HVAC technician salary in Los Angeles, CA
HVAC technicians in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro earn a median $35.49 an hour ($73,830 a year), 2% above the California median and 21% above the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $27.99–$40.14. Los Angeles ranks 11th of 25 metros in California and 40th of 385 US metros.
$35.49
Median hourly pay
2% above California
$73,830
Median annual pay
$65,008 at US prices
11th of 25
Among California metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in Los Angeles, California and the US
BLS counts 10,720 HVAC mechanics and installers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area. The best-paid tenth earn at least 2.3 times what the lowest-paid tenth do ($52.41 against $22.40 an hour). The average, $35.88, is close to the median, so a few high earners don't skew the picture. HVAC techs are a thinner slice of the workforce here: 1.7 per 1,000 jobs, 35% under the national share.
| Percentile | Los Angeles | California | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $22.40 | $22.57 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $27.99 | $28.02 | $23.25 |
| Median | $35.49 | $34.88 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $40.14 | $43.65 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $52.41 | $52.44 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where Los Angeles ranks
At $35.49, Los Angeles is 11th of 25 metros in California and 40th of 385 US metros. Nearest in pay elsewhere in California: San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles ($36.14), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad ($36.00) and Salinas ($34.88). Every metro, the licensing rules and the training path are on the California HVAC technician salary page; to vet a contractor, see how to check an HVAC license in California.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025; ranks by median hourly pay among metros with an estimate.
What an hour of HVAC work costs in Los Angeles
A tech at the Los Angeles median earns $35.49 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $137 here ($91–$182), 21% above the national $113, because local HVAC wages are that much higher.
Of each $137 billed, about $35 is the technician's wage and $102 covers the shop's overhead and margin, $2 more than across California ($99).
Take a typical Los Angeles AC repair at $460: about $296 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.2 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $77.
- AC repair cost in Los Angeles: typical $460, of which $296 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in Los Angeles: typical $420, of which $307 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in Los Angeles: typical $480, of which $295 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in Los Angeles: typical $190, of which $190 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in Los Angeles.
Source: wages, BLS OEWS May 2025; billable rate, HomeGuide HVAC repair costs (2026) scaled by local HVAC wages; repair prices, HVACFIND Price Index 2026Q4.2 (model estimates for a 1,500–2,500 sq ft home).
Take-home and cost of living
California's graduated income tax (top rate 12.3%) takes about $2,923 of the $73,830 median, leaving $70,907, or 96% of gross.
Prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area run 14% above the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), which trims the median's buying power to about $65,008 in national terms.
Source: state income tax at 2026 rates, single filer, standard deduction; federal income tax, FICA and city taxes left out. Price parities: BEA, 2024.
Other trades in Los Angeles
Next to HVAC techs in Los Angeles, electricians earn about the same and plumbers earn $1.30 less an hour. HVAC out-earns four of the five related trades listed. The median worker in Los Angeles, across every occupation, earns $26.85 an hour, so HVAC pays 32% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (Los Angeles) | $35.49 | — |
| Electricians | $35.49 | same |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $34.19 | −$1.30 |
| Sheet metal workers | $34.96 | −$0.53 |
| Home appliance repairers | $29.40 | −$6.09 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $27.17 | −$8.32 |
| All occupations | $26.85 | −$8.64 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in Los Angeles?
A median $35.49 an hour, or $73,830 a year, across 10,720 jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $27.99–$40.14; the top tenth over $52.41.
Do HVAC techs earn more in Los Angeles than elsewhere in California?
Yes. The Los Angeles median of $35.49 is 2% above the California figure of $34.88, making it 11th of 25 metros in California.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in Los Angeles?
About $137 in our price model ($91–$182), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in Los Angeles runs $460, $296 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in Los Angeles compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn about the same and plumbers earn $1.30 less an hour than HVAC techs' $35.49 median.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: HVAC mechanics and installers (49-9021)
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035
- O*NET 31.0: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- EPA Section 608 technician certification
- HomeGuide: HVAC repair cost and hourly rates (2026)
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