How much does a data center technician make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track “data center technician” as its own job. The closest federal benchmarks are electrical and electronics installers and repairers, with a median of $74,490, electro-mechanical technicians at $73,900, and computer support specialists at $62,890 (May 2025). Shift premiums, certifications and the critical-facility tier add on top of those figures.
Data center salary benchmarks (BLS, May 2025)
Data center technician (facilities)
- Closest BLS occupation
- Electrical & electronics installers and repairers
- Median
- $74,490
Data center technician (electro-mechanical)
- Closest BLS occupation
- Electro-mechanical & mechatronics technologists and technicians
- Median
- $73,900
Data center technician (IT / remote hands)
- Closest BLS occupation
- Computer support specialists
- Median
- $62,890
Critical facilities electrician
- Closest BLS occupation
- Electricians (47-2111)
- Median
- $63,190 (top 10% > $108,510)
Critical facilities HVAC / mechanical tech
- Closest BLS occupation
- HVAC and refrigeration mechanics
- Median
- $61,010
Electrical engineering technician
- Closest BLS occupation
- Electrical & electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Median
- $78,190
Data center electrical engineer
- Closest BLS occupation
- Electrical engineers (17-2071)
- Median
- $120,630 (top 10% > $184,300)
Data center mechanical engineer
- Closest BLS occupation
- Mechanical engineers (17-2141)
- Median
- $104,110 (top 10% > $164,340)
Data center network engineer
- Closest BLS occupation
- Network & computer systems administrators / Network architects
- Median
- $99,130 / $134,050
Data center hardware engineer
- Closest BLS occupation
- Computer hardware engineers
- Median
- $161,740
Construction / commissioning manager
- Closest BLS occupation
- Construction managers
- Median
- $114,990
Director of critical facilities / engineering
- Closest BLS occupation
- Architectural & engineering managers
- Median
- $171,270
| Role people search for | Closest BLS occupation | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Data center technician (facilities) | Electrical & electronics installers and repairers | $74,490 |
| Data center technician (electro-mechanical) | Electro-mechanical & mechatronics technologists and technicians | $73,900 |
| Data center technician (IT / remote hands) | Computer support specialists | $62,890 |
| Critical facilities electrician | Electricians (47-2111) | $63,190 (top 10% > $108,510) |
| Critical facilities HVAC / mechanical tech | HVAC and refrigeration mechanics | $61,010 |
| Electrical engineering technician | Electrical & electronic engineering technologists and technicians | $78,190 |
| Data center electrical engineer | Electrical engineers (17-2071) | $120,630 (top 10% > $184,300) |
| Data center mechanical engineer | Mechanical engineers (17-2141) | $104,110 (top 10% > $164,340) |
| Data center network engineer | Network & computer systems administrators / Network architects | $99,130 / $134,050 |
| Data center hardware engineer | Computer hardware engineers | $161,740 |
| Construction / commissioning manager | Construction managers | $114,990 |
| Director of critical facilities / engineering | Architectural & engineering managers | $171,270 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (OEWS wage data, May 2025; pages last modified Aug 27, 2026; accessed Oct 16, 2026). Wages are base pay and exclude bonus and equity. Mapping job titles to BLS occupations is Engaged Headhunters’ editorial judgment.
Data center engineer salary
Electrical engineers earned a median of $120,630 in May 2025, and the top 10% earned more than $184,300. In the electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry, the median was $122,430. Mechanical engineers, who design cooling and thermal systems, earned a median of $104,110, and the top 10% earned more than $164,340.
Critical facilities engineer salary
Critical facilities roles cover both engineering and trades. Use the electrical and mechanical engineer figures for degreed engineering roles. For licensed technician roles, use the electrician and HVAC figures, then add shift and on-call pay.
Commissioning manager salary
Commissioning managers usually come from construction or engineering management. Construction managers have a median of $114,990, and architectural and engineering managers $171,270 (May 2025).
How Engaged Headhunters recruits for data center roles
See Data Center Recruiting & Critical Facilities Search for the roles we search for and how a search runs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a data center technician make?
BLS has no “data center technician” category. The closest benchmarks are electrical and electronics installers and repairers (median $74,490), electro-mechanical and mechatronics technicians ($73,900), and computer support specialists ($62,890), per BLS May 2025 data.
What is the average data center engineer salary?
The BLS median for electrical engineers was $120,630 in May 2025, and the top 10% earned more than $184,300. For mechanical engineers the median was $104,110, and for network architects $134,050. Data center engineer titles usually fall in this range, depending on the discipline.
What does a critical facilities engineer earn?
There’s no exact BLS match. The related occupations are electrical engineers ($120,630 median), mechanical engineers ($104,110), HVAC mechanics ($61,010) and electricians ($63,190), all May 2025. The figure depends heavily on whether the role is engineering or trades.
How much does a commissioning manager make?
BLS doesn’t track commissioning managers. Related benchmarks are construction managers ($114,990 median) and architectural and engineering managers ($171,270 median), both May 2025.
Are data center jobs growing?
BLS projects 9% growth for electricians from 2025 to 2035. It specifically cites rising electricity demand from AI and data centers.
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