Guide

Data center trades pay: what electricians and technicians earn

Real numbers from government data and real job ads, plus what moves your pay up or down.

Pay is one of the first questions anyone asks about data center work, and it's also where the internet is full of made-up numbers. This guide sticks to figures we could trace to a source. Treat them as ranges, not promises: your pay depends on your trade, license, location, shift and overtime.

The baseline: what the trades earn overall

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes pay for every occupation across all industries, not just data centers. Its most recent figures (May 2025) are a useful starting point:

Electricians: median pay of $63,190 a year, or about $30.38 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned under $42,640 and the highest-paid 10% earned over $108,510. (BLS, May 2025)
HVAC and refrigeration mechanics and installers: median pay of $61,010 a year, or about $29.33 an hour. The lowest 10% earned under $40,050 and the top 10% earned over $95,210. (BLS, May 2025)
General maintenance and repair workers: median pay of $49,590 a year, or about $23.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025)

"Median" means half of workers earn more and half earn less. These numbers cover residential, commercial and industrial work together, and they don't include overtime differences between employers.

What data center job ads actually post

Many states now require pay ranges in job ads, so you can see real numbers. A few examples from 2026 postings by one data center facilities employer, Salute Mission Critical:

Data Center Facilities Technician, Goodyear, AZ: $26 an hour.
Critical Facilities Technician, Manassas, VA: $28–$32 an hour.
Critical Facilities Technician, Lithia Springs, GA: starting at $32 an hour.
Senior Critical Facilities Technician, Barstow, TX: $54–$59 an hour.

That spread, from the mid-$20s for entry-level roles to the $50s for senior technicians, is a good picture of how wide the range is. These are just a few ads from one company, so check the ranges on the jobs you're actually applying to.

Separately, Indeed's Hiring Lab, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, reportedly found that hourly maintenance and installation jobs at data centers pay roughly 42% more than similar jobs at other employers. That's an average across many postings, not a guarantee for any one job.

What moves your pay up or down

License and level. Apprentices earn a percentage of journeyman pay that rises as they progress. A journeyman or master license, or senior tech title, pays more.
Construction vs. operations. Construction often pays more total because of overtime and per diem on travel jobs, but it ends when the project ends. Operations is usually steadier, with benefits and fewer surprises.
Union vs. non-union. Union jobs pay the scale set in the local's contract, which differs a lot from city to city. Ask the local hall for the current scale.
Location. Pay generally runs higher in areas with high living costs and heavy data center demand, such as Northern Virginia and Chicago. Compare ads in Phoenix, Dallas–Fort Worth and Atlanta too.
Shift differentials and overtime. Night and weekend shifts often pay extra, and 24/7 sites have on-call and overtime hours.
Cross-skills. Technicians who can work on both electrical and mechanical systems, or read controls, tend to move up faster.

How to compare offers

Convert everything to an hourly rate, then add expected overtime.
Ask about shift differentials, on-call pay and per diem.
Count benefits: health insurance, retirement match or pension, paid training and tool allowances.
Ask how raises work: set steps, license-based bumps, or yearly reviews.

Want to see posted pay for new openings? Set up job alerts, and if you're an electrician, read our data center electrician guide.

Sources