Washington needs
welders for its data centers
Washington is building 788 MW of new data centers. Here is how much welders work that makes — and why there are not enough welders for it.
Welders for Washington's data centers: about 1,802 to spare.
Will Washington 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 welders in Washington
Washington is building 788 MW of new AI data centers across 6 sites. On a data center, welders weld the steel and the pipe that hold the building and its cooling together.
Welders — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 118 welders, and Washington already has about 1,920 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
Washington has 6 data-center sites in the works, with 788 MW still to build. That keeps welders busy for years: as one job winds down, the next one is starting, so the work does not dry up after a single build.
Washington welders earn about $61,730 a year on average. Data-center work pays more than that, and when a trade is short, overtime can push experienced welders 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 Washington 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 Washington welders apprenticeship programs. That is the way in. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.
Get welders job updates for Washington
New Washington data-center sites, tips on getting hired, and pay updates for welders.
READ THE NATIONAL WELDERS SWITCH GUIDE -- $9
National welders training, pay, and licensing context. This is not a Washington-specific paid guide.
WASHINGTON PROGRAMS
The Washington welders apprenticeship programs, schools, and licensing path.
The data centers behind these numbers
- Microsoft Quincy Data Center Campus — Microsoft, Quincy (622 MW)
- Amazon AWS Wallula Gap Campus — Amazon (AWS), Wallula (500 MW)
- Microsoft Malaga WA Data Center — Microsoft, Malaga (288 MW)
- Vantage Data Centers WA1 Quincy Campus — Vantage, Quincy (89 MW)
- Puyallup / Western Washington GPU DC — Voltage Park, Puyallup (10 MW)
- Sabey SDC Columbia – Seattle Region — Vultr, Quincy (size not shared)