Insight Global Salary Guide

2027 Data Center Salary Guide

Q: How should employers plan hiring across the data center lifecycle?

Data center workforce planning should align with the project schedule. Employers can map the expertise required during pre-construction, construction, commissioning, deployment, and operations; identify where roles overlap; and determine when specialized talent needs to be in place to support each transition.

Q: How is AI changing data center hiring?

AI workloads can require high-density infrastructure that places greater demands on power and cooling. This increases the importance of expertise in areas including power systems, electrical and mechanical engineering, high-density or liquid cooling, MEP systems, construction, facilities, and operations. JLL projects that AI could represent half of all data center workloads by 2030.

Talent and pay trends powering data center growth

Data center development is accelerating across the United States as organizations add capacity for cloud computing, AI, and other high-density workloads. That growth is increasing demand for the people who can plan, build, commission, and operate increasingly complex facilities.

The 2027 Data Center Salary Guide combines Insight Global placement data with industry and labor-market research to give employers a clearer picture of compensation, in-demand skills, workforce trends, and the talent needed across the data center lifecycle.

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2027 Data Center Salary Guide cover and sample spread

Talent Competition

The Competition for Data Center Talent Is Growing

Electrical and mechanical trades remain particularly challenging, and the need for operations management candidates has increased.

At the same time, data centers compete with construction, utilities, manufacturing, and other complex infrastructure environments for many of the same skills.

That makes workforce planning about more than filling the next open role. Employers need to understand where talent will come from, which skills can transfer from adjacent industries, when specialized expertise will be needed, and how competitive pay is changing across the data center lifecycle.

46%

of data center operators had difficulty finding qualified candidates

37%

reported difficulty retaining staff

Source: Uptime Institute’s 2025 survey

Aisle of server cabinets inside a data center with a technician workstation cart

Inside the Guide

Understand Data Center Talent and Pay Trends

The people and skills required to support a data center change as a project moves from early planning into construction, commissioning, deployment, and ongoing operations.

The 2027 Insight Global Data Center Salary Guide gives hiring managers and business leaders data and insights to inform workforce planning at each stage.

Inside the guide

Median hourly pay and annual salary benchmarks for data center roles
Compensation data across pre-construction, construction, commissioning and deployment, and operations
U.S. employment trends affecting the availability of in-demand talent
Insight into where data center talent demand is growing
Specialized skills employers need as facilities become more complex
How AI infrastructure is changing data center talent requirements
Considerations for building a data center workforce strategy

Salary benchmarks include roles ranging from Construction Managers, Project Managers, MEP Superintendents, and Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to Commissioning Engineers, Network Engineers, Data Center Technicians, Critical Facilities professionals, and more.

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Pay by Lifecycle Stage

Data Center Pay Across the Facility Lifecycle

Data centers rely on different expertise at different stages, with some roles overlapping as projects move from construction into commissioning and ongoing operations.

Pre-construction

Understand pay for the professionals responsible for early planning, estimating, scheduling, project controls, and facility design, including Preconstruction Managers, Cost Estimators, Project Schedulers, Project Controls Managers, and Data Center Design Engineers.

Construction

Explore compensation benchmarks for Construction Managers, Project Managers, MEP Superintendents, Electricians, HVAC Technicians, Electrical Engineers, and Mechanical Engineers.

Commissioning and deployment

See pay data for the specialized professionals needed to test, verify, connect, and prepare facilities for operation, including Commissioning Managers and Engineers, Controls Engineers, Network Engineers, QA/QC Technicians, Fiber Splicers, and Network/Cabling Technicians.

Operations

Explore compensation for Data Center Technicians, Critical Facilities Technicians and Engineers, Data Center Operations Managers, Reliability Engineers, Maintenance Technicians, and BMS/SCADA Engineers.

Workforce Growth

Data Center Employment Is Growing

For employers, continued data center development means workforce planning can’t begin when a position opens. Understanding where talent is available, the skills that can transfer from adjacent industries, and when specialized expertise will be needed can help organizations prepare for future hiring needs.

501,000

people worked in U.S. data centers in 2023

up from 306,000 in 2016

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

40%+

of the workforce was concentrated in five states

California
Texas
Florida
New York
Georgia

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Workforce Planning

Plan for the Data Center Workforce You Need

Workforce planning should begin alongside the project schedule, not after hiring needs become urgent.

Employers need to understand when specialized skills will be required, where roles overlap, and when talent must be in place to support handoffs from construction through commissioning and operations.
That also means looking beyond job titles. Data center employers can evaluate candidates based on the systems they’ve worked with, the scale and complexity of their environments, and the responsibilities they’ve owned. Experience in power systems, HVAC and cooling, controls, MEP, complex facilities, reliability, commissioning, and other mission-critical environments may transfer into data center work.
The right talent model may change over time, too. Full-time employees, contractors, and coordinated project teams can support different needs depending on the project stage, scope, timeline, internal capabilities, and level of ownership required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Data Center FAQs

What talent do companies need to build and operate a data center?

Data center projects require different expertise from site selection through steady-state operations. Employers may need professionals across pre-construction, project controls, construction, MEP systems, electrical and mechanical engineering, commissioning, networking and connectivity, critical facilities, maintenance, and operations. Specific roles include Construction Managers, Project Managers, Commissioning Engineers, Network Engineers, Data Center Technicians, and Critical Facilities Engineers.

Why is data center talent difficult to hire?

Data center employers compete for many of the same skilled professionals needed by construction, utilities, manufacturing, and other complex infrastructure environments. Uptime Institute found that 46% of data center operators had difficulty finding qualified candidates, while 37% reported difficulty retaining staff. Electrical and mechanical trades are among the areas experiencing talent pressure.

What skills should employers look for when hiring data center talent?

Employers may need expertise in power and cooling, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, commissioning, controls, connectivity, critical facilities, reliability, and complex infrastructure. Relevant candidates may also come from adjacent industries. Experience with the systems involved and the scale and complexity of previous environments can be as important as having a data center-specific job title.

How should employers plan hiring across the data center lifecycle?

How is AI changing data center hiring?

Where is demand for data center talent growing?

Data center employment and development span both established and emerging U.S. markets. Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Chicago are established hubs that continue to grow, while development is also expanding into newer markets. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that data center employment increased from 306,000 workers in 2016 to 501,000 in 2023, with more than 40% concentrated in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Georgia.

What should employers consider when setting pay for data center roles?

Compensation varies by role and employment type, making role-specific benchmarks important when planning a data center workforce. The 2027 Data Center Salary Guide provides U.S. median hourly compensation for contract roles and median base salaries for permanent placements across pre-construction, construction, commissioning and deployment, operations, and roles that span multiple lifecycle stages.

Work With Insight Global

Build the Data Center Workforce You Need

Whether you’re planning a new facility, scaling construction, preparing for commissioning and deployment, or strengthening ongoing operations, the right talent strategy can help keep the work moving. Insight Global supports data center organizations across the lifecycle with talent and technical expertise for construction, engineering, commissioning, connectivity, critical facilities, and operations.

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How we can help

Hire individual professionals
Scale specialized teams
Solve defined project needs