HVAC technician salary in South Carolina
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
HVAC technicians in South Carolina earn a median of $56,610 a year, or $27.22 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $75,530 a year. Nationally the median is $61,010, so South Carolina pays 7% less than the U.S. overall and ranks 42nd of 51.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.83/hr
- Jobs in South Carolina
- 6,920
- After cost of living
- $60,380
- Median hourly pay
- $27.22/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −7%
- Rank among states
- 42nd of 51
- Mean (average) pay
- $56,460 a year · $27.14 an hour
Pay by percentile
What HVAC technicians in South Carolina 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.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.83 | $39,170 |
| 25th percentile | $22.39 | $46,560 |
| Median (50th) | $27.22 | $56,610 |
| 75th percentile | $30.28 | $62,990 |
| 90th percentile | $36.31 | $75,530 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
Pay over time
The median HVAC technician wage in South Carolina rose 31.4%, from $43,090 in May 2021 to $56,610 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 10%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $43,090 | $20.72/hr |
| May 2022 | $46,490 | $22.35/hr |
| May 2023 | $49,930 | $24.00/hr |
| May 2024 | $55,260 | $26.57/hr |
| May 2025 | $56,610 | $27.22/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How South Carolina compares
- HVAC technicians are more concentrated in South Carolina than nationally: 3.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
Pay by metro area
Rural South Carolina
- Southern South Carolina$56,500
- Northwestern South Carolina$50,620
- Northeastern South Carolina$49,610
Other trades in South Carolina
Bidding federal work? Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates in South Carolina list what contractors must pay HVAC technicians on federal and federally assisted jobs, county by county.
Questions
- Where in South Carolina do HVAC technicians earn the most?
- Among South Carolina metro areas, Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia has the highest median at $59,840 a year, and Augusta–Richmond County the lowest at $48,900.
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 45. 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 (93.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures