How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Charlottesville, VA?

The median hourly wage is $28.63. The middle half earn between $23.57 and $31.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Charlottesville, VA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.73 an hour ($43,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.57.

Do HVAC technicians make more in Charlottesville or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $59,540 in Charlottesville and $71,920 in Washington, a 17% difference.

How does Charlottesville pay compare with the rest of Virginia?

The Charlottesville median of $59,540 is about the same as the Virginia median of $59,730.

HVAC technician salary in Charlottesville, VA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

HVAC technicians in the Charlottesville, VA area earn a median of $59,540 a year, or $28.63 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $76,860. Across all of Virginia, the median is $59,730, so Charlottesville pays about the same as the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,540

Bottom 10% under$43,110Top 10% over$76,860

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.73/hr
Jobs in this area: 420
After cost of living: $60,050
Median hourly pay: $28.63/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs Virginia median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16820, Charlottesville, VA). 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	$43,110–$49,020$20.73–$23.57/hr
Experienced technician	$59,540$28.63/hr
Senior / top earners	$66,410–$76,860$31.93–$36.95/hr

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

How Charlottesville, VA compares

Charlottesville ranks 4th of 11 Virginia metro areas for HVAC technician pay.
HVAC technicians are more concentrated in the Charlottesville area than nationally: 3.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $76,860, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,110: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Charlottesville, VA

Electrician Welder Plumber

Questions

How much do HVAC technicians make in Charlottesville, VA?: HVAC technicians in the Charlottesville, VA area earn a median of $59,540 a year, or $28.63 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $76,860.
How much do HVAC technicians make an hour in Charlottesville, VA?: The median hourly wage is $28.63. The middle half earn between $23.57 and $31.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice HVAC technicians make in Charlottesville, VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.73 an hour ($43,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.57.
Do HVAC technicians make more in Charlottesville or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $59,540 in Charlottesville and $71,920 in Washington, a 17% difference.
How does Charlottesville pay compare with the rest of Virginia?: The Charlottesville median of $59,540 is about the same as the Virginia median of $59,730.

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 16820 (Charlottesville, VA). 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 (99.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures