How Much Do HVAC Technicians Make in California?

The short version: an HVAC mechanic in the middle of the California pay scale earned $34.88 an hour in May 2025. That works out to a median of $72,560 a year, well above the national median of $61,010. But a technician in Napa and one in Fresno can do the same job for very different pay, so the metro you work in deserves as much thought as the school you pick.

All figures here come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, for the occupation “heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.”

California Pay From the Bottom to the Top

BLS reports wages at five points on the scale. Here is how California compares with the country as a whole:

The 10th percentile is the closest thing to a starting wage in this data. In California it was $46,950, and the 25th percentile was $58,280. At the other end, the 75th percentile was $90,780. The top tenth earned $109,060 or more, which is where you find senior service techs, commercial specialists and people running their own crews.

The mean, or average, was $75,370. It sits a bit above the median because a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.

The Bay Area and Wine Country Pay the Most

The highest medians in California are in the north coast and the Bay Area:

San Jose stands out twice. Its 10th percentile of $57,170 is the highest starting point in the state, and its 90th percentile of $136,650 is the highest ceiling. If you want to work in Silicon Valley, San Jose City College covers supermarket and ultra-low-temperature refrigeration, and Foothill College in Los Altos Hills trains HVAC only through five-year union apprenticeships that pay you while you learn. The San Jose schools page lists everything within reach.

In the East Bay, Laney College in Oakland has an 8,000-square-foot lab with a full commercial hydronic system, and offers degrees in commercial HVAC and building automation. That matters because large commercial buildings are a big part of Bay Area HVAC work.

Napa has the top median but only 70 HVAC jobs in the BLS count. A high median in a small market doesn’t mean many openings.

Southern California: Most of the Jobs, Middle-of-the-Pack Pay

Southern California employs far more HVAC mechanics than the Bay Area, at pay close to the state median:

• Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: median $73,830, with 10,720 employed, the largest HVAC workforce in the state.
• San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: median $74,880, with 3,210 employed.
• Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario: median $64,300, with 4,820 employed.
• Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura: median $69,710, with 750 employed.

The Inland Empire is worth a closer look. Its median is lower than the coast’s, but it has the second-largest HVAC workforce in California, and it is home to many training options. Riverside City College conferred 144 HVAC awards in 2024-25, and UEI College-Riverside conferred 460, the most of any California campus. You can compare them on the Riverside schools page.

In San Diego, San Diego City College offers a stack of awards, from an 11-unit basic refrigeration certificate up to associate degrees in HVAC/R installation and project development, with an emphasis on energy efficiency. See the San Diego schools page for nearby options.

In Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College covers residential, commercial and industrial systems and offers optional NATE and EPA 608 test preparation.

The Central Valley and North State

Inland California pays less than the coast, with one exception:

Stockton is the outlier, with a median higher than Los Angeles. Sacramento has the most jobs in this group. Sacramento City College runs day and evening sections, and its labs include a water-cooled chiller, cooling towers and several building control systems. In Fresno, Fresno City College builds EPA 608 certification into its core sequence.

Smaller Metros Along the Coast and Border

Some of California’s smaller labor markets pay close to, or above, the state median. They have fewer jobs, but also fewer technicians competing for them.

• El Centro: median $75,220, with 120 employed. Imperial Valley College offers an associate degree and a certificate in air conditioning and refrigeration technology, and its in-state tuition and fees were $1,148 for 2024-25.
• San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles: median $75,160, with 200 employed.
• Salinas: median $72,550, with 300 employed. Gavilan College in Gilroy runs a 24-unit certificate that covers heat pumps, commercial refrigeration and ice machines.
• Vallejo: median $67,950, with 490 employed.
• Yuba City: median $62,850, with 90 employed. Butte College in Oroville, the closest large program to the north valley, stacks NCCER-based Level I to IV credentials into residential, commercial and associate-degree awards.

If you already live in one of these areas, training close to home and working locally can make more sense than moving for a slightly higher median. El Centro’s median is actually a little higher than San Diego’s.

What Moves You Up the Pay Scale

The spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles tells you there is a lot of room to grow. A few things put you in a better position:

1. EPA 608 certification. You need it to buy and handle refrigerant, and many California programs build it in. UEI College and American College of Healthcare and Technology require students to pass it to graduate. The EPA 608 certification guide explains the exam.
2. Commercial and refrigeration skills. Supermarket, cold storage and large-building work is a specialty many residential techs never learn. See where to train for commercial refrigeration in California.
3. Controls and building automation. Cypress College, Laney College and Riverside City College each offer a separate award in building automation or automated building controls.
4. Location. Moving from a Central Valley metro to the Bay Area can mean a higher median, and San Jose has both the highest floor and the highest ceiling in the state.

Is the Training Cost Worth It?

That depends on what you pay. A California resident can take a full year at a community college for $1,124 to $1,696 in tuition and fees (2024-25), which is small next to even the 10th percentile wage. Private programs charge $10,388 to $26,444 for the whole program, which takes longer to earn back but gets you into the field faster, often in 6 to 11 months.

There is also a path that pays from day one. Foothill College’s apprenticeship degrees combine paid on-the-job training with college coursework, and enrollment is limited to apprentices registered with the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards. The HVAC apprenticeship guide explains how registered apprenticeships work. The California HVAC school cost guide breaks down prices school by school.

For a national picture, see the HVAC technician salary guide, and to explore every California program, start at the California HVAC schools page.

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