How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Boulder, CO?

The median hourly wage is $34.17. The middle half earn between $28.81 and $43.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Boulder, CO?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.51 an hour ($48,900 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.81.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Boulder or Denver?

Denver pays more: the median is $71,080 in Boulder and $71,580 in Denver, a 1% difference.

How does Boulder pay compare with the rest of Colorado?

The Boulder median of $71,080 is 9% more than the Colorado median of $65,200.

HVAC technician salary in Boulder, CO

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Boulder, CO area earn a median of $71,080 a year, or $34.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $113,670 a year. Statewide, HVAC technicians earn a median of $65,200; Boulder is 9% above it.

Median yearly pay$71,080

Bottom 10% under$48,900Top 10% over$113,670

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.51/hr
Jobs in this area: 340
After cost of living: $67,570
Median hourly pay: $34.17/hr
vs U.S. median: +17%
vs Colorado median: +9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 14500, Boulder, CO). 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	$48,900–$59,920$23.51–$28.81/hr
Experienced technician	$71,080$34.17/hr
Senior / top earners	$89,500–$113,670$43.03–$54.65/hr

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

How Boulder, CO compares

Boulder ranks 2nd of 7 Colorado metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Boulder area than nationally: 1.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.67 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $113,670, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,900: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Colorado metro areas

Other trades in Boulder, CO

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Boulder, CO?: HVAC technicians in the Boulder, CO area earn a median of $71,080 a year, or $34.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $113,670 a year.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Boulder, CO?: The median hourly wage is $34.17. The middle half earn between $28.81 and $43.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Boulder, CO?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.51 an hour ($48,900 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.81.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Boulder or Denver?: Denver pays more: the median is $71,080 in Boulder and $71,580 in Denver, a 1% difference.
How does Boulder pay compare with the rest of Colorado?: The Boulder median of $71,080 is 9% more than the Colorado median of $65,200.

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 14500 (Boulder, CO). 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 (105.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures