Occupation salary profile

Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders

SOC 51-9193 BLS OEWS May 2025

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.

National median · BLS
$41,330
▲ +2.91% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$44,940
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
6,900
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$33,430
25th$36,380
Median (50th)$41,330
75th$49,550
90th — top pay$62,340

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders

BLS projects employment of cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders to grow 5.9% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
7,700 → 8,100
+500 jobs
Projected change
+5.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
6.1% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a high school diploma →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Operations Monitoring3.9
  • Operation and Control3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.6
  • Complex Problem Solving3.5
  • Monitoring3.5
  • Equipment Maintenance3.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.1
  • Quality Control Analysis3.1
  • Repairing3.1
  • Speaking3.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Production and Processing3.9
  • Mechanical3.4
  • English Language3.4
  • Food Production3.3
  • Administration and Management3.3
  • Mathematics3.1
  • Public Safety and Security3.1
  • Education and Training3.0
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordGoogle Gmail

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What 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.
  • Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
  • Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
  • Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.
  • Measure or weigh specified amounts of ingredients or materials, and load them into tanks, vats, hoppers, or other equipment.
  • Adjust machine or freezer speed and air intake to obtain desired consistency and amount of product.
Also called
Freezer OperatorFreezer PersonRefrigeration OperatorRefrigeration TechnicianCertified Refrigeration OperatorCompressor OperatorEngine Room OperatorIce Cream MakerMachine Operator
More job titles for this occupation (45)
Ammonia Refrigeration WorkerBatch FreezerBatch Freezer OperatorBrewery Cellar WorkerBrewery WorkerCellar PersonChiller OperatorChiller TenderChilling Hood OperatorCoolerCooler Case PickerCooler OperatorCooler TenderCooling Machine OperatorCooling Pan TenderCrystalizerCrystalizer OperatorCrystalizer TenderCrystallizer OperatorDairy Freezer OperatorDispensing OperatorFreezerFreezer Case PickerFreezer Laboratory TechnicianFreezer Machine OperatorFreezer ManagerFreezer Tunnel OperatorFreezing Machine OperatorHog CoolerIce Cream Vault WorkerIce MakerIce Plant OperatorIce PullerIcebox ManIcebox WorkerMaintenance MechanicMeat CoolerMold CoolerNovelty MakerParadichlorobenzene TenderRefrigerating Machine OperatorRefrigeration Engine OperatorRefrigeration PersonSpreading Machine OperatorVotator Machine Operator

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.