October 2026 study
Data center construction labor gap by metro
Our trackers list 5,204 MW of stated capacity under construction across nine U.S. metros. At the 1.9 to 5.3 workers per MW that named builds report, that capacity needs 10,009 to 27,754 construction workers at peak. This page sets that demand against the construction workforce BLS counts in each metro and the apprentices each state graduates in a year.
By Czarina Tabayoyong, Founder, Critical Path Hiring. Former Amazon, AWS and Google recruiter.
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Findings
- San Antonio has the largest gap. 1,700 MW under construction across 3 projects needs an estimated 3,269 to 9,067 workers at peak, 7.2% to 20% of the 45,550 construction and extraction workers in the metro. The metro employs 6,660 electricians in total.
- Columbus is second at 4.9% to 14%, from 1,000 MW. 4 of its 5 projects under construction state no capacity, so its demand is higher than the figure shown.
- Northern Virginia's 1,000 MW build, the same size as Columbus's, is 1.7% to 4.7% of its workforce, because the Washington metro employs 113,410 construction workers to Columbus's 39,220.
- 2 of the 9 metros (San Antonio, Columbus) would need 5% or more of their construction workforce on data center sites at the high end of the estimate.
- 10 of the 23 projects under construction state no capacity, so every demand figure here is a floor. Chicago's one site under construction states none, so Chicago shows no estimate.
Demand and supply
- Low estimate
- High estimate
Sorted by the high estimate as a share of the metro construction workforce. Peak workers are estimates: stated MW under construction × 1.9 to 5.3 workers per MW. Supply is BLS May 2025 employment for the metro area. Pipeline adds approved projects with a stated MW.
| Metro | MW under construction | Peak workers, estimate | Construction workforce | Share of workforce | With approved pipeline | Electricians employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | 1,7003 projects | 3,269 to 9,067 | 45,550 | 7.2% to 20% | approved MW not stated | 6,660 |
| Columbus | 1,0005 projects, 4 with no MW stated | 1,923 to 5,333 | 39,220 | 4.9% to 14% | approved MW not stated | 7,210 |
| Northern Virginia | 1,0001 project | 1,923 to 5,333 | 113,410 | 1.7% to 4.7% | 1,216 MW, up to 5.7%2 approved with no MW stated | 16,580 |
| Salt Lake City | 1753 projects, 2 with no MW stated | 337 to 933 | 46,030 | 0.7% to 2.0% | 575 MW, up to 6.7%3 approved with no MW stated | 5,710 |
| Atlanta | 3542 projects | 681 to 1,888 | 93,260 | 0.7% to 2.0% | 1,474 MW, up to 8.4%2 approved with no MW stated | 13,430 |
| Phoenix | 4972 projects | 956 to 2,651 | 132,260 | 0.7% to 2.0% | 1,497 MW, up to 6.0%4 approved with no MW stated | 17,240 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 3704 projects, 2 with no MW stated | 712 to 1,973 | 162,920 | 0.4% to 1.2% | 778 MW, up to 2.5%2 approved with no MW stated | 20,930 |
| Hillsboro | 1082 projects, 1 with no MW stated | 208 to 576 | 57,870 | 0.4% to 1.0% | 256 MW, up to 2.4% | 7,340 |
| Chicago | not stated1 project, 1 with no MW stated | no estimate | 132,250 | approved MW not stated | 17,720 |
Apprenticeship completers
Registered apprenticeship completers, all occupations, federal fiscal year 2025, from the Department of Labor dashboard. These are statewide and cover every apprenticed trade, so they show the size of each state's pipeline rather than new data center electricians. The United States graduated 122,568 apprentices in FY2025.
| State | Completers FY2025 | Completers FY2021 | Change | Peak demand in tracked metros |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 1,958 | 1,761 | +11% | 1,923 to 5,333Northern Virginia |
| Texas | 6,422 | 3,052 | +110% | 3,981 to 11,040San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth |
| Arizona | 1,017 | 675 | +51% | 956 to 2,651Phoenix |
| Georgia | 1,564 | 951 | +64% | 681 to 1,888Atlanta |
| Ohio | 3,236 | 2,777 | +17% | 1,923 to 5,333Columbus |
| Illinois | 3,696 | 3,060 | +21% | no stated MWChicago |
| Utah | 1,023 | 714 | +43% | 337 to 933Salt Lake City |
| Oregon | 1,844 | 1,912 | -4% | 208 to 576Hillsboro |
Texas graduated 6,422 apprentices in FY2025, more than double its FY2021 count. Its two tracked metros need an estimated 3,981 to 11,040 workers at peak on stated capacity alone. Ohio graduated 3,236 against a Columbus peak estimate of 1,923 to 5,333.
Trades by metro
BLS May 2025 employment and the median annual electrician wage for each metro area.
| Metro | Construction and extraction | Electricians | Electrician median pay | HVAC mechanics | Plumbers and pipefitters | Electrical engineers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern VirginiaWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 113,410 | 16,580 | $75,930 | 8,730 | 9,420 | 4,450 |
| Dallas-Fort WorthDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 162,920 | 20,930 | $59,010 | 10,910 | 11,980 | 5,720 |
| PhoenixPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 132,260 | 17,240 | $61,210 | 8,070 | 9,270 | 3,420 |
| AtlantaAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 93,260 | 13,430 | $58,650 | 7,060 | 5,470 | 3,910 |
| ColumbusColumbus, OH | 39,220 | 7,210 | $64,700 | 3,000 | 3,060 | 1,100 |
| ChicagoChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 132,250 | 17,720 | $102,350 | 7,210 | 12,750 | 4,290 |
| Salt Lake CitySalt Lake City-Murray, UT | 46,030 | 5,710 | $62,620 | 2,540 | 3,190 | 810 |
| San AntonioSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 45,550 | 6,660 | $57,010 | 3,160 | 3,190 | 820 |
| HillsboroPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 57,870 | 7,340 | $105,090 | 2,580 | 4,600 | 2,320 |
Workers per MW
The two named builds that publish both a peak workforce and a capacity set the range used above.
| Build | Peak workforce | MW | Workers per MW | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene campus (Oracle, OpenAI, Crusoe), Texas | more than 6,400 on site every day | 1,200 | 5.3 | arrington.house.gov |
| Meta Richland Parish, Louisiana | 5,000 planned peak | 2,600 | 1.9 | ibew.org |
| Aligned IAD-06, Frederick, Maryland (Turner) | 345 workers at topping out | 72 | 4.8 | turnerconstruction.com |
| Microsoft Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin | more than 2,960 jobs at peak activity | not stated | local.microsoft.com | |
| Typical Virginia facility (JLARC) | about 1,500 workers on site per facility at peak | not stated | jlarc.virginia.gov |
Hiring impact
In San Antonio and Columbus, the sites under construction need the largest share of the local construction workforce of the nine metros. Some of that labor comes off other projects or from outside the metro. Owners and contractors on those sites pay for travel, per diem and housing on top of wages. Commissioning teams that follow construction also travel. See our hiring windows by market for when each site reaches commissioning.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Atlanta, the stated capacity under construction fits inside the metro workforce at under 2% even at the high end. The approved pipeline is the larger figure there. Phoenix and Atlanta each have more than 1,000 MW approved with a stated capacity, plus approved projects that state none.
For candidates in the trades, the metros with the largest gaps are where sites are most likely to post travel and per diem terms. Median electrician pay runs from $57,010 to $105,090 across these metros. Our trades pay and labor supply article covers that in more detail.
Method and limits
- Demand: every project in our nine trackers with stage Under construction or Approved, and the MW its own announcements state. 10 of 23 projects under construction state none and count as zero. Where a project states only a full-buildout figure, that figure is used, so some demand is spread over several years rather than hitting at once.
- Workers per MW: 1.9 (Meta Richland Parish, 5,000 workers for 2,600 MW) to 5.3 (Abilene, more than 6,400 for 1,200 MW). Both are campus-scale figures, so the range already reflects phased building. Smaller builds can run higher: Turner reported 345 workers at topping out on a 72 MW building.
- Supply: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan area estimates, major group 47-0000 for construction and extraction and 47-2111 for electricians. Read on data.bls.gov on October 25, 2026. BLS counts workers by where they work, so traveling crews already on site are included.
- Pipeline: Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship completers, all occupations, FY2025, from the Apprentices by State dashboard. Statewide, all trades. No official source publishes electrician completers by state.
- No official source states the electrical share of data center construction labor, so this page compares total construction demand with total construction employment and does not estimate an electrician shortfall.
- The share column divides an estimated peak by a point-in-time employment count. It shows the size of the demand relative to the local pool. Crews travel between metros, so a high share does not mean the pool is exhausted.
Questions
- Which U.S. metro has the biggest data center construction labor gap?
- In our October 2026 tracker, San Antonio: 1,700 MW under construction needs an estimated 3,269 to 9,067 construction workers at peak, which is 7.2% to 20% of the 45,550 construction and extraction workers BLS counts in the metro. Columbus is next at 4.9% to 14%.
- How many construction workers does a data center need?
- Named builds that publish both a peak workforce and a capacity run from about 1.9 to 5.3 workers per MW: Meta's Richland Parish campus at 5,000 for 2,600 MW and the Abilene campus at more than 6,400 for 1,200 MW. A 100 MW phase is therefore about 192 to 533 workers at peak. These are estimates and depend on design and schedule.
- Are there enough electricians for data center construction?
- No official source states what share of data center construction labor is electrical, so we don't publish an electrician shortfall. BLS projects about 72,700 electrician openings a year nationally through 2035. The metros we track employ between 5,710 and 20,930 electricians each.
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Czarina Tabayoyong
Founder and principal recruiter, Critical Path Hiring. Czarina recruits commissioning, MEP, power and critical facilities people for data center builds. She previously recruited cloud and data center architecture talent at AWS Professional Services, and PMO and project delivery talent for hyperscale data center campuses in Texas and Virginia.