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Job outlook for data center operators in the United States
Data center operator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected data center operator job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 83,100 new jobs for data center operators are projected over the next decade.
Data center operator salaries have increased 16% for data center operators in the last 5 years.
There are over 19,197 data center operators currently employed in the United States.
There are 120,016 active data center operator job openings in the US.
The average data center operator salary is $46,763.
Are data center operator jobs in demand?
Data center operator job and salary trends over time
Data center operator jobs over time
Data center operator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19,197 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 27,336 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 16,568 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 23,389 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 27,231 | 0.01% |
Average data center operator salary over time
Data center operator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $46,763 | $22.48 | +3.5% |
| 2025 | $45,199 | $21.73 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $43,830 | $21.07 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $42,329 | $20.35 | +4.7% |
| 2022 | $40,416 | $19.43 | +4.6% |
Data center operator jobs by state
Most common states for data center operators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,756 | 40% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 391 | 37% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 242 | 33% |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 618 | 32% |
| 5 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 389 | 29% |
| 6 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 197 | 28% |
| 7 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 768 | 26% |
| 8 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,360 | 24% |
| 9 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,962 | 22% |
| 10 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 359 | 21% |
| 11 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,547 | 20% |
| 12 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,240 | 20% |
| 13 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,197 | 20% |
| 14 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 880 | 20% |
| 15 | Vermont | 623,657 | 125 | 20% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 203 | 19% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 378 | 18% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,216 | 17% |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 233 | 17% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 97 | 17% |
Most common cities for data center operators
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterbury | 1 | 1% | $48,590 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $50,106 |
| 3 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $50,242 |
Data Center Operator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of data center operator experts
The University of Maine
Dr. Jon Ippolito
Professor of New MediaThe University of Maine
School of Computing and Information Science
What skills stand out on Data Center Operator resumes?
Dr. Jon Ippolito: Although we often hear about positions in urban centers like San Francisco, online job listings, as well as a survey of New Media alumni, affirm that even in a rural state like Maine, many businesses and organizations seek workers with new media skills, from web and mobile developers to user interface and experience designers to digital storytellers capable of crafting compelling videos and social media campaigns.
As of this writing, Google (https://jobs.google.com) reports 133 jobs in Maine for a data scientist, 130 openings for a web developer, 100 for an AI scientist, 80 for a web designer, 72 for a UX/UI designer, 58 for a mobile developer, 43 for a social media manager, and 16 for a video producer/editor. This does not count the increasing number of jobs that permit remote work, which accounts for 75% of programming listings in 2021, according to The Economist (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/08/11/for-programmers-remote-working-is-becoming-the-norm).