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Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

SOC 49-9021 · 2024-2034

Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.

How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.

What California expects of this job

Typical pay in California

$74,612per year

Projected openings

37,750

Projected change

+12.8%

Usually needs

Postsecondary non-degree award

Skills this work uses most

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.

1. Operations Monitoring
2. Critical Thinking
3. Troubleshooting
4. Installation
5. Repairing
6. Reading Comprehension

Pay by region

What the pay actually ranges across

The lowest-paid tenth earn under

$48,278

A quarter earn under

$59,928

Half earn under

$74,612

Three quarters earn under

$93,347

The highest-paid tenth earn over

$112,144

A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.

Similar work

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.

Programs that train for this job — 42

• Air Conditioning Technician Trainee

  West Valley Occupational Center - LAUSD · Woodland Hills · $2,672

  Working 6 months later

  27%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $15,557

• HVAC/R Technology

  Brownson Technical School · Anaheim · $18,895

  Working 6 months later

  81%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $13,000

• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Unilateral Apprenticeship Program

  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Unilateral Apprentice · Livermore · $0

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Electricity and Control Technology

  North American Training Center · Redlands · $16,650

  Working 6 months later

  88%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Refrigeration Technician

  Richard N. Slawson Occupational Center - LAUSD · Bell · $3,288

  Working 6 months later

  49%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $16,200

• HVAC Technician

  Richard N. Slawson Occupational Center - LAUSD · Bell · $4,338

  Working 6 months later

  65%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $15,557

• Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

  Bassett Adult School · La Puente · $4,350

  Working 6 months later

  68%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $4,041

• Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Certificate of Accomplishment

  City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $695

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

  Mayfield College, Inc. · Cathedral City · $17,850

  Working 6 months later

  89%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• HVAC-R Technician (Blended)

  National Polytechnic College · Lakewood · $22,423

  Working 6 months later

  62%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $10,694

• Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

  Baldwin Park Adult and Community Education · Baldwin Park · $2,490

  Working 6 months later

  72%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• HVAC/R Technician (online)

  California State University San Marcos Extended Learning · San Marcos · $3,185

  Working 6 months later

  67%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• HVAC/R Technician (Voucher Included)

  Loyola Marymount University - LMU Extension · Los Angeles · $3,946

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Facilities Maintenance HVAC Course 1 Hybrid

  DeHart Technical School · Modesto · $12,443

  Working 6 months later

  85%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $10,660

• HVAC/R Facilities Maintenance Course 3 Hybrid

  DeHart Technical School · Modesto · $21,177

  Working 6 months later

  78%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $10,400

• HVAC/R Facilities Maintenance Course 3

  DeHart Technical School · Modesto · $21,177

  Working 6 months later

  71%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $10,400

• Facilities Maintenance HVAC Course 1

  DeHart Technical School · Modesto · $12,443

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Inland Refrigeration JATC

  Inland Refrigeration JATC · Colton · $0

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• HVAC/R Technician

  Chico State Professional & Continuing Education · Chico · $4,985

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIG. JJATC

  Air Conditioning & Refrig. Jjatc · Los Angeles · $0

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Air Conditioning Technician Trainee

  Abram Friedman Occupational Center-LAUSD · Los Angeles · $4,785

  Working 6 months later

  86%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $15,557

• Heat Pumps Certificate (Credit)

  College of the Desert · Palm Desert · $1,144

  Working 6 months later

  4%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

  Outcomes cover more than this program The provider filed these figures against more than the program named — several of its programs, or the whole institution. They are shown because they are real, and nothing here ranks or rates them, because they do not describe this program.

• Facilities Operations Technician (Credit)

  College of the Desert · Palm Desert · $1,876

  Working 6 months later

  4%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

  Outcomes cover more than this program The provider filed these figures against more than the program named — several of its programs, or the whole institution. They are shown because they are real, and nothing here ranks or rates them, because they do not describe this program.

• Green HVAC Residential Certificate (Credit)

  College of the Desert · Palm Desert · $1,479

  Working 6 months later

  4%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

  Outcomes cover more than this program The provider filed these figures against more than the program named — several of its programs, or the whole institution. They are shown because they are real, and nothing here ranks or rates them, because they do not describe this program.

• Commercial Gas Heating Certificate (Credit)

  College of the Desert · Palm Desert · $894

  Working 6 months later

  4%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

  Outcomes cover more than this program The provider filed these figures against more than the program named — several of its programs, or the whole institution. They are shown because they are real, and nothing here ranks or rates them, because they do not describe this program.

• Commercial Refrigeration, Heating & Air Conditioning

  Institute for Business and Technology · San Jose · $18,700

  Working 6 months later

  64%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $14,950

• HVAC Technician

  Merced College · Merced · $1,541

  Working 6 months later

  100%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• HVAC/R Technician (Voucher Included)

  SDSU Global Campus · San Diego · $3,472

  Working 6 months later

  81%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $15,125

• Aire Rite Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Inc.

  Aire Rite Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Inc. · Huntington Beach · $0

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning-HVAC

  Hacienda La Puente Adult Education · La Puente · $2,026

  Working 6 months later

  62%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $15,626

• Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Training

  Tri-Community Adult Education · Covina · $595

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• HVAC/R Technician Trainee

  Harbor Occupational Center - LAUSD · San Pedro · $2,547

  Working 6 months later

  53%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $13,234

• Refrigeration Technician Trainee

  Harbor Occupational Center - LAUSD · San Pedro · $2,422

  Working 6 months later

  54%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $13,806

• Master Mechanic Technician Trainee

  Harbor Occupational Center - LAUSD · San Pedro · $10,000

  Working 6 months later

  45%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $11,939

• Air Conditioning Technician Trainee

  Harbor Occupational Center - LAUSD · San Pedro · $2,575

  Working 6 months later

  49%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $15,557

• HVAC & Refrigeration

  San Bernardino Valley College · San Bernardino · $4,141

  Working 6 months later

  Not reported

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• HVACR Technician

  American College of Healthcare and Technology · Riverside · $12,995

  Working 6 months later

  64%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  Not reported

• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (Hybrid)

  United Education Institute dba UEI College · Huntington Park · $21,500

  Working 6 months later

  56%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $10,400

  Outcomes cover more than this program The provider filed these figures against more than the program named — several of its programs, or the whole institution. They are shown because they are real, and nothing here ranks or rates them, because they do not describe this program.

• Commercial Refrigeration, Heating & Air Conditioning

  National Career Education (NCE) · Citrus Heights · $16,585

  Working 6 months later

  67%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $8,840

• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

  Institute of Technology · Clovis · $21,410

  Working 6 months later

  79%

  Earnings in one quarter after

  $10,460