Chief Engineer, Data Center Salary in Columbus, OH

This is the Data Center Headhunters salary guide.

BLS does not measure Chief Engineer, Data Center as its own occupation, so this page uses Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators (SOC 51-8021, broader occupation). The median annual wage in Columbus, OH was $79,680 (BLS, May 2025), and the middle half earned $65,440 to $82,150. That is $1,060 above the national median of $78,620.

This is what we do all day: recruit data center professionals.

Broader occupation

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.

Columbus, OH

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Columbus, OH, annual wages
Point	Annual wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$60,600	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$65,440	25% earned less than this.
Median	$79,680	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$82,150	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$90,200	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$76,970	Average wage.

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Columbus, OH, hourly wages
Point	Hourly wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$29.14	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$31.46	25% earned less than this.
Median	$38.31	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$39.5	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$43.37	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$37.01	Average wage.

United States

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, United States, annual wages
Point	Annual wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$50,590	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$63,160	25% earned less than this.
Median	$78,620	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$101,150	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$125,390	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$83,960	Average wage.

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, United States, hourly wages
Point	Hourly wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$24.32	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$30.37	25% earned less than this.
Median	$37.8	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$48.63	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$60.28	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$40.37	Average wage.

What BLS wages cover: OEWS includes base rates, guaranteed pay, commissions and production incentives. It excludes on-call waiting or availability pay, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. The on-call exclusion covers time awaiting a call to work, not ordinary wages for hours actually worked. These are straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Discuss per diem, travel and relocation separately. BLS pay-term definitions.

Employment: 120. Location quotient: 0.6.

Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-8021 Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Columbus, OH. Download metropolitan data (ZIP).

Pay relative to all occupations

Median for this occupation divided by the all-occupations median, same area, same annual basis
Measure	Value
This occupation, median	$79,680
All occupations (SOC 00-0000), median	$51,340
Relative wage	1.55 times

A ratio of 1.00 means the same median as all workers in the area. It is arithmetic on two BLS medians, not a BLS statistic.

Change since the prior BLS release

Median annual wage, same SOC and same BLS area code, two releases
Reference period	Median
May 2024	$75,480
May 2025	$79,680
Difference	+$4,200 (+5.6%)

Two published BLS values, shown as released. Not annualized, not adjusted for inflation, and BLS metro boundaries and survey panels can differ between releases.

What is inside the BLS pay figure

For an operations offer, separate standby availability payments from wages for hours actually worked. BLS excludes on-call waiting pay and shift differentials. Ordinary straight-time wages for work performed are not excluded by the on-call rule.

Pay components for Critical Facilities Operations roles against the BLS wage definition
Component	In the BLS figure?	Note
Base rate and guaranteed pay	Included	BLS counts the "base rate" and "guaranteed pay".
Production and incentive pay	Included	BLS counts "incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses".
On-call waiting or availability pay matters here	Left out	BLS excludes payment for time spent awaiting a call to work, not ordinary wages for hours actually worked. BLS on-call pay definition.
Overtime pay	Left out	BLS excludes "overtime pay". Straight-time pay only.
Shift differentials matters here	Left out	BLS excludes "shift differentials", so night and weekend premiums are not in the figure.
Project-completion and discretionary bonuses	Depends on the terms	Guaranteed pay and production incentives are included. Discretionary nonproduction bonuses are excluded. Check how the payment is defined.
Per diem, travel and relocation	Left out	BLS does not name these as wages. They are expense reimbursements and are not in the figure.
Benefits and employer costs	Left out	BLS excludes "employer costs for supplementary benefits".

Nearby and other areas

Recruiter's read

Qualitative, not from BLS data.

Chief Engineer, Data Center candidates are usually screened on owns maintenance program and vendors; Uptime Tier or M&O exposure; CMMS (e.g. Maximo); stationary engineer license where a city requires it.

We usually find them through colo and enterprise sites; hospital and Class A chief engineers with critical load exposure. We contact working people directly rather than relying on job applications.

Hiring Market Brief

A one-page brief for Chief Engineer, Data Center in Columbus, OH: BLS pay, mapping and caveats.

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What the published rows say about Chief Engineer, Data Center pay in Columbus, OH

Chief Engineer, Data Center maps to Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, SOC 51-8021. For Columbus, OH, the May 2025 OEWS annual median is $79,680; the middle half runs from $65,440 to $82,150. This is a broader occupation, not a separate wage estimate for this exact job. BLS does not separate seniority titles that share this row. Set out the shift, switching authority and on-call duties before comparing offers. A site-based position and a traveling service job can share a wage row without offering the same working conditions.

The middle-half spread is $16,710: $14,240 from the 25th percentile to the median and $2,470 from the median to the 75th. The lower interval is wider. Use these points to compare an offer, not to price a junior or senior hire. Percentiles are not experience bands, and this distribution alone does not explain why individual workers earn different amounts.

The local median is $1,060 above the national $78,620 on the same annual basis. Both rows cover SOC 51-8021 in May 2025. This is a wage comparison, not a cost-of-living adjustment or evidence of a separate data center premium.

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH reports a annual median of $72,090 for this occupation in May 2025. It is one of the two nearest usable metro reference points, measured from the Census area internal point. That is $7,590 below Columbus, OH's median.

Lima, OH reports a annual median of $85,930 for this occupation in May 2025. It is one of the two nearest usable metro reference points, measured from the Census area internal point. That is $6,250 above Columbus, OH's median.

The highest exact national industry medians in the loaded SOC 51-8021 rows are Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors at $145,950 and Finance and Insurance at $123,160. These are May 2025 national occupation estimates, not local data center pay. The loaded data has no local industry-by-occupation breakdown, so it cannot rank industries within Columbus, OH.

The matched median moved from $75,480 in May 2024 to $79,680 in May 2025: $4,200 higher. Both rows use SOC 51-8021, area 18140 and the same annual basis. This is not adjusted for inflation or annualized, and it does not attribute the change to a particular employer.

OEWS includes base rates, guaranteed pay, commissions and production incentives. It excludes on-call waiting or availability pay, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. The on-call exclusion covers time awaiting a call to work, not ordinary wages for hours actually worked. This is neither pure base salary nor total compensation. Agree travel, per diem and relocation terms separately. No verified Chief Engineer, Data Center-specific allowance is in this occupation row, so none is added to the figures.

Questions about Chief Engineer, Data Center pay in Columbus, OH

Which BLS row supports Chief Engineer, Data Center pay in Columbus, OH?

Chief Engineer, Data Center maps to SOC 51-8021, Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators. The May 2025 annual median for Columbus, OH is $79,680. The broader mapping is not a separate survey of this niche title.

Does the figure cover the whole offer for Chief Engineer, Data Center?

OEWS includes base rates, guaranteed pay, commissions and production incentives. It excludes on-call waiting or availability pay, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. The on-call exclusion covers time awaiting a call to work, not ordinary wages for hours actually worked. Travel and relocation terms still need their own discussion; this row supplies no separate allowance.

Nearest-area selection uses Census Gazetteer internal points, not road distance. Source: 2025 Census Gazetteer.