How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Columbus, GA-AL?

The median hourly wage is $22.49. The middle half earn between $17.92 and $28.21 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Columbus, GA-AL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.19 an hour ($33,680 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.92.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Columbus or Atlanta?

Atlanta pays more: the median is $46,780 in Columbus and $58,970 in Atlanta, a 21% difference.

How does Columbus pay compare with the rest of Georgia?

The Columbus median of $46,780 is 17% less than the Georgia median of $56,390.

HVAC technician salary in Columbus, GA-AL

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Columbus, GA-AL area earn a median of $46,780 a year, or $22.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,180. That's 17% less than the Georgia median of $56,390.

Median yearly pay$46,780

Bottom 10% under$33,680Top 10% over$66,180

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $16.19/hr
Jobs in this area: 330
After cost of living: $52,390
Median hourly pay: $22.49/hr
vs U.S. median: −23%
vs Georgia median: −17%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17980, Columbus, GA-AL). 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	$33,680–$37,270$16.19–$17.92/hr
Experienced technician	$46,780$22.49/hr
Senior / top earners	$58,670–$66,180$28.21–$31.82/hr

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

How Columbus, GA-AL compares

Columbus has the lowest HVAC technician median of the 15 Georgia metro areas with published pay.
HVAC technicians hold about the same share of jobs in the Columbus area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,180, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $33,680: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Columbus, GA-AL

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Columbus, GA-AL?: HVAC technicians in the Columbus, GA-AL area earn a median of $46,780 a year, or $22.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,180.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Columbus, GA-AL?: The median hourly wage is $22.49. The middle half earn between $17.92 and $28.21 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Columbus, GA-AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.19 an hour ($33,680 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.92.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Columbus or Atlanta?: Atlanta pays more: the median is $46,780 in Columbus and $58,970 in Atlanta, a 21% difference.
How does Columbus pay compare with the rest of Georgia?: The Columbus median of $46,780 is 17% 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 17980 (Columbus, GA-AL). 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 (89.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures