HVAC Technician Salary in Colorado (2026)
The average HVAC Technician in Colorado earns around $66,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $53,015/year ($4,418/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $53,015 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $4,418 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,039 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $25/hr |
Federal Tax | $5,740 |
State Tax | $2,196 |
FICA Taxes | $5,049 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 19.67% |
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Working overtime? The 2025 OBBBA deduction may save you up to $12,500 on federal tax. Open the No Tax on Overtime calculator →
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HVAC Technician Salary Ranges in Colorado
Not all HVAC Technicians earn the same — not even close
Colorado's HVAC technician market is anchored by UA Local 3 Denver (~2,500 active members covering Front Range metro HVAC + pipefitter + steamfitter combined apprenticeship), plus regional UA Locals in Colorado Springs + Pueblo. Major work concentrates at the Front Range data center cluster (Denver + Aurora + Colorado Springs hosting Microsoft + Google + AWS + smaller hyperscale builds), UCHealth Anschutz hospital expansion, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Sunnyvale CO operations, plus the substantial Denver + Boulder commercial high-rise market. The 2025 OT deduction applies through 2028.
UA Senior HVAC Foreman / Master
$108,000–$165,000 w/OT
UA Local 3 senior HVAC journeyman · supervision + project lead · data center + healthcare premium
Data Center HVAC Specialist
$118,000–$180,000 w/OT
Front Range data center cluster · altitude-specific cooling calculations · 24/7 on-call premium
UA HVAC Journeyman (Healthcare)
$95,000–$138,000 w/OT
UCHealth Anschutz + Children's Colorado + HealthONE Swedish · ASHRAE 170 medical-air specialty
UA HVAC Journeyman (Commercial)
$88,000–$128,000 w/OT
Denver downtown high-rise · Tech Center + Cherry Creek office · DIA airport expansion
UA HVAC Journeyman (Industrial)
$92,000–$140,000 w/OT
Lockheed Martin Space Sunnyvale CO · Ball Aerospace · cleared work premium · aerospace facility
UA HVAC Journeyman (Altitude Specialty)
$95,000–$140,000 w/OT
Boulder + Estes Park + ski resort HVAC · altitude-derated equipment specialty · CO-distinctive niche
Residential HVAC Technician (Senior)
$78,000–$115,000 w/OT
Suburban Denver service · Applewood Plumbing + Heating · heat-pump conversion + Mile-High
HVAC Project Manager
$95,000–$165,000
Commercial mechanical contractor PM · MTech Mechanical · CFM Mechanical · senior project lead
UA HVAC Apprentice (Year 4)
$58,000–$78,000
Pre-journeyman final year · UA Local 3 apprenticeship · ASHRAE certification track
UA HVAC Apprentice (Year 1)
$38,000–$54,000
First-year apprentice · 50% of journeyman scale · 5-year UA HVAC + pipefitter program
Worth knowing: Colorado's altitude HVAC specialty is the distinguishing feature most national HVAC-trade surveys understate. Denver's 5,280' elevation (the Mile High City) plus Front Range suburbs at 5,000-6,000' plus ski resort installations at 9,000-12,000' all require altitude-derated HVAC equipment calculations and specialty knowledge. Boilers, gas furnaces, and air conditioners all perform differently at altitude — senior HVAC techs with altitude experience command 8-15% wage premium over peer-state journeymen. The Front Range data center cluster (Microsoft Sherman + Castle Rock, Google Pueblo, AWS expanding) drives substantial mission-critical cooling work — data centers at 5,000-6,000' elevation present unique cooling-system performance challenges that drive specialty premium. The 2025 No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies through 2028 — at $20K OT premium produces ~$4,400 federal + potential ~$850 CO savings = ~$5,250 cumulative. CO's 4.25% flat tax (post-HB22-1015 phase-down) plus TABOR refunds returning $400-1,200 in good years plus 0.55% effective property tax (third-lowest in US per Prop 117 cap) creates an unusually favorable trade-worker tax structure — substantially better than peer-state IL or NM.
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More on Colorado
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Colorado in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Colorado in 2026.
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