Data center jobs near me

Data center jobs: common questions

How many jobs does a data center create?

Few permanent jobs and many, temporary construction jobs. Among 78 tracked projects that announce a permanent-jobs figure, the median is 205 permanent jobs per project, or about 31 per 100 MW of capacity (median of 38 projects that publish both). 58 publish a construction-jobs figure, but those figures are not comparable: some are peak headcount, some are totals over a multi-year build, and some are ranges, so the Census shows each project’s own figure with its basis and does not add them up. These are announced figures, not audited counts. For comparison, Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), Virginia General Assembly reports about 50 full-time workers at a typical 250,000-square-foot facility. See the jobs page and the cost calculator, which scales these medians to any size.

What kinds of jobs do data centers offer?

Permanent roles are mostly technicians, electricians, HVAC and mechanical staff, network and systems administrators, security and facility management. Construction jobs are mostly electrical, mechanical and general trades. Pay by occupation, from federal wage data, is on the data center jobs page; data center technician: the job, the pay and how to get one covers duties, shifts and certifications.

Are these job openings I can apply for?

No. The figures are jobs that developers, operators or officials say a project will create, often in an incentive agreement or a public hearing. They are announcements, not job listings, and a project that is only proposed may never be built. Where the Census has confirmed an employer’s official careers page, the results link to it. Many roles are filled by contractors and the tenant rather than the building’s owner, so also check the careers pages of the companies named on the project record.

What is the difference between construction and permanent data center jobs?

Construction jobs last while the campus is built, often one to several years and usually peaking at one point, and many are filled by trade contractors from outside the area. Permanent jobs are the staff who run the facility once it opens. Records say which a figure is when the source does, and some give a range or only a description such as “thousands”, which is shown as published. Because construction figures mix peak headcount with totals over the whole build, the Census does not add them together.