Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders Salary
Production Occupations · 6.9K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$41,330
Median hourly
$20
Average annual
$44,940
Typical range
$33,430–$62,340
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders is $41,330 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $20 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Operate or tend equipment such as cooling and freezing units, refrigerators, batch freezers, and freezing tunnels, to cool or freeze products, food, blood plasma, and chemicals..
Most earn between $33,430 and $62,340 a year. There are roughly 6.9K people employed as cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders.
- Hourly
- $19.87
- Daily
- $159
- Weekly
- $795
- Bi-weekly
- $1,590
- Monthly
- $3,444
- Annual
- $41,330
$41,330 a year is around the 50th percentile for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenderss. The median is $41,330.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Nebraska$68,170
- 2Iowa$62,520
- 3Indiana$55,730
- 4Missouri$53,940
- 5New Jersey$51,460
- 6Washington$50,870
- 7Illinois$49,200
- 8Idaho$48,360
- 9Ohio$48,160
- 10Wisconsin$47,060
- 11Minnesota$46,910
- 12Massachusetts$46,800
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$65,850
- 2Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$65,320
- 3St. Louis, MO-IL$54,450
- 4Lancaster, PA$54,330
- 5New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$51,460
- 6Gainesville, GA$47,160
- 7Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$46,950
- 8Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$40,580
- 9Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$39,340
- 10Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR$38,090
- 11Urban Honolulu, HI$36,670
- 12Rochester, NY$36,600
Related job titles
Employers advertise Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders roles under these titles.
Related occupations
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders$43,530
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,610
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,750
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders$48,040
- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders$44,810
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$41,590
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders$54,430
- Food Batchmakers$42,290
What a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders does
- Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.
- Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed.
- Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures.
- Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
- Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.
- Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders make?
- The median annual wage for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders is $41,330 ($20 per hour). Pay ranges from about $33,430 at the 10th percentile to $62,340 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $44,940, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenderss the most?
- Nebraska has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $68,170.
- Is Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 6.9K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders do?
- Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.; Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed.; Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures..