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Phoenix compensation

Data center salaries in Phoenix 2026

In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro, the median electrician earned $29.43 an hour and the median HVAC mechanic $29.41 in May 2025, according to BLS. Posted pay for data center technicians in our October 2026 reading ran $35 to $58 an hour, national. On October 25, 2026, the five hyperscalers listed 68 open data center roles located in Arizona.

Pay in Phoenix

In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro, the median electrician earned $29.43 an hour and the median HVAC mechanic $29.41 in May 2025, according to BLS. Posted pay for data center technicians in our October 2026 reading ran $35 to $58 an hour, national. On October 25, 2026, the five hyperscalers listed 68 open data center roles located in Arizona.

Median electrician pay 3% below and median HVAC mechanic pay the same as the U.S. median (BLS, May 2025)

Employers

Amazon (AWS) lists the most hyperscaler data center roles in Arizona: 29 of 68 on October 25, 2026. Oracle (OCI) 15, Microsoft 11, Meta 11, Google 2. Colocation operators, facilities management firms, commissioning firms and contractors hire for the same sites.

Last reviewed · First published

Figures come from our monthly datasets and change when those pages refresh. BLS wage data updates once a year.

Wages

Local wages

Hourly wages in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro for the trades and engineers who build and run data centers. BLS does not publish a data center technician occupation.

BLS hourly wages in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro
Occupation25thMedian75thMedian vs U.S.Employed
Electricians 47-2111$23.51$29.43$37.053% below17,240
HVAC mechanics 49-9021$22.80$29.41$36.00Same8,070
Electrical engineers 17-2071$38.96$47.67$63.1118% below3,420
Mechanical engineers 17-2141$39.62$48.55$62.213% below3,660

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, hourly. Occupations with fewer than 100 people employed in the metro are left out. Method and every metro on the pay premium study.

Postings

Posted pay

The median low and high ends of the pay ranges stated in data center job postings we read this month. Too few postings state pay to show these by city, so these figures are national.

National posted pay for data center roles
RolePosted rangePostings
Commissioning technician$38 to $60/hr5
Commissioning engineer$101K to $159K16
Commissioning manager or lead$141K to $214K12
Commissioning agent (CxA)$84K to $140K5
Data center technician$35 to $58/hr5
Chief engineer$110K to $166K5

Source: Our October 2026 reading of posted pay, national, shown where at least five postings state pay. Postings by role on the commissioning pay ranges and operations pay ranges pages.

Role guides: Critical Facilities Engineer, Commissioning Agent (CxA), Data Center Technician, MEP Coordinator, Data Center Construction Project Manager, GPU Cluster Engineer.

Local factors

Phoenix pay factors

  • Our Phoenix tracker lists 15 projects: 2 under construction, 7 approved and 4 stalled or cancelled.
  • The 2 projects under construction state 497 MW in total.
  • Luke AFB, about 4,830 military members and DoD civilians.

FAQ

Questions

What does a data center technician make in Phoenix?
Posted pay for data center technicians ran $35 to $58 an hour in our October 2026 reading, the median low and high ends of 5 national postings that stated hourly pay. For the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro, BLS reports the median HVAC mechanic at $29.41 an hour with the 75th percentile at $36.00, and the median electrician at $29.43 with the 75th percentile at $37.05 (May 2025). Shift differential and overtime are paid on top and vary by employer.
Who is hiring data center staff in Phoenix?
Amazon (AWS) lists the most hyperscaler data center roles in Arizona: 29 of 68 on October 25, 2026. Oracle (OCI) 15, Microsoft 11, Meta 11, Google 2. Colocation operators, facilities management firms, commissioning firms and contractors hire for the same sites.
How many data centers are being built in Phoenix?
Our tracker lists 15 Phoenix projects: 2 under construction, 7 approved and 4 stalled or cancelled, as of November 4, 2026.

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