HVAC technician salary in Charleston, SC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
HVAC technicians in the Charleston–North Charleston, SC area earn a median of $58,410 a year, or $28.08 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $77,060. Across all of South Carolina, the median is $56,610, so Charleston pays 3% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.37/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,270
- After cost of living
- $57,850
- Median hourly pay
- $28.08/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −4%
- vs South Carolina median
- +3%
- Mean (average) pay
- $58,470 a year · $28.11 an hour
Pay by percentile
What HVAC technicians in Charleston, SC 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 | $19.37 | $40,280 |
| 25th percentile | $22.59 | $46,990 |
| Median (50th) | $28.08 | $58,410 |
| 75th percentile | $31.27 | $65,040 |
| 90th percentile | $37.05 | $77,060 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Charleston, SC compares
- Charleston ranks 4th of 10 South Carolina metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
- HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Charleston area than nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
Other South Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Charleston, SC
Questions
- Do HVAC technicians make more in Charleston or Charlotte?
- Charlotte pays more: the median is $58,410 in Charleston and $59,840 in Charlotte, a 2% difference.
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 16700 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC). 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 (101.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures