does San Francisco pay compare with the rest of California?: The San Francisco median of $78,490 is 8% 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 41860 (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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 (115.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures