HVAC & Pipefitter Salary in San Diego
Metro area wage data from the BLS OEWS program (May 2025), with Davis-Bacon journey-level scale from UA Local 230, effective September 2025.
The federal wage data on this page covers heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, work that is largely service, maintenance, and residential installation. The union scale shown is journeyman pipefitter, which covers refrigerant, chilled water, and hydronic piping on commercial construction and falls under a different federal occupation code than the wage data above. Duct fabrication and installation is sheet metal work, represented by a separate union called SMART (the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers), and is not reflected in either figure.
How to become an HVAC technician or pipefitter →Figures come from public sources and may not match the current contract; confirm with the local before making decisions.
UA Local 230 is the union local for pipefitters in San Diego, under the same Southern California Pipe Trades District Council No. 16 master agreement as Los Angeles, so the commercial pipefitter rate is identical in both markets. Plumber and pipefitter classifications share an identical rate under this agreement, and California's prevailing wage law applies to public projects. Union apprentices train at the Union Pipe Trades Training Center in Santee.
UA Local 230 journeyman pipefitter Journey-Level Rate
Union scale reflects the UA Local 230 journeyman pipefitter journey-level rate from the applicable Davis-Bacon wage determination. The BLS area median reflects all HVAC and refrigeration mechanics across all employment types and experience levels.
| Training Center | Union Pipe Trades Training Center |
| Address | 8616 Cuyamaca St, Santee, CA 92071 |
| Phone | (619) 262-7589 |
| Website | ualocal230.org |
| Minimum Score | Not published |
Applying to UA Local 230?
Check with UA Local 230 for its current application requirements, including any aptitude test.
What to expect →All HVAC and refrigeration mechanics, union and non-union, all experience levels
All HVAC and refrigeration mechanics, union and non-union, all experience levels. Wage figures only, employer-paid benefits, pension contributions, and health and welfare are not included.
| Annual Median Wage | $74,880 |
| Annual Mean Wage | $75,960 |
| Hourly Median Wage | $36.00 |
| Hourly Mean Wage | $36.52 |
| Total Employed | 3,210 |
| Area Type | Metropolitan Area |
- Visit site
[CALPIA] Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD)
San Diego
- Visit site
Able-Disabled YB (Able2Work)
San Diego
- Visit site
San Diego CC Continuing Ed
San Diego
Up to six other metros in California, nearest first, then metros in other states within 300 miles. Journey-level rates are sourced from Davis-Bacon wage determinations, state prevailing wage determinations, or, where a local publishes one directly, its own collective bargaining agreement.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 49-9021). How we build these figures →