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HVAC Technician shortage in California: the licensed-supply numbers
What the California register actually shows, by tier and per capita, updated nightly.
As of 2026-08-09, California carries 10,416 licensed HVAC technicians
on its state register, or 26.7 per 100,000 residents.
10,416
licensed HVAC technicians
26.7
per 100k residents
#27
density rank of 32
Against comparable states
States nearest California on licensed HVAC technicians per capita.
State
Licensed HVAC technicians
Per 100k
California
10,416
26.7
Ohio
4,206
35.7
Mississippi
933
31.7
Wyoming
173
29.6
Tennessee
1,618
22.7
Maine
257
18.4
Washington
825
10.6
Counts, not a capacity opinion. We publish the licensed supply and the pipeline
ratio; whether a market can absorb a given project is a judgement for the reader, not a claim we make.
Frequently asked
Is there a HVAC shortage in California?
Reporting on the shortage rarely states how many are actually licensed. California carries 10,416 licensed HVAC technicians on its register as of 2026-08-09, or 26.7 per 100,000 residents. Readers can weigh that supply against demand directly.
How many licensed HVAC technicians does California have?
10,416 on the state register as of 2026-08-09.
Where does the shortage narrative come from?
Industry analyses project national shortfalls of hundreds of thousands of skilled-trades workers against data-center and electrification demand. Those are demand-side estimates; the figure here is the licensed supply on the register today.
New licenses, ladder upgrades, classification changes and lapses, by market and credential tier. Read the quarterly free, or license the underlying data.