Commercial trades hiring in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is completing a $900M patient tower, while AWS builds an active data center campus nearby. Critical-power electricians now run above the national rate.
A $900M hospital tower, and an active data center campus.
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre's construction share of employment runs at 5.8%, above the 5.5% national figure - driven by a genuinely large hospital expansion and an emerging data center corridor.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is completing a $900M expansion - an 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower that finished structural steel in July 2026, opening Q1 2028, with campus renovations continuing through 2030. It'll increase capacity from 356 to 500 beds and operating rooms from 12 to 18.
Separately, Amazon Web Services is building a data center in Salem Township, part of a combined $20 billion Pennsylvania investment with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed. A much larger data center campus proposed by NorthPoint Development on roughly 1,280 acres in Hazle Township was denied by township supervisors in a 3-0 vote in November 2025 and is now in litigation, not under construction.
Major capital projects driving Scranton-Wilkes-Barre commercial trades demand
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center expansion$900MStructural steel complete July 2026; tower opens Q1 2028; renovations through 2030
An 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower increasing capacity from 356 to 500 beds and operating rooms from 12 to 18, plus an expanded emergency department.
- AWS data center (Salem Township)Part of a $20B combined AWS Pennsylvania investmentUnder development
One of two Amazon Web Services data centers in the state, with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed.
- NorthPoint Development data center campus (Hazle Township)UndisclosedPermit denied Nov 2025, developer appealing
A 15-building data center campus proposed on approximately 1,280 acres. Hazle Township supervisors voted 3-0 to deny the plan; the developer is now pursuing litigation/appeal, so this remains a proposal, not an active project.
What you'll actually pay - by role.
Hourly wages for the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA area, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release for May 2025. These are the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile BLS reports — not our estimate of them. Each row names the BLS occupation it was read from, because our job titles and BLS's occupations are not the same list.
Measured against the BLS national median for the same occupation, field trades in the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre area run from −10% for roofers to +10% for electricians. The spread between trades is wider than the gap between most cities, which is why a single "market premium" figure is not much use when you are pricing a specific role.
| Role | Scranton-Wilkes-Barre hourly | National hourly | Median vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial construction superintendentBLS Construction Managers (11-9021) | $43.24 – $63.59median $52.17 | $42.57 – $72.91median $55.28 | −6% |
| Commercial electrician (journeyman)BLS Electricians (47-2111) | $24.46 – $47.24median $33.44 | $23.76 – $40.36median $30.38 | +10% |
| Commercial plumber, pipefitter or steamfitter (journeyman)BLS Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $23.05 – $34.74median $29.40 | $24.13 – $40.92median $30.67 | −4% |
| Heavy equipment operatorBLS Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $24.92 – $35.72median $28.52 | $23.40 – $37.10median $28.78 | −1% |
| Sheet metal workerBLS Sheet Metal Workers (47-2211) | $26.11 – $41.08median $31.37 | $22.99 – $39.24median $29.71 | +6% |
| Commercial rooferBLS Roofers (47-2181) | $22.15 – $34.25median $23.86 | $22.24 – $31.44median $26.65 | −10% |
| Commercial HVAC technicianBLS Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (49-9021) | $23.64 – $35.18median $29.69 | $23.25 – $37.05median $29.33 | +1% |
| Commercial estimatorBLS Cost Estimators (13-1051) | $29.36 – $46.78median $36.41 | $29.40 – $48.97median $37.86 | −4% |
BLS counts plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters and sprinkler fitters as one occupation. We do not split them here, because splitting them would mean inventing a number BLS does not publish.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. 25th–75th percentile hourly, Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA, retrieved October 15, 2026. Download the source file (40 MB .zip) and check any figure. BLS publishes no commercial-only, journeyman-only or certification-specific wage, so we do not print one.
What's happening in Scranton, trade by trade.
Quick read of the current Scranton-Wilkes-Barre market for each of our 20 commercial trades verticals.
HVAC & Mechanical
Geisinger's 600,000 sq ft patient tower and the region's two planned data center campuses both need substantial mechanical systems work.
Commercial Electrical
The single largest premium in this metro. Data center electricians/critical-power technicians run above the national rate, tied to AWS's active $20B Pennsylvania investment (NorthPoint's proposed 15-building campus was denied by Hazle Township supervisors and remains in litigation, not active construction).
Commercial Plumbing
Standard commercial plumbing carries a modest regional premium; Geisinger's expansion adds real healthcare-plumbing demand.
Commercial Construction
Superintendents with hyperscale data center or healthcare delivery experience are the clear premium hire across Geisinger's $900M tower and two concurrent data center projects.
Commercial Roofing
Geisinger's 11-story tower carries enormous roofing scope; standard commercial roofing carries a modest regional premium.
Fire Protection
Clean-agent data center suppression and healthcare-grade suppression for Geisinger's expansion are both specialized, code-heavy niches.
Paving & Asphalt
Site work across AWS's Salem Township facility drives substantial, sustained heavy-civil demand.
Commercial Landscaping
Corporate campus landscaping for the region's two planned data center campuses, plus standard institutional demand tied to Geisinger's expansion.
Commercial Flooring
Data center raised-access flooring and healthcare-grade flooring for Geisinger's tower are distinct, higher-skill installs than conventional commercial flooring.
Commercial Painting
Standard commercial painting demand carries a modest regional premium, with healthcare-facility and data center coatings as smaller specialty niches.
Commercial Cleaning & FM
Data center-grade cleaning protocols and healthcare-grade cleaning for Geisinger's expanded campus are distinct, higher-skill tiers from conventional office cleaning.
Welding & Fabrication
Structural fabrication for Geisinger's tower and the region's planned data center campuses is steady, sustained demand.
Commercial Irrigation
A specialist trade most contractors still source through agriculture or generalist staffing - we recruit it directly, not as an afterthought.
Commercial Pest Control
Licensing-driven and referral-heavy - a maintained, license-verified pipeline outperforms reactive posting in this trade specifically.
Commercial Trucking
A licensing-bottlenecked market where CDL credentials and clean records matter more than resume keywords.
Elevator Maintenance
A small, credential-gated labor pool most generalist recruiters can't actually verify.
Insulation
Mechanical insulators and building-envelope installers are two distinct hiring pools most recruiters treat as one.
LED & Solar
One of the fastest-growing trades we track nationally, and one of the least served by specialist recruiters.
Masonry & Concrete
A small, referral-driven labor pool where reputation moves faster than job postings.
Physical Security
Installers and integrators need both electrical and IT skill - a dual-skillset hiring problem most firms get wrong.
The positions we fill in Scranton, most often.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial trades contractors in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre - from senior leadership down to field roles. The positions we recruit for in this market:
- Data center electrician / critical-power technician - the hardest hire in the region
- Healthcare-construction electrician (Geisinger)
- Superintendent with hyperscale data center or healthcare delivery experience
- Project manager (data center, healthcare, commercial GC)
- Senior estimator
- Heavy equipment operator (data center site work)
- Service manager (HVAC, electrical, plumbing)
For a full list of the 80+ commercial trades positions we recruit for, see the individual industry pages - each lists the 10 most-recruited roles for that trade with current wage ranges.
Frequently asked — commercial trades hiring in Scranton.
How do you hire commercial trades talent in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre in 2026?
Commercial trades hiring in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre in 2026 is shaped by a major hospital expansion running alongside an active data center project. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is completing a $900M, 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower - structural steel finished July 2026, opening Q1 2028 - increasing capacity from 356 to 500 beds and operating rooms from 12 to 18. Separately, Amazon Web Services is building a data center in Salem Township as part of a combined $20B Pennsylvania investment with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed. A much larger data center campus proposed by NorthPoint Development on about 1,280 acres in Hazle Township was denied by township supervisors in November 2025 and is now in litigation, not under construction. Against the BLS national median for the same occupation, field trades here run from −10% for roofers to +10% for electricians. Pennsylvania has no statewide contractor license for electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work - licensing is set locally by each municipality. My Trade Talent screens Scranton-Wilkes-Barre candidates against both the near-parity general market and the data center-specific specialty premium.
How long does it take to hire a commercial trades professional in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
For field roles: typically 4-6 weeks from intake to signed offer. Data center electricians and critical-power technicians run considerably longer, 9-12 weeks, because AWS's active data center project needs a very specific, scarce skill set that's in demand nationally.
Are commercial trades wages in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre higher than the national average?
Against the BLS national median for the same occupation, field trades here run from −10% for roofers to +10% for electricians. The clear exception is data center electrical work - critical-power technicians run above the national rate, tied to AWS's $20B Pennsylvania investment. (A separate, much larger proposed campus by NorthPoint Development was denied by Hazle Township supervisors in November 2025 and remains in litigation, not active construction.)
What's driving commercial trades demand in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre right now?
A major hospital expansion running alongside an active data center project. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is completing a $900M, 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower expansion - structural steel finished July 2026, opening Q1 2028 - increasing capacity from 356 to 500 beds. Separately, Amazon Web Services is building a data center in Salem Township as part of a combined $20B Pennsylvania investment. A much larger data center campus proposed by NorthPoint Development on about 1,280 acres in Hazle Township was denied by township supervisors in November 2025 and is now in litigation, not under construction.
What licensing applies to commercial trades contractors in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
Pennsylvania has no statewide electrical, plumbing, or HVAC contractor license. Commercial trades licensing is set locally by each of Pennsylvania's 2,562 municipalities - the same structure documented on our Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Harrisburg-Carlisle, and Lancaster metro pages.
We have written up 1 of the searches we closed in Scranton this year - the seat, what made it hard, and how long it took. Read them →
Hiring commercial trades in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre?
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