Air Conditioning Equipment Operating
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Air Conditioning Equipment Operating occupation series (code 5415), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, Air Conditioning Equipment Operating counts 130 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew from the prior period; pay averages $76,659, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +2.4%
- Pay change
- -0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 15.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #10 of 12
FedScope read on Air Conditioning Equipment Operating (thin series)
For job seekers weighing career length: this series shows a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Headcount moved up versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend. As for pay, the latest move was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Industrial Equipment Operation Family family (code 54) groups Air Conditioning Equipment Operating together with 11 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Air Conditioning Equipment Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family. Across the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, 4,810 employees work in 12 occupations; Air Conditioning Equipment Operating is 2.7% of that headcount.
Salary Context
How Air Conditioning Equipment Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$76,659
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-34.7%
Where Air Conditioning Equipment Operating ranks on federal pay
Air Conditioning Equipment Operating earns more on average than 33% of federal occupation series (180 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Air Conditioning Equipment Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Air Conditioning Equipment Operating.
Related Occupations in Industrial Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lock and Dam Operating | 1,197 | $68,109 | 13.2 yrs |
| Boiler Plant Operating | 762 | $76,211 | 12.8 yrs |
| Electrical Power Controlling | 711 | $156,821 | 17.5 yrs |
| Fuel Distribution System Operating | 700 | $81,595 | 11.2 yrs |
| Utility Systems Operating | 419 | $75,930 | 12.5 yrs |
| Water Treatment Plant Operating | 265 | $89,105 | 12.2 yrs |
| Sewage Disposal Plant Operating | 235 | $78,823 | 12.3 yrs |
| Misc Industrial Equipment Operation | 184 | $95,593 | 15.9 yrs |
| Sandblasting | 153 | $65,089 | 12 yrs |
| Packaging Machine Operating | 27 | $75,706 | 17.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Air Conditioning Equipment Operating outside the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (130 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($76,659 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Air Conditioning Equipment Operating pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Air Conditioning Equipment Operating postings on USAJOBS.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.