Digital Realty 200 Paul

San Francisco's economy is defined by the tech industry headquarters cluster (Salesforce, OpenAI, Airbnb, Uber, Stripe, and dozens more), venture capital, biotech in Mission Bay, and financial services. Data centers are surprisingly small as a physical footprint here — just four tracked facilities, mostly in legacy carrier hotels at 200 Paul and 365 Main — but the 30,704 NAICS 518 jobs (reported, not estimated) include the broader cloud and software workforce that codes against data centers rather than running them. Industry average pay of $346,144 reflects software engineer compensation, not facility wages.

The trades premium here is real but concentrated. Electricians earn $92,830 median across 9,060 workers — one of the highest medians among major metros, with IBEW Local 6 setting the floor. HVAC technicians earn $78,490, a notable gap but matching most major coastal metros. Network admins clear $129,680 and IT managers an extraordinary $232,890, reflecting the local pay scale even for adjacent infrastructure roles.

For a trades worker, San Francisco rewards established electricians and HVAC techs willing to absorb the cost of living. The pure data center facility opportunity is limited; the upside is the broader commercial, biotech cleanroom, and university build-out that pays union-scale wages. Best for experienced trades who can land roles in tech campus or biotech infrastructure work.