HVAC technician salary in San Jose, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
HVAC technicians in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA area earn a median of $82,050 a year, or $39.45 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $136,650. Across all of California, the median is $72,560, so San Jose pays 13% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $27.49/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,740
- After cost of living
- $74,310
- Median hourly pay
- $39.45/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +34%
- vs California median
- +13%
- Mean (average) pay
- $91,280 a year · $43.89 an hour
Pay by percentile
What HVAC technicians in San Jose, 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 | $27.49 | $57,170 |
| 25th percentile | $30.69 | $63,820 |
| Median (50th) | $39.45 | $82,050 |
| 75th percentile | $51.26 | $106,630 |
| 90th percentile | $65.70 | $136,650 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How San Jose, CA compares
- San Jose ranks 2nd of 25 California metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
- HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the San Jose area than nationally: 1.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.58 times the U.S. share.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in San Jose, CA
Questions
- Do HVAC technicians make more in San Jose or San Francisco?
- San Jose pays more: the median is $82,050 in San Jose and $78,490 in San Francisco, a 5% 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 41940 (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 (110.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures