Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic

What the Numbers Say About Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic

Federal agencies employ 2,491 people in the Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic occupation (OPM code 5306), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 0.4% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic is $75,861 per year, placing it 31.0% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.6% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 8.9 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Industrial Equipment Maintenance Family family (code 53) groups Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic together with 10 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic makes up 23.5% of the 10,607 employees across the Industrial Equipment Maintenance Family family, ranking #2 of 11 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (27th percentile) of pay among Industrial Equipment Maintenance Family occupations.