South Dakota needs
sheet metal workers for its data centers
South Dakota is building 500 MW of new data centers. Here is how much sheet metal workers work that makes — and why there are not enough sheet metal workers for it.
Sheet metal workers for South Dakota's data centers: about 105 to spare.
Will South 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 sheet metal workers in South Dakota
South Dakota is building 500 MW of new AI data centers across 1 sites. On a data center, sheet metal workers build and hang the ductwork that moves cool air through the rooms.
Sheet metal workers — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 30 sheet metal workers, and South Dakota already has about 135 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
South Dakota has 1 data-center sites in the works, with 500 MW still to build. That keeps sheet metal workers busy for years: as one job winds down, the next one is starting, so the work does not dry up after a single build.
South Dakota sheet metal workers earn about $49,780 a year on average. Data-center work pays more than that, and when a trade is short, overtime can push experienced sheet metal workers well over $100,000 a year, with health care and a pension through the union.
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 South 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 South Dakota sheet metal workers apprenticeship programs. That is the way in. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.
Get sheet metal workers job updates for South Dakota
New South Dakota data-center sites, tips on getting hired, and pay updates for sheet metal workers.
READ THE NATIONAL SHEET METAL WORKERS SWITCH GUIDE -- $9
National sheet metal workers training, pay, and licensing context. This is not a South Dakota-specific paid guide.
SOUTH DAKOTA PROGRAMS
The South Dakota sheet metal workers apprenticeship programs, schools, and licensing path.
The data centers behind these numbers
- Gemini Data Center – Sioux Falls Technology Park — Gemini Data Center SD LLC, Sioux Falls (500 MW)