Nearly 3,000 new data centers are planned or under construction. Virginia leads data center growth with 663 now operational and another 595 in the works. Texas comes in a close second with 405 operating data centers and 442 planned.
Big tech companies are placing big bets with data center construction in anticipation of an AI boom. And some states want in on the action. A new report from the American Edge Project, a pro-tech advocacy group, calls AI data centers “the fastest, broadest, infrastructure buildout of the peacetime era.”
As Doug Kelly, CEO of AEP, says, “whether you live in a coastal tech hub, a manufacturing corridor, or a rural community, AI is now a major engine of local jobs, construction, revenue, and long-term economic growth.”
The promise of job growth and revenue is enticing. Despite misgivings from locals about energy consumption and other concerns, developers in Texas are going full force — building out “man camps” to reel in construction workers.
While reports of six-figure salaries and amenities like five-star cuisine and game rooms at data center construction sites make headlines, we were interested in whether data center construction was having a positive impact on construction wages overall.
Here’s the top ten construction jobs by wage growth over the past 12 months nationally:
The standout construction roles for data centers are HVAC Mechanics and Plumbers. Thermal management is one of the largest operational challenges, and these jobs are required both during construction and ongoing maintenance.
Both Plumber III and HVAC Mechanic II appear on the above list with 5.6% and 3.6% base pay wage growth, respectively. Construction Planner/Scheduler II is also a very common role in data center construction, particularly with so many of them in the planning phase. This position saw the highest 12-month change in wage growth at 17.6%.
At the national level though, it doesn’t appear as though data center construction jobs are dramatically increasing wages overall.
The possible exceptions are Construction Planners and Cost Estimators, although wage premiums for these positions are driven by many factors.
A shortage of skilled labor, growing competition for talent, and increasingly complex tech-driven projects are pushing wages sharply upward for these positions.
Add massive federal infrastructure dollars flooding the market, surging material costs, and a premium on specialists who can work with BIM (Building Information Modeling) and AI planning tools, and you’ve got roles where all the leverage sits firmly with workers.
Regional variations in construction wages: spotlight Texas
With many data centers operating and planned in the Lone Star State, we also looked at construction wages for the above positions in Texas compared to the national average.
Most hands-on construction roles in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (DFW) metro pay below the national average, sometimes significantly:
- Material Estimator has the biggest gap: $21,300 below the national average
- Construction Planner/Scheduler II is $15,800 below average
- Carpenter III, Plumber III, and HVAC Mechanic II all pay $5,000 – $8,000 less
This most likely reflects Texas’s lower cost of living, lack of a state income tax (which sometimes suppresses wages), a strong labor supply, and business-friendly environment. Construction unions are less abundant in Sunbelt States than in the Northeast and Midwest, constraining wages.
Two roles actually command premiums: Cost Estimating Managers and Environmental Compliance Specialist III. These are both white-collar, specialized roles and the pay premiums would make sense given the data center boom.
Texas is likely attractive to data center developers partly because labor costs are lower for the bulk of the workforce: the skilled trades doing the actual building. But the talent squeeze at the top is real, driving up salaries for scarce expertise like cost management and environmental compliance.
Final thoughts
Virginia leads data center development because of its fiber optic infrastructure, affordable and abundant power, and tax incentives. Texas has also emerged as a leader in data center construction driven by low energy costs and a business-friendly regulatory environment.
Meanwhile, developers in Texas also benefit from a cheaper labor force. While golf simulators on construction sites (yep, it’s a real thing) and Texas ribeyes lure workers, developers will still likely get skilled labor at a reduced rate — which is a perennial appeal for employers.
