How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Portland, OR-WA?

The median hourly wage is $31.38. The middle half earn between $28.93 and $39.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Portland, OR-WA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.39 an hour ($48,650 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.93.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Portland or Salem?

Pay is about the same: the median is $65,260 in Portland and $65,050 in Salem.

How does Portland pay compare with the rest of Oregon?

The Portland median of $65,260 is 4% more than the Oregon median of $62,940.

HVAC technician salary in Portland, OR-WA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR-WA area earn a median of $65,260 a year, or $31.38 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $98,810. Across all of Oregon, the median is $62,940, so Portland pays 4% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$65,260

Bottom 10% under$48,650Top 10% over$98,810

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.39/hr
Jobs in this area: 2,580
After cost of living: $61,900
Median hourly pay: $31.38/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs Oregon median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 38900, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA). 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	$48,650–$60,170$23.39–$28.93/hr
Experienced technician	$65,260$31.38/hr
Senior / top earners	$81,350–$98,810$39.11–$47.50/hr

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

How Portland, OR-WA compares

Portland has the highest HVAC technician median of the 8 Oregon metro areas with published pay.
HVAC technicians are less concentrated in the Portland area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.81 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $98,810, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,650: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Oregon metro areas

Other trades in Portland, OR-WA

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Portland, OR-WA?: HVAC technicians in the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR-WA area earn a median of $65,260 a year, or $31.38 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $98,810.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Portland, OR-WA?: The median hourly wage is $31.38. The middle half earn between $28.93 and $39.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Portland, OR-WA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.39 an hour ($48,650 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.93.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Portland or Salem?: Pay is about the same: the median is $65,260 in Portland and $65,050 in Salem.
How does Portland pay compare with the rest of Oregon?: The Portland median of $65,260 is 4% more than the Oregon median of $62,940.

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 38900 (Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA). 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 (105.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures