SOC 51-9193.00Bright outlook

    Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders

    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.

    Median pay
    $41,330
    Growth
    +5.9%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    800
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $33,430
    Median
    $41,330
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $62,340
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    6,900 people work in this occupation.

    What cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    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.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    22 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    7 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    2 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    55 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Controlling Machines and Processes
    88
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    80
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    80
    Getting Information
    80
    Documenting/Recording Information
    77
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    75
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    73
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    73
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    70
    Performing General Physical Activities
    70
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
    • Operation and Control
    • Critical Thinking
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Monitoring
    • Equipment Maintenance
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Repairing
    • Speaking

    Knowledge

    • Production and Processing
    • Mechanical
    • English Language
    • Food Production
    • Administration and Management
    • Mathematics
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Education and Training
    • Design
    • Engineering and Technology

    Abilities

    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Perceptual Speed
    • Control Precision
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Oral Expression
    • Reaction Time

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Perseverance
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Control
    • Cooperation
    • Adaptability

    Also called

    Ammonia Refrigeration Worker · Batch Freezer · Batch Freezer Operator · Brewery Cellar Worker · Brewery Worker · Cellar Person · Certified Refrigeration Operator · Chiller Operator · Chiller Tender · Chilling Hood Operator

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

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    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.