HVAC technician salary in Santa Maria, CA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
HVAC technicians in the Santa Maria–Santa Barbara, CA area earn a median of $78,640 a year, or $37.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $120,430 a year. Statewide, HVAC technicians earn a median of $72,560; Santa Maria is 8% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.34/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 260
- After cost of living
- $72,280
- Median hourly pay
- $37.81/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +29%
- vs California median
- +8%
Apprentice to senior HVAC technician pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $48,550–$62,520$23.34–$30.06/hr | |
| Experienced technician | $78,640$37.81/hr | |
| Senior / top earners | $95,310–$120,430$45.82–$57.90/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Santa Maria, CA compares
- Santa Maria ranks 4th of 25 California metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
- HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Santa Maria area than nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.50 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $120,430, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,550: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in Santa Maria, CA
Questions
- How much do HVAC technicians make in Santa Maria, CA?
- HVAC technicians in the Santa Maria–Santa Barbara, CA area earn a median of $78,640 a year, or $37.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $120,430 a year.
- How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Santa Maria, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $37.81. The middle half earn between $30.06 and $45.82 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Santa Maria, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.34 an hour ($48,550 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.06.
- Do HVAC technicians make more in Santa Maria or San Francisco?
- Pay is about the same: the median is $78,640 in Santa Maria and $78,490 in San Francisco.
- How does Santa Maria pay compare with the rest of California?
- The Santa Maria median of $78,640 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 42200 (Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 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 (108.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures