Data center positions pay significantly more than comparable non-tech jobs

A study by the Indeed Hiring Lab, using job ads posted between January and June, finds that data-center roles such as facilities managers and engineers command substantially higher pay than parallel positions in other industries, with a median salary of $134,000 for data-center facilities managers—64% above the non-data-center median. The majority of these listings, about 71%, come from the largest tech companies, which are known for generous compensation packages.

However, the jobs often involve night shifts, overtime and on-call duties, advertised roughly 40 times, 10 times and five times more frequently respectively than similar non-data-center roles. Trade professional Cody Cole, who works on data-center projects for contractor Corbins, earns over $40 an hour and notes ample opportunities as centers expand in places like New Mexico and Texas. While the sector faces local opposition and some municipal bans, the higher wages appear linked to permanent, full-time positions, though the long-term stability of these roles remains uncertain.