How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Lake Charles, LA?

The median hourly wage is $22.77. The middle half earn between $20.90 and $29.27 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Lake Charles, LA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.15 an hour ($37,740 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.90.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Lake Charles or New Orleans?

New Orleans pays more: the median is $47,360 in Lake Charles and $63,500 in New Orleans, a 25% difference.

How does Lake Charles pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?

The Lake Charles median of $47,360 is 19% less than the Louisiana median of $58,650.

HVAC technician salary in Lake Charles, LA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Lake Charles, LA area earn a median of $47,360 a year, or $22.77 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $69,090. That's 19% less than the Louisiana median of $58,650.

Median yearly pay$47,360

Bottom 10% under$37,740Top 10% over$69,090

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.15/hr
Jobs in this area: 220
After cost of living: $55,160
Median hourly pay: $22.77/hr
vs U.S. median: −22%
vs Louisiana median: −19%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29340, Lake Charles, LA). 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	$37,740–$43,470$18.15–$20.90/hr
Experienced technician	$47,360$22.77/hr
Senior / top earners	$60,870–$69,090$29.27–$33.22/hr

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

How Lake Charles, LA compares

Lake Charles ranks 9th of 10 Louisiana metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Lake Charles area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.84 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $69,090, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,740: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Other trades in Lake Charles, LA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Lake Charles, LA?: HVAC technicians in the Lake Charles, LA area earn a median of $47,360 a year, or $22.77 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $69,090.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Lake Charles, LA?: The median hourly wage is $22.77. The middle half earn between $20.90 and $29.27 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Lake Charles, LA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.15 an hour ($37,740 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.90.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Lake Charles or New Orleans?: New Orleans pays more: the median is $47,360 in Lake Charles and $63,500 in New Orleans, a 25% difference.
How does Lake Charles pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?: The Lake Charles median of $47,360 is 19% less than the Louisiana median of $58,650.

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 29340 (Lake Charles, LA). 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 (85.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures