The HVAC pay ladder in San Antonio
BLS OEWS May 2025 (annual), pulled live from the BLS API Aug 28, 2026.
5Verified from the board0Board page checked1Research-seeded, not yet verified
Read the amber rows as leads, not answers.
Newest check Aug 28, 2026 · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 ↗, Typical UA HVACR service schedule (not local-verified) ↗, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Air Conditioning and Refrigeration ↗
Re-checked every 6 h · full re-verify quarterly · Changes ↓
What does each rung pay in San Antonio?
BLS OEWS May 2025 pulled Aug 28, 2026 · Typical UA HVACR service schedule (not local-verified) · no employer-stated ranges yet (listings not live)
Helper
no license · 0–12 mo
$16–$20/hr
Apprentice
45–90% of scale · 4–5 yrs
$13–$25/hr
Journeyman
years 4–10 · median $28.17/hr
$25–$36/hr
Lead / foreman
47-1011 supervisors · median $35.35/hr
$32–$41/hr
Owner
computed from your inputs
—
ⓘ billed rate − burden − overhead: the calculator below
How long is each rung and what license gates it?
| Rung | Time in rung | Pay (BLS anchor) | Posted this month | Gate to enter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helper / installer assistant | 0–12 months | ≈ $37,960 (p10) | — | None — EPA 608 within 90 days is the norm |
| Apprentice | 10 periods, ~4–5 years | 45% → 90% of journeyman scale ≈ $12.68–$25.35/hr | — | — |
| Journeyman / technician | years 4–10 | $58,590 median ($28.17/hr); p75 $74,010 | — | — |
| Lead / foreman / master | years 8+ | $73,520 median (47-1011 first-line supervisors); HVAC technicians p90 $82,400 | — | — |
| Owner | whenever you choose | Computed below from your own inputs | — | contractor Class B (exam) |
What does the union apprentice schedule pay by period?
| Period | % of journeyman | ≈ hourly in San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Period 1 (0–1,000 hrs) | 45% | $12.68 |
| Period 2 (1,000–2,000 hrs) | 50% | $14.08 |
| Period 3 (2,000–3,000 hrs) | 55% | $15.49 |
| Period 4 (3,000–4,000 hrs) | 60% | $16.90 |
| Period 5 (4,000–5,000 hrs) | 65% | $18.31 |
| Period 6 (5,000–6,000 hrs) | 70% | $19.72 |
| Period 7 (6,000–7,000 hrs) | 75% | $21.13 |
| Period 8 (7,000–8,000 hrs) | 80% | $22.53 |
| Period 9 (8,000–9,000 hrs) | 85% | $23.94 |
| Period 10 (9,000–10,000 hrs) | 90% | $25.35 |
Union locals publish their own schedules in the collective-bargaining agreement; open-shop programs pay per employer. Reading the ~30 local CBA PDFs for these metros is the next data job — until then this is the typical shape, labeled as such.
How much does an HVAC business owner make in San Antonio?
Defaults: this metro's HVAC technician median ($28.17/hr) as the tech wage; HVAC shops typically bill $95–$190/hr. Edit anything.
Owner's pre-tax net (gross revenue − burdened labor − overhead)
$190,731/yr
- Gross revenue (labor only, no materials markup)
- $328,900
- Burdened cost per tech (1.25× base wage)
- $73,169/yr
- Labor for 1 tech truck
- $73,169
- Overhead
- $65,000
- Net margin
- 58.0%
- Off-season sensitivity (−25% billable hours)
- $143,048/yr
This is an owner-economics model, not a wage estimate: gross, pre-tax, before materials margin, and before the owner's own draw is separated from profit. Peak-season assumptions are yours to edit. Built on The Job Numbers' hourly-rate and labor-burden calculators.
Get on the ladder
Apprenticeship sponsors in San AntonioHelper and apprentice jobs this weekFull pay page
Questions people actually ask
How long from zero to journeyman HVAC technician in San Antonio?
Typically 4–5 years through a registered apprenticeship (10 pay periods), starting near 45% of journeyman scale — about $12.68/hr here against a $28.17/hr journeyman-equivalent median.
Why don't master electricians and plumbers show up as a separate wage?
Masters are mostly owners, supervisors and qualifiers, so they barely appear in job postings and OEWS folds them into the occupation's top percentiles. The p90 and the 47-1011 supervisor median are the honest proxies; the owner rung is a model, not a survey.
What does the owner rung actually mean?
Gross revenue (billed rate × billable hours) minus fully-burdened labor for your tech trucks minus overhead — pre-tax, before materials margin, with peak-season inputs you control. It is The Job Numbers' hourly-rate and labor-burden math applied to this metro's wage.