HVAC technician salary in San Francisco, CA
HVAC technicians in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro earn a median $37.73 an hour ($78,490 a year), 8% above the California median and 29% above the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $29.78–$48.98. San Francisco ranks 5th of 25 metros in California and 10th of 385 US metros, in the top tenth.
$37.73
Median hourly pay
8% above California
$78,490
Median annual pay
$67,892 at US prices
5th of 25
Among California metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in San Francisco, California and the US
BLS counts 3,980 HVAC mechanics and installers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. Pay is spread wide: the best-paid tenth earn at least 2.6 times what the lowest-paid tenth do ($62.20 against $23.64 an hour). The average, $41.61, sits above the median: a smaller group of high earners pulls it up. HVAC techs are a thinner slice of the workforce here: 1.7 per 1,000 jobs, 36% under the national share.
| Percentile | San Francisco | California | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $23.64 | $22.57 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $29.78 | $28.02 | $23.25 |
| Median | $37.73 | $34.88 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $48.98 | $43.65 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $62.20 | $52.44 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where San Francisco ranks
At $37.73, San Francisco is 5th of 25 metros in California and 10th of 385 US metros, in the top tenth. Nearest in pay elsewhere in California: Santa Rosa-Petaluma ($38.23), Santa Maria-Santa Barbara ($37.81) and Santa Cruz-Watsonville ($37.66). 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 San Francisco
A tech at the San Francisco median earns $37.73 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $145 here ($96–$193), 29% above the national $113, because local HVAC wages are that much higher.
Of each $145 billed, about $38 is the technician's wage and $107 covers the shop's overhead and margin, $8 more than across California ($99).
Take a typical San Francisco AC repair at $480: about $313 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.2 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $81.
- AC repair cost in San Francisco: typical $480, of which $313 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in San Francisco: typical $440, of which $325 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in San Francisco: typical $500, of which $312 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in San Francisco: typical $210, of which $210 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in San Francisco.
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 $3,327 of the $78,490 median, leaving $75,163, or 96% of gross.
Prices in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont area run 16% above the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), which trims the median's buying power to about $67,892 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 San Francisco
Next to HVAC techs in San Francisco, electricians earn $6.90 more an hour and plumbers earn $0.29 less an hour. HVAC out-earns three of the five related trades listed. The median worker in San Francisco, across every occupation, earns $35.70 an hour, so HVAC pays 6% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (San Francisco) | $37.73 | — |
| Electricians | $44.63 | +$6.90 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $37.44 | −$0.29 |
| Sheet metal workers | $49.35 | +$11.62 |
| Home appliance repairers | $30.87 | −$6.86 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $30.59 | −$7.14 |
| All occupations | $35.70 | −$2.03 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in San Francisco?
A median $37.73 an hour, or $78,490 a year, across 3,980 jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $29.78–$48.98; the top tenth over $62.20.
Do HVAC techs earn more in San Francisco than elsewhere in California?
Yes. The San Francisco median of $37.73 is 8% above the California figure of $34.88, making it 5th of 25 metros in California.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in San Francisco?
About $145 in our price model ($96–$193), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in San Francisco runs $480, $313 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in San Francisco compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn $6.90 more an hour and plumbers earn $0.29 less an hour than HVAC techs' $37.73 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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