How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Athens, GA?

The median hourly wage is $23.50. The middle half earn between $19.55 and $29.08 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Athens, GA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.21 an hour ($35,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.55.

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.

How does Athens pay compare with the rest of Georgia?

The Athens median of $48,890 is 13% less than the Georgia median of $56,390.

HVAC technician salary in Athens, GA

Updated September 26, 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%

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.

Apprentice to senior HVAC technician pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice / entry level	$35,790–$40,670$17.21–$19.55/hr
Experienced technician	$48,890$23.50/hr
Senior / top earners	$60,490–$69,010$29.08–$33.18/hr

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

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.
The 90th-percentile wage, $69,010, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $35,790: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Athens, GA

Electrician Welder Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Athens, GA?: 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.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Athens, GA?: The median hourly wage is $23.50. The middle half earn between $19.55 and $29.08 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Athens, GA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.21 an hour ($35,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.55.
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.
How does Athens pay compare with the rest of Georgia?: The Athens median of $48,890 is 13% less than the Georgia median of $56,390.

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 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures