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Job outlook for directors, data center operations in the United States
Director, data center operations job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected director, data center operations job growth rate is 16% from 2018-2028.
About 82,400 new jobs for directors, data center operations are projected over the next decade.
Director, data center operations salaries have increased 11% for directors, data center operations in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,404 directors, data center operations currently employed in the United States.
There are 172,831 active director, data center operations job openings in the US.
The average director, data center operations salary is $159,259.
Are director, data center operations jobs in demand?
Director, data center operations job and salary trends over time
Director, data center operations jobs over time
Director, data center operations job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,404 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 3,750 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 3,707 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,451 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 3,287 | 0.00% |
Average director, data center operations salary over time
Director, data center operations salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $159,259 | $76.57 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $154,212 | $74.14 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | $150,177 | $72.20 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $146,689 | $70.52 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | $143,086 | $68.79 | +3.2% |
Director, data center operations jobs by state
Most common states for directors, data center operations
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 661 | 76% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 543 | 72% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 579 | 55% |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 946 | 49% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 2,372 | 43% |
| 6 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 1,131 | 39% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 519 | 39% |
| 8 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 1,182 | 38% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 219 | 38% |
| 10 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 4,600 | 36% |
| 11 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,511 | 36% |
| 12 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 1,081 | 36% |
| 13 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 615 | 36% |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 1,320 | 34% |
| 15 | Alaska | 739,795 | 248 | 34% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 4,255 | 33% |
| 17 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 984 | 33% |
| 18 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,950 | 32% |
| 19 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 1,561 | 32% |
| 20 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 3,214 | 31% |
Most common cities for directors, data center operations
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 1 | 0% | $150,179 |
| 2 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $131,223 |
| 3 | San Jose | 1 | 0% | $175,902 |
Director, Data Center Operations job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of director, data center operations experts
University of South Florida
University of Illinois at Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
Ehsan Sheybani Ph.D.
ProfessorUniversity of South Florida
School of Information Systems and Management
What skills stand out on Director, Data Center Operations resumes?
Ehsan Sheybani Ph.D.: Analytical and problem-solving skills, Strong technical skills, The ability to work well under pressure, attention to detail, teamwork skills, organization and time management, interpersonal and communication skills, management and leadership skills.
What skills will help Directors, Data Center Operations earn the most?
Ehsan Sheybani Ph.D.: Software development, technical sales leadership, mobile app development, business analysis, digital marketing, affiliate marketing, analytical reasoning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and blockchain.
What Director, Data Center Operations skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Matthew Liotine Ph.D.: If a student decides to take time off before moving on to a job or graduate school, they should use that time to develop skills in which you may not receive formal training while in college. For example, skills like leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication are going to be more vital than ever in the new norm.
What type of skills will young Directors, Data Center Operations need?
Peter Dordal Ph.D.: I'm leaving off software developers, and answering about our Information Technology graduates.
IT students entering the business world will need to know how to get the maximum leverage out of business systems. In many cases, this will mean writing their own specialized queries to extract the precise business intelligence needed; general-purpose "canned" queries just won't cut it. They will need a broad understanding of what software can accomplish for the enterprise and how to deploy new software effectively; this applies to software used in the office as well as to software used in manufacturing and shipping. And they will need to understand how to lease storage and computing resources from the cloud to meet not only predictable, long-term demands but also sudden short-term business projects.
Students working in database administration and management will need to be able to manage much larger volumes of data than a few years ago. They will need to be familiar with the great variety of new databases in order to pick the best tool for the job.
Students working in network management will need to be able to ensure that everyone has the bandwidth and server access they need, as those demands expand to include extensive video, low-latency real-time connectivity, and the regular transfer of huge amounts of data.
Students in cybersecurity will need to be fully acquainted with all the recommended best practices. However, they will also have to be able to anticipate and guard against potential new vulnerabilities. "By the book" protection is no longer sufficient.