Data center technicians are being offered about $65,000 to $78,300 a year to start in the U.S., based on 6 real job postings we checked on 13 November 2026. The median starting pay was about $67,100 a year ($32.28 an hour), and the tops of published ranges went from $85,000 to about $137,100 a year.
Below you will find every job and its exact published pay, why ranges are wide, what adds to base pay, and how to move up. We use employer-published pay plus U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for comparison. See how we verify jobs: https://maintenancejob.tech/how-we-verify-jobs.
The short answer
• Typical start: $65,000 to $78,300 a year, or about $31 to $38 an hour.
• Entry level: SpaceX Level 1 starts at $23.00 an hour (about $47,800 a year).
• Top of range: $85,000 to about $137,100 a year, depending on employer and level.
• Median of the 6 tops: about $104,500 a year.
The 6 data center jobs we looked at
All 6 were live on MaintenanceJob.tech and open on the employer's site when checked. Hourly pay is converted at 2,080 hours a year (40×52).
Job | Employer | Location | Type | Published pay | Converted
Data Center Engineering Operations Technician | AWS | Manassas, VA | Facilities ops | $37.64–$65.91/hr | ≈ $78,291–$137,093/yr — https://maintenancejob.tech/job/2587412-data-center-engineering-operations-technician-amazon-web-services-aws
Data Center Engineer – Elk River, MN Data Center | Target | Elk River, MN | Engineer | $75,400–$135,700/yr | ≈ $36.25–$65.24/hr — https://maintenancejob.tech/job/2587136-data-center-engineer-elk-river-mn-data-center-target
Data Center Critical Facilities Engineer | Equinix | Ashburn, VA | Critical facilities | $69,000–$103,000/yr | ≈ $33.17–$49.52/hr — https://maintenancejob.tech/job/2587789-data-center-critical-facilities-engineer-equinix
Critical Operations Technician I | QTS | Richmond, VA | Mixed IT + facilities | $31.38–$47.99/hr | ≈ $65,270–$99,819/yr — https://maintenancejob.tech/job/2588540-critical-operations-technician-i-qts
Data Center Technician – Elk Grove, IL | CoreWeave | Elk Grove Village, IL | IT / hardware | $65,000–$85,000/yr | ≈ $31.25–$40.87/hr — https://maintenancejob.tech/job/2587135-data-center-technician-elk-grove-il-coreweave
Data Center Facilities Technician | SpaceX | Hawthorne, CA | Facilities | $23.00–$51.00/hr | ≈ $47,840–$106,080/yr — https://maintenancejob.tech/job/2587797-data-center-facilities-technician-spacex
See current openings: https://maintenancejob.tech/data-center-technician-jobs.
Why the pay ranges are so wide
SpaceX publishes three levels for one job: Level 1 at $23.00–$32.50, Level 2 at $31.00–$43.00, and Level 3 at $41.00–$51.00 an hour. Other employers use one wide band and place you based on experience, skills and location. QTS says its $31.38–$47.99 range applies to Virginia and pay in other locations follows the local market.
Job level matters too. Target's Data Center Engineer job ($75,400–$135,700) asks for 4+ years of data center or mission-critical experience and a 4-year degree or equivalent experience. Most technician jobs ask for 2 to 3 years.
IT jobs vs. facilities jobs
“Data center technician” covers two kinds of work:
• IT and hardware: racking servers, cabling, swapping failed parts, Linux and network checks. Example: CoreWeave Data Center Technician, $65,000–$85,000.
• Facilities and critical infrastructure: UPS systems, generators, switchgear, chillers and CRAH units. Examples: AWS Data Center Engineering Operations Technician ($37.64–$65.91/hr) and Equinix Data Center Critical Facilities Engineer ($69,000–$103,000).
In our sample, facilities and engineering jobs had higher tops than the one IT-focused job. The sample is small, so treat this as a signal, not a rule.
Pay on top of base pay
• Sign-on and stock: AWS says its package includes sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs).
• Bonus: Equinix and QTS say the jobs are bonus eligible; Equinix says equity may be offered. CoreWeave lists bonus and equity.
• Overtime and on-call: CoreWeave, Target and Equinix mention on-call duty. AWS asks for shifts longer than 8 hours. For hourly jobs, that can add overtime pay.
Where the jobs are
3 of the 6 jobs are in Virginia: Ashburn (Equinix), Manassas (AWS) and Richmond (QTS). Others are Elk Grove Village, Illinois (CoreWeave), Elk River, Minnesota (Target) and Hawthorne, California (SpaceX).
How this compares with national trade pay
BLS does not track “data center technician” as its own job. Closest trades, May 2025 national medians: electricians $63,190/year ($30.38/hour); HVAC mechanics and installers $61,010/year ($29.33/hour); electrical and electronics installers and repairers $74,490/year. BLS sources: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm and https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm.
The jobs we checked mostly start at or above these medians. Our sample is six large employers, mostly in high-cost areas.
How to reach the top of the range
1. Learn both sides. Techs who understand power, cooling and IT hardware fit more jobs.
2. Get certifications employers name. QTS lists A+, Network+ and BICSI Installer 1. SpaceX lists EPA 608 and journeyman-level trade credentials. Target lists OSHA 10/30 and NFPA 70E.
3. Learn the paperwork. MOPs, SOPs and EOPs (written procedures) appear in SpaceX, Target and Equinix postings.
4. Move up a level. At SpaceX, the Level 3 floor ($41.00) is above the Level 1 ceiling ($32.50).
Starting out? https://maintenancejob.tech/blog/how-to-become-a-data-center-technician. For other trades, see https://maintenancejob.tech/maintenance-technician-salary.
FAQ
How much does a data center technician make per hour? In our six November 2026 postings, hourly pay started between $23.00 and $37.64/hour, and tops ranged from $47.99 to $65.91/hour. Salaried jobs work out to about $31 to $36/hour at the start.
Do data center technicians make six figures? Some do at the top of the range. Four of six postings publish a top above $100,000/year (or hourly equivalent): AWS, Target, SpaceX and Equinix. Starting pay is lower, usually $65,000 to $78,300.
Which pays more, IT or facilities jobs? In our small sample, facilities and engineering-operations jobs had higher tops ($99,800–$137,100/year) than the one IT-focused technician job (CoreWeave, $85,000 top). Check each job.
Is data center technician pay higher than electrician or HVAC pay? Postings checked start above BLS national medians for electricians ($63,190) and HVAC mechanics ($61,010) in May 2025, but they are large employers in high-cost areas, not a like-for-like comparison.
Sources
Employer postings checked 13 November 2026: AWS (amazon.jobs 10597665), Target (Workday R0000477561), Equinix (JR-164497), QTS (R2026-2235-1), CoreWeave (Greenhouse 4722828006), SpaceX (Greenhouse 8782372002). BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm and https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm (May 2025 wages).