Apple Maiden Data Center

The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro has built a small but visible data center presence around the Google campus in Lenoir, with broader economic activity in furniture manufacturing (the region's heritage), fiber-optic cable production (CommScope), and healthcare. Two tracked facilities and roughly 100 NAICS 518 jobs (estimated). The metro is a small market with disproportionate hyperscaler footprint.

The trades pool is small. Electricians at $53,730 and HVAC technicians at $50,300 sit relatively close, both reflecting North Carolina's non-union wages. The 1,500 maintenance workforce earns $47,690. Network admins clear $80,970, modest in absolute terms.

For a trades worker, the Hickory area is a small but strategically relevant market thanks to the Google Lenoir campus. Best fit for HVAC technicians and electricians comfortable with the regional opportunity concentration. Cost of living is among the lowest in this dataset.