Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
SOC 49-9021 · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$78,478
$37.73/hr
28.6% higher than the US national median ($61,006)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Heating salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS September 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q3 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$49K
P25$62K
P50$78K
P75$102K
P90$129K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- manufacturing openings are at 4.4% (JOLTS, September 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q3 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $78,478 to $101,878 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Heating pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 2.0% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.1% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
Manufacturing is running a 4.4% job-openings rate with quits at 1.6% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.8% to 4.4% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.4 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Nov 3, 2026JOLTS September 2026: sector openings rose to 4.4% (up 54K), with durable goods at 4.9%. Quits held at 1.6% and layoffs stayed low at 0.8%.
Oct 30, 2026ECI Q3 2026: manufacturing wages rose 3.1% over the year, down from 3.3% in Q2.
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings eased to 4.0% (down 54K) after July's durable-goods jump, which held at 4.4% on revision. Quits rose to 1.6%, led by nondurable goods.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS September 2026, ECI Q3 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont is $78,478 per year ($37.73/hr). This is 28.6% higher than the national median of $61,006.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
Wage Percentiles: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · BLS metro data
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$23.64
$49,171
+22.8%
P25
$29.78
$61,942
+28.1%
P50MEDIAN
$37.73
$78,478
+28.6%
P75
$48.98
$101,878
+32.2%
P90Top earners
$62.20
$129,376
+35.9%
How San Francisco compares for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Computed from this metro's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in San Francisco sits above the national range at every level: +22.8% at entry, +28.6% at the median and +35.9% at the top. The gap is larger at the top than at entry.
An offer at the national median of $61,006 would sit at about the 24th percentile in San Francisco.
The top of the range earns 2.63 times the bottom here against 2.38 times nationally, so pay for this role varies more between entry and senior levels in San Francisco.
San Francisco employs 3,980 people in this role, 1.0% of the national total.
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P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Heating
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Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+8.1%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
40K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
425K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
9% from new growth91% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
The median (P50) annual salary for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont is approximately $78,478, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 28.6% higher than the national median of $61,006. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
