North Dakota needs
elevator mechanics for its data centers
North Dakota is building 2.5 GW of new data centers. Here is how much elevator mechanics work that makes — and why there are not enough elevator mechanics for it.
Will North Dakota have enough workers?
At the busiest point of the build. Bars to the left mean a shortage (good if you are in that trade). Bars to the right mean workers to spare.
What this means for elevator mechanics in North Dakota
North Dakota is building 2.5 GW of new AI data centers across 9 sites. On a data center, elevator mechanics put in and care for the freight elevators that move heavy gear between floors.
There is not enough local pay or job data to call a clear shortage for elevator mechanics in North Dakota yet, but the work is real and steady.
North Dakota has 9 data-center sites in the works, with 2.5 GW still to build. That keeps elevator mechanics busy for years: as one job winds down, the next one is starting, so the work does not dry up after a single build.
It is the same across the country: builders cannot find enough skilled workers. The U.S. needs about 140,000 more trade workers by 2030 to build all the data centers, and most builders say hiring is their hardest problem. Microsoft's president has called the shortage of electricians the biggest thing slowing data centers down.
The building work runs a few years, not forever — but North Dakota has enough lined up to keep you busy, and the skills carry over to every other big job in the state. To start, look at the North Dakota elevator mechanics apprenticeship programs. That is the way in. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.
Get elevator mechanics job updates for North Dakota
New North Dakota data-center sites, tips on getting hired, and pay updates for elevator mechanics.
READ THE NATIONAL ELEVATOR MECHANICS SWITCH GUIDE -- $9
National elevator mechanics training, pay, and licensing context. This is not a North Dakota-specific paid guide.
NORTH DAKOTA PROGRAMS
The North Dakota elevator mechanics apprenticeship programs, schools, and licensing path.
The data centers behind these numbers
- River Run Energy Center – Mercer County Data Center — NextEra Energy Resources, Stanton area (1.5 GW)
- Project Fighting Pike – Williston Campus — Critical Data House, Williston (455 MW)
- Polaris Forge 2 — Applied Digital, Harwood (280 MW)
- Polaris Forge 1 – Building 3 — Applied Digital, Ellendale (150 MW)
- Polaris Forge 1 – Building 1 (ELN02) — Applied Digital, Ellendale (100 MW)
- Core Scientific Grand Forks Data Center (Grand Forks 1) — CoreWeave, Grand Forks (100 MW)