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

The median hourly wage is $39.45. The middle half earn between $30.69 and $51.26 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.49 an hour ($57,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.69.

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.

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

The San Jose median of $82,050 is 13% more than the California median of $72,560.

HVAC technician salary in San Jose, CA

Updated September 26, 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.

Median yearly pay$82,050

Bottom 10% under$57,170Top 10% over$136,650

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%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41940, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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	$57,170–$63,820$27.49–$30.69/hr
Experienced technician	$82,050$39.45/hr
Senior / top earners	$106,630–$136,650$51.26–$65.70/hr

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

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.
The 90th-percentile wage, $136,650, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $57,170: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in San Jose, CA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in San Jose, CA?: 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.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in San Jose, CA?: The median hourly wage is $39.45. The middle half earn between $30.69 and $51.26 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in San Jose, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.49 an hour ($57,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.69.
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.
How does San Jose pay compare with the rest of California?: The San Jose median of $82,050 is 13% 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 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 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures