HVAC technician salary in Austin, TX
HVAC technicians in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro earn a median $29.24 an hour ($60,820 a year), 5% above the Texas median and in line with the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $23.59–$35.97. Austin ranks the best-paid of Texas's 25 metros and 161st of 385 US metros.
$29.24
Median hourly pay
5% above Texas
$60,820
Median annual pay
$62,017 at US prices
1st of 25
Among Texas metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in Austin, Texas and the US
BLS counts 3,140 HVAC mechanics and installers in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area. The best-paid tenth earn at least 2.1 times what the lowest-paid tenth do ($44.32 against $21.17 an hour). The average, $30.74, sits above the median: a smaller group of high earners pulls it up. That is 2.4 per 1,000 jobs, close to the national share.
| Percentile | Austin | Texas | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $21.17 | $18.32 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $23.59 | $22.50 | $23.25 |
| Median | $29.24 | $27.77 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $35.97 | $33.59 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $44.32 | $39.36 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where Austin ranks
At $29.24, Austin is the best-paid of Texas's 25 metros and 161st of 385 US metros. Nearest in pay elsewhere in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($28.63), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($28.34) and San Antonio-New Braunfels ($28.17). Every metro, the licensing rules and the training path are on the Texas HVAC technician salary page; to vet a contractor, see how to check an HVAC license in Texas.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025; ranks by median hourly pay among metros with an estimate.
What an hour of HVAC work costs in Austin
A tech at the Austin median earns $29.24 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $113 here ($75–$150), at the national level, because local HVAC wages match the US median.
Of each $113 billed, about $29 is the technician's wage and $84 covers the shop's overhead and margin, $5 more than across Texas ($79).
Take a typical Austin AC repair at $390: about $245 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.2 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $63.
- AC repair cost in Austin: typical $390, of which $245 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in Austin: typical $350, of which $251 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in Austin: typical $410, of which $245 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in Austin: typical $160, of which $160 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in Austin.
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
Texas has no state income tax on wages, so the whole $60,820 median is still there before federal tax and FICA.
Prices in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area sit within 3% of the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), so the median buys about what it says: $62,017 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 Austin
Next to HVAC techs in Austin, electricians earn about the same and plumbers earn $0.96 more an hour. HVAC out-earns two of the five related trades listed. The median worker in Austin, across every occupation, earns $27.38 an hour, so HVAC pays 7% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (Austin) | $29.24 | — |
| Electricians | $29.03 | −$0.21 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $30.20 | +$0.96 |
| Sheet metal workers | $30.29 | +$1.05 |
| Home appliance repairers | $23.72 | −$5.52 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $23.43 | −$5.81 |
| All occupations | $27.38 | −$1.86 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in Austin?
A median $29.24 an hour, or $60,820 a year, across 3,140 jobs in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $23.59–$35.97; the top tenth over $44.32.
Do HVAC techs earn more in Austin than elsewhere in Texas?
Yes. The Austin median of $29.24 is 5% above the Texas figure of $27.77, making it the best-paid of Texas's 25 metros.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in Austin?
About $113 in our price model ($75–$150), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in Austin runs $390, $245 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in Austin compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn about the same and plumbers earn $0.96 more an hour than HVAC techs' $29.24 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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