TradeSalary

HVAC technician salary in Athens, GA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Athens–Clarke County, GA area earn a median of $48,890 a year, or $23.50 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $69,010 a year. Statewide, HVAC technicians earn a median of $56,390; Athens is 13% below it.

Median yearly pay$48,890
Bottom 10% under$35,790Top 10% over$69,010
Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
$17.21/hr
Jobs in this area
240
After cost of living
$52,380
Median hourly pay
$23.50/hr
vs U.S. median
−20%
vs Georgia median
−13%
Mean (average) pay
$50,880 a year · $24.46 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 12020, Athens-Clarke County, GA). 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.

Pay by percentile

What HVAC technicians in Athens, GA 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.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$17.21$35,790
25th percentile$19.55$40,670
Median (50th)$23.50$48,890
75th percentile$29.08$60,490
90th percentile$33.18$69,010

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Athens, GA compares

  • Athens ranks 11th of 15 Georgia metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
  • HVAC technicians hold about the same share of jobs in the Athens area as nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Athens, GA

Questions

Do HVAC technicians make more in Athens or Atlanta?
Atlanta pays more: the median is $48,890 in Athens and $58,970 in Atlanta, a 17% 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 12020 (Athens-Clarke County, GA). 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 (93.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures