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Refrigeration engineer salary
Average refrigeration engineer salary
$88,921
Understanding Refrigeration Engineer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a refrigeration engineer stands at $88,921 annually. This figure reflects a variety of factors, including the engineer's level of experience, geographic location, and specific industry sector.
Factors Influencing Salary
- Experience Level: Entry-level positions can start around $60,000, while seasoned engineers with specialized skills can earn well over $100,000.
- Geographic Location: States like California, Texas, and New York offer higher salaries compared to others due to higher living costs and demand for refrigeration services.
- Industry Type: Engineers working in manufacturing or HVAC typically earn more than those in less technical fields.
By understanding these factors, refrigeration engineers can better navigate their career paths and salary expectations. For job seekers, exploring positions in high-demand areas or industries can lead to more lucrative opportunities.
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Where can a Refrigeration Engineer earn more?
Refrigeration engineer salaries by experience level
Refrigeration engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average refrigeration engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for refrigeration engineers are California, Colorado, and Arizona. The lowest average refrigeration engineer salary states are Iowa, Mississippi, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for refrigeration engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $119,063 | $57.24 |
| 2 | Colorado | $104,839 | $50.40 |
| 3 | Arizona | $97,984 | $47.11 |
| 4 | Texas | $96,568 | $46.43 |
| 5 | Washington | $96,760 | $46.52 |
| 6 | Nevada | $97,619 | $46.93 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $91,738 | $44.10 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $97,202 | $46.73 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $89,928 | $43.23 |
| 10 | Oregon | $89,461 | $43.01 |
| 11 | Alaska | $93,424 | $44.92 |
| 12 | Maryland | $90,655 | $43.58 |
| 13 | Illinois | $88,777 | $42.68 |
| 14 | Georgia | $89,360 | $42.96 |
| 15 | Indiana | $87,269 | $41.96 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $89,010 | $42.79 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $87,969 | $42.29 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $83,340 | $40.07 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $90,137 | $43.34 |
| 20 | Michigan | $79,055 | $38.01 |
| 21 | Virginia | $81,288 | $39.08 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $85,231 | $40.98 |
| 23 | Idaho | $80,692 | $38.79 |
| 24 | Ohio | $80,372 | $38.64 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $81,426 | $39.15 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $80,553 | $38.73 |
| 27 | Delaware | $78,331 | $37.66 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $78,663 | $37.82 |
| 29 | New York | $79,283 | $38.12 |
| 30 | Alabama | $77,417 | $37.22 |
| 31 | Florida | $80,324 | $38.62 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $78,676 | $37.83 |
| 33 | Utah | $75,707 | $36.40 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $77,479 | $37.25 |
| 35 | Maine | $78,643 | $37.81 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $73,247 | $35.21 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $72,612 | $34.91 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $77,339 | $37.18 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $76,736 | $36.89 |
| 40 | Vermont | $71,805 | $34.52 |
| 41 | Kansas | $73,837 | $35.50 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $70,727 | $34.00 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $72,060 | $34.64 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $72,215 | $34.72 |
| 45 | Iowa | $69,602 | $33.46 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,958 | $34.11 |
| 47 | Montana | $67,197 | $32.31 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $62,540 | $30.07 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $67,260 | $32.34 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $68,452 | $32.91 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $61,247 | $29.45 |
Highest paying cities for refrigeration engineers
The highest-paying cities for refrigeration engineers are Newark, CA, Denver, CO, and San Antonio, TX.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newark, CA | $126,765 | $60.94 |
| 2 | Denver, CO | $104,784 | $50.38 |
| 3 | San Antonio, TX | $97,797 | $47.02 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $97,396 | $46.83 |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | $96,779 | $46.53 |
| 6 | Cambridge, MA | $91,653 | $44.06 |
| 7 | Ellicott City, MD | $90,847 | $43.68 |
| 8 | Fayetteville, NC | $89,985 | $43.26 |
| 9 | Columbus, GA | $89,765 | $43.16 |
| 10 | Niles, IL | $89,063 | $42.82 |
| 11 | Fort Wayne, IN | $87,982 | $42.30 |
| 12 | Madison, WI | $87,682 | $42.15 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $81,550 | $39.21 |
| 14 | Jacksonville, FL | $81,000 | $38.94 |
| 15 | New York, NY | $79,514 | $38.23 |
| 16 | Murfreesboro, TN | $78,584 | $37.78 |
| 17 | Tulsa, OK | $76,154 | $36.61 |
| 18 | Minneapolis, MN | $70,753 | $34.02 |
| 19 | Fort Smith, AR | $61,317 | $29.48 |
Refrigeration engineer salary details
A refrigeration engineer's salary ranges from $62,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $125,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a refrigeration engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $125,000 | $10,417 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| Average | $88,921 | $7,410 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
| 10th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
Highest paying refrigeration engineer jobs
The highest paying types of refrigeration engineers are contracting engineer, staff engineer, and tool engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Design Engineer Internship | $55,346 | $4,612 | $26.61 | 139,842 |
| Mechanical Design Engineer | $75,821 | $6,318 | $36.45 | 120,258 |
| Equipment Engineer | $97,539 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 108,449 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Facility Engineer | $89,623 | $7,469 | $43.09 | 94,268 |
Top companies hiring refrigeration engineers now:
Which companies pay refrigeration engineers the most?
Refrigeration engineer salaries at Standex International and Lucid Motors are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average refrigeration engineer salary at companies like Edwards and Hunter are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Standex International | $99,092 | $47.64 |
| 2 | Lucid Motors | $97,408 | $46.83 |
| 3 | Edwards | $93,503 | $44.95 |
| 4 | Hunter | $93,301 | $44.86 |
| 5 | RSC Holdings I LLC | $92,278 | $44.36 |
| 6 | Beverage-Air | $92,188 | $44.32 |
| 7 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $91,866 | $44.17 |
| 8 | Lancer | $91,539 | $44.01 |
| 9 | MPW | $90,708 | $43.61 |
| 10 | Management Recruiters International(MRI) | $89,731 | $43.14 |
| 11 | Franke Group | $89,728 | $43.14 |
| 12 | Aprilaire, A Division Of Research Products Corporation | $89,054 | $42.81 |
| 13 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $88,284 | $42.44 |
| 14 | Technical Safety Services | $87,416 | $42.03 |
| 15 | Tạp chà công ngh | $86,668 | $41.67 |
| 16 | Vollrath | $84,840 | $40.79 |
| 17 | New York University | $84,481 | $40.62 |
| 18 | EMCOR Group | $83,987 | $40.38 |
| 19 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $81,678 | $39.27 |
| 20 | The University of Chicago | $81,000 | $38.94 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Refrigeration Engineer salary by industry
The average refrigeration engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average refrigeration engineer salary in the professional industry is $97,717, the highest of any industry.
- The average refrigeration engineer salary in the finance industry is $92,165.
- Refrigeration engineers in the agriculture industry earn an average salary of $74,513, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for refrigeration engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $97,717 | $46.98 |
| 2 | Finance | $92,165 | $44.31 |
| 3 | Hospitality | $90,359 | $43.44 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $85,463 | $41.09 |
| 5 | Agriculture | $74,513 | $35.82 |
High paying refrigeration engineer jobs
Refrigeration engineer salary trends
The average refrigeration engineer salary has risen by $10,780 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average refrigeration engineer earned $78,141 annually, but today, they earn $88,921 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for refrigeration engineers over the last decade.
Compare refrigeration engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average refrigeration engineer salary over time
Compare refrigeration engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Refrigeration engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $88,900 | $42.75 | +1.9% |
| 2025 | $87,200 | $41.93 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | $86,200 | $41.43 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $84,700 | $40.72 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | $83,000 | $39.92 | +0.7% |
Recently added refrigeration engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cushing Terrell | Refrigeration Engineer In Training | Missoula, MT | 06/29/2025 | $65,000 |
| Barry-Wehmiller | SR. Refrigeration Engineer | Pasadena, TX | 06/25/2025 | $150,000 |
| The University of Chicago | Building/Refrigeration Engineer | Chicago, IL | 06/24/2025 | $92,496 |
| Umanist Staffing LLC | Hvac Refrigeration Engineer | Middletown, VA | 06/10/2025 | $73,045 |
| University of Chicago | Building/Refrigeration Engineer | Chicago, IL | 05/30/2025 | $92,496 |
| Dennis Group San Diego | Mechanical Refrigeration Engineer II | Carlsbad, CA | 05/03/2025 | $90,000 |
| Cushing Terrell | Refrigeration Engineer In Training | Missoula, MT | 04/30/2025 | $60,000 |
| Barry-Wehmiller | SR. Refrigeration Engineer | Pasadena, CA | 04/28/2025 | $150,000 |
| New York University | Refrigeration Engineer | New York, NY | 04/23/2025 | $105,727 |
| Carlson & Stewart Refrigeration | Industrial Refrigeration Engineer | Sioux Falls, SD | 04/18/2025 | $105,000 |
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