Data Center Salaries
2026 Data Center Salary Guide
The data center talent market is moving fast. Your workforce strategy needs to move faster.
The Kelly Digital Infrastructure™ 2026 Data Center Salary Guide gives you the market intelligence to compete for critical talent, plan with confidence, and respond to rapidly shifting workforce demand. Built specifically for the data center industry, the guide delivers current salary benchmarks, market-level insights, and workforce trends across the full data center lifecycle.
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60+: Data center roles with salary benchmarks.
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9: Major U.S. data center markets analyzed.
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A practical roadmap for planning critical talent needs.
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Data center salaries and market insights.
Make more informed decisions across the full data center lifecycle. From pre-development and construction through commissioning and ongoing operations, use the Kelly Digital Infrastructure 2026 Data Center Salary Guide to better understand the roles, talent needs, and market dynamics shaping demand.
Operational Data Centers
More than 4,200 data centers are currently operational in the United States, representing over 50 GW of capacity in 2026.
in Capital Expenditures
The top five data and AI infrastructure providers are spending approximately $700 billion on capital expenditures.
Data Center Workers
Permanent data center employment is projected to reach 650,000 positions by the end of 2026.
What’s driving data center workforce demand.
U.S. data center capacity is expanding at a record pace, driven by AI infrastructure investment and hyperscalers. Demand is especially strong across commissioning, electrical, mechanical, and construction roles, intensifying competition for skilled talent in top data center markets.
The data center hiring market rewards speed and skill in equal measure. Job seekers who pursue certifications and stay flexible on location will beat out the 85% of applicants who don't meet minimum qualifications. Meanwhile, hiring managers are competing for the same shrinking talent pool. Poaching only drives up costs sector-wide. The companies winning right now are building workforce accelerator pipelines and pulling skilled workers from telecom, utilities, and adjacent trades. That talent is already out there. It just needs the right path in."
MARK WALKER, PRESIDENT, Kelly Telecom & Digital Infrastructure
What will I find in the 2026 Data Center Salary Guide?
What data center trends and information are covered in the guide?
The Kelly Digital Infrastructure 2026 Data Center Salary Guide is a report covering compensation benchmarks, hiring trends, and workforce strategies across the U.S. data center industry. The guide provides insights from experts inside the Kelly Digital Infrastructure team working with hyperscale and enterprise projects, along with salary data for over 60 data center roles. It covers the market forces, hiring timelines, and skills gaps shaping the industry in 2026.
What valuable insights into data center salary data can I discover?
You will find starting salary ranges for 60+ data center job titles with city-specific variances included for the nine top data center hubs in the United States, allowing you to measure regional salary differences for every role. You will see compensation benchmarks across development and construction, engineering and operations, technology roles, and leadership tracks. The state of the data center market in the United States goes over the how and why of data center investments, construction, and operations, with insights for industry leaders on timelines and causes of delay in getting data centers fully operational.
Top data center salaries in the United States.
Below are national averages for a small selection of data center roles. Download the guide for all data center roles.
| Role | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEP Specialist | $112K | $132K | $218K |
| Power Commissioning Engineer | $102K | $120K | $199K |
| Cybersecurity Engineer | $121K | $142K | $234K |
| Data Center Analyst | $90K | $106K | $176K |
| Automation Engineer | $126K | $148K | $244K |
Tech-specific salary guides.
Explore role-specific tech salary guides published by Motion Recruitment, a Kelly company.
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Cloud Engineer, Cloud Architect, and more.
Download GuideData Engineering Salary Guide
AI Engineer, Data Modeler, Database Engineer, and more.
Download GuideReady to put the data to work?
Connect with a Kelly Digital Infrastructure expert to turn the guide's insights into an actionable workforce plan aligned directly with your hiring needs, talent strategy, or upcoming data center projects.
Frequently asked questions.
What is the salary for 5 years of data center experience?
The average salary for a Data Center Operations Leader in the United States is $178,000, but can vary due to factors like location, 24/7 availability, and scarcity. Base compensation can range from $152,368 to $292,580.
Who is the Kelly Digital Infrastructure Data Center Salary Guide for?
The Kelly Digital Infrastructure Data Center Salary Guide is built for both leaders and job seekers inside the data center industry. Hiring managers and digital infrastructure leaders can use it to benchmark pay, plan hiring timelines around project phases, and understand where talent shortages are likely to hit hardest. Job seekers can use it to identify in-demand certifications, target growing markets, and understand what employers are prioritizing when they hire, to improve their job search.
What roles and career stages does the guide cover?
The Kelly Digital Infrastructure Data Center Salary Guide maps compensation and hiring demand across the full data center lifecycle: site selection and permitting, design and engineering, procurement, civil and structural construction, MEP installation, commissioning and testing, and ongoing operations. It covers roles that impact the entire data center ecosystem, including management and planning; construction, design, and infrastructure; energy and utilities; technology; applications, automation, and technical; commissioning and engineering; and operations.
What are the expected salaries for data center engineers in the US?
The average salary for a Data Center Network Engineer I is $138,000. This base level compensation can vary depending on a variety of factors, including location, competition from other companies, certification uplift, and on-call availability. The full range for a Data Center Network Engineer I is $118,128 - $228,180.
Where can I find data center and telecommunications jobs with Kelly Digital Infrastructure?