Who builds it: the people building AI wear hard hats.

at least 79%

of workers in each of these 13 trades have no four-year degree²

All U.S. workers: 57% (2023 to 24)

$63,190

median pay for electricians, entered through apprenticeship with a high school diploma¹

All U.S. jobs: $50,980. Linemen: $95,320 (May 2025)

16.4%

of construction trade workers are union members³

All wage and salary workers: 10.0%⁴ (2025)

9.2%

projected growth in electrician jobs, 2025 to 2035¹

All U.S. jobs: 3.5%

The AI buildout runs on electricians, pipefitters, ironworkers, laborers and operators. In 11 of these 13 trades, the typical worker earns more than the U.S. median for all jobs¹. Most of these trades need only a high school diploma to start and many train through apprenticeships instead of college¹. Construction trades also carry a higher union rate than the workforce as a whole³.

13 trades plus two related occupations. Shaded pay = above the U.S. median for all jobs ($50,980)¹
Occupation	Median pay, 2025¹	No 4-year degree, 2023 to 24²	Typical entry education¹	Job growth, 2025 to 35¹	Women, 2025⁵	Black, 2025⁵	Asian, 2025⁵	Hispanic, 2025⁵	Union, group, 2025³
Electricians	$63,190	90.8%	High school diploma or equivalent	9.2%	3.5%	9.3%	3.0%	25.0%	16.4%
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters	$63,800	93.3%	High school diploma or equivalent	6.8%	3.1%	7.1%	2.8%	30.3%	16.4%
HVAC mechanics and installers	$61,010	92.8%	Postsecondary nondegree award	10.9%	2.7%	10.4%	4.4%	26.7%	12.5%
Construction laborers	$47,120	92.5%	No formal educational credential	7.3%	4.7%	7.3%	2.0%	55.2%	16.4%
Ironworkers (structural iron and steel)	$62,780	94.6%	High school diploma or equivalent	3.1%	not published	not published	not published	not published	16.4%
Operating engineers and equipment operators *	$59,850	95.5%	High school diploma or equivalent	4.6%	not published	not published	not published	not published	16.4%
Sheet metal workers	$61,800	94.0%	High school diploma or equivalent	2.5%	4.9%	7.1%	2.3%	17.1%	16.4%
Carpenters	$60,580	92.0%	High school diploma or equivalent	3.9%	3.1%	5.8%	1.1%	43.3%	16.4%
Power line installers (linemen)	$95,320	92.7%	High school diploma or equivalent	10.3%	3.8%	12.4%	0.0%	18.2%	12.5%
Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers *	$53,750	96.3%	High school diploma or equivalent	2.4%	5.8%	8.0%	3.0%	29.8%	11.9%
Stationary engineers (facility plant operators)	$78,620	79.6%	High school diploma or equivalent	3.1%	4.1%	19.3%	2.4%	21.5%	11.9%
Maintenance and repair workers	$49,590	91.7%	High school diploma or equivalent	4.2%	5.2%	12.3%	3.8%	21.1%	12.5%
Telecom equipment installers *	$63,890	82.4%	Postsecondary nondegree award	-3.3%	not published	not published	not published	not published	12.5%
Computer network support specialists *	$76,220	50.2%	Associate's degree	1.2%	not published	not published	not published	not published	3.7%
Security guards *	$38,020	83.2%	High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%	22.9%	36.0%	4.7%	21.3%	31.3%
All occupations (U.S.)	$50,980	57.4%	n/a	3.5%	47.1%	12.7%	7.5%	20.0%	10.0%

* BLS reports one education estimate for this occupation and a related one.

One worksite, one account

Anecdote, not typical pay: one worksite, in his words

"The electricians that I interviewed and met two months ago in a data center in Plano, Texas, all under 30 years old, all making $240,000 to $280,000 a year, all with as much overtime as they want, none with any debt."

Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs, on Yahoo Finance's Power Players, July 14, 2026⁶. An anecdote from one site, not a wage statistic. The national median for electricians is $63,190.

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Sources

National figures for each occupation as a whole, not only data center workers. Years differ by table and are labeled. Union rates cover the broad occupation group.