HVAC technician salary in Denver, CO
HVAC technicians in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro earn a median $34.41 an hour ($71,580 a year), 10% above the Colorado median and 17% above the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $28.40–$43.46. Denver ranks the best-paid of Colorado's 7 metros and 51st of 385 US metros.
$34.41
Median hourly pay
10% above Colorado
$71,580
Median annual pay
$67,669 at US prices
1st of 7
Among Colorado metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in Denver, Colorado and the US
BLS counts 4,360 HVAC mechanics and installers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. The best-paid tenth earn at least 2.1 times what the lowest-paid tenth do ($50.43 against $23.56 an hour). The average, $35.72, sits above the median: a smaller group of high earners pulls it up. That is 2.7 per 1,000 jobs, close to the national share.
| Percentile | Denver | Colorado | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $23.56 | $23.18 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $28.40 | $27.91 | $23.25 |
| Median | $34.41 | $31.35 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $43.46 | $39.43 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $50.43 | $49.83 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where Denver ranks
At $34.41, Denver is the best-paid of Colorado's 7 metros and 51st of 385 US metros. Nearest in pay elsewhere in Colorado: Boulder ($34.17), Fort Collins-Loveland ($31.87) and Greeley ($29.82). Every metro, the licensing rules and the training path are on the Colorado HVAC technician salary page; to vet a contractor, see how to check an HVAC license in Colorado.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025; ranks by median hourly pay among metros with an estimate.
What an hour of HVAC work costs in Denver
A tech at the Denver median earns $34.41 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $133 here ($88–$176), 17% above the national $113, because local HVAC wages are that much higher.
Of each $133 billed, about $34 is the technician's wage and $99 covers the shop's overhead and margin, $9 more than across Colorado ($90).
Take a typical Denver AC repair at $440: about $285 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.1 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $74.
- AC repair cost in Denver: typical $440, of which $285 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in Denver: typical $400, of which $294 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in Denver: typical $460, of which $285 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in Denver: typical $190, of which $190 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in Denver.
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
Colorado's flat 4.25% income tax, after a $14,600 standard deduction, takes about $2,422 of the $71,580 median and leaves $69,158.
Prices in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial area run 6% above the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), which trims the median's buying power to about $67,669 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 Denver
Next to HVAC techs in Denver, electricians earn $4.05 less an hour and plumbers earn $3.69 less an hour. HVAC out-earns every other trade in the table. The median worker in Denver, across every occupation, earns $29.96 an hour, so HVAC pays 15% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (Denver) | $34.41 | — |
| Electricians | $30.36 | −$4.05 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $30.72 | −$3.69 |
| Sheet metal workers | $29.63 | −$4.78 |
| Home appliance repairers | $28.37 | −$6.04 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $25.21 | −$9.20 |
| All occupations | $29.96 | −$4.45 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in Denver?
A median $34.41 an hour, or $71,580 a year, across 4,360 jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $28.40–$43.46; the top tenth over $50.43.
Do HVAC techs earn more in Denver than elsewhere in Colorado?
Yes. The Denver median of $34.41 is 10% above the Colorado figure of $31.35, making it the best-paid of Colorado's 7 metros.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in Denver?
About $133 in our price model ($88–$176), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in Denver runs $440, $285 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in Denver compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn $4.05 less an hour and plumbers earn $3.69 less an hour than HVAC techs' $34.41 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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