Meta Beaver Dam
Meta's AI data center campus of about 700,000 square feet in Beaver Dam, Dodge County, Wisconsin, with more than $1 billion of investment and an expected 2027 opening. Mortenson is the general contractor; about 1,000 construction workers are expected on site at peak. A state economic development official said the construction jobs would be high-paying union jobs.
Key facts
- Capacity
- Not available
- Estimated cost
- $1,000,000,000
- Building size
- 700,000 sq ft
- Construction start
- 2025Already under way at the November 2025 announcement
- Expected completion
- 2027Operations begin
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
Unions
Union labor was reported, but no specific union is named in the sources reviewed.
Locals with jurisdiction over this site
Local with jurisdiction over this site (not confirmed on the job)
- Electricians
- Plumbers & pipefitters
- Ironworkers
- Sheet metal & HVAC
- Operating engineers (heavy equipment)
- Boilermakers
Prevailing wages (government minimums)
Minimum hourly pay the U.S. Department of Labor sets for federally funded building work in Dodge County, by trade. It is a floor, not what this project pays: data center jobs often pay above scale, and non-union survey rates can be many years old.
| Trade | Wage /hr | Overtime 1.5× | Double time 2× | Benefits /hr | Total comp /hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElectriciansUnion rate · IBEW Local 159 · effective May 26, 2024ELECTRICIANSOvertime 1.5× $72.83 · Double time 2× $97.10 · Benefits /hr $25.91 | $48.55 | $72.83 | $97.10 | $25.91 | $74.46 |
| ElectriciansUnion rate · IBEW Local 494 · effective Jun 1, 2025ELECTRICIANOvertime 1.5× $67.80 · Double time 2× $90.40 · Benefits /hr $25.27 | $45.20 | $67.80 | $90.40 | $25.27 | $70.47 |
| ElectriciansUnion rate · IBEW Local 890 · effective Jun 1, 2024ELECTRICIANOvertime 1.5× $65.48 · Double time 2× $87.30 · Benefits /hr $23.59 | $43.65 | $65.48 | $87.30 | $23.59 | $67.24 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 75 · effective Jun 1, 2025PLUMBER: INCLUDING HVAC WORKOvertime 1.5× $90.08 · Double time 2× $120.10 · Benefits /hr $27.90 | $60.05 | $90.08 | $120.10 | $27.90 | $87.95 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 601 · effective Jun 1, 2025PIPEFITTER: INCLUDING HVAC WORKOvertime 1.5× $88.38 · Double time 2× $117.84 · Benefits /hr $31.34 | $58.92 | $88.38 | $117.84 | $31.34 | $90.26 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 400 · effective Jun 1, 2025PLUMBER/PIPEFITTER, INCLUDING HVAC WORKOvertime 1.5× $75.03 · Double time 2× $100.04 · Benefits /hr $23.29 | $50.02 | $75.03 | $100.04 | $23.29 | $73.31 |
| IronworkersUnion rate · Iron Workers Local 383 · effective Jun 1, 2025IRONWORKEROvertime 1.5× $66.00 · Double time 2× $88.00 · Benefits /hr $32.66 | $44.00 | $66.00 | $88.00 | $32.66 | $76.66 |
| Sheet metal & HVACUnion rate · Sheet Metal Workers Local 18 · effective Jun 1, 2025SHEET METAL WORKER: INCLUDING HVAC WORK (DODGE AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES)Overtime 1.5× $87.05 · Double time 2× $116.06 · Benefits /hr $29.98 | $58.03 | $87.05 | $116.06 | $29.98 | $88.01 |
| LaborersUnion rate · Laborers Local 268 · effective Jun 2, 2025LABORER, GENERAL: AREA 2Overtime 1.5× $55.58 · Double time 2× $74.10 · Benefits /hr $19.97 | $37.05 | $55.58 | $74.10 | $19.97 | $57.02 |
| LaborersUnion rate · Laborers Local 330 · effective Jun 1, 2025LABORERS, GENERALOvertime 1.5× $55.58 · Double time 2× $74.10 · Benefits /hr $19.97 | $37.05 | $55.58 | $74.10 | $19.97 | $57.02 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Union rate · Operating Engineers Local 139 · effective Jun 2, 2025OPERATOR: POWER EQUIPMENT (3) TRAVELLING CRANE (BRIDGE TYPE)Overtime 1.5× $68.60 · Double time 2× $91.46 · Benefits /hr $27.89 | $45.73 | $68.60 | $91.46 | $27.89 | $73.62 |
| CarpentersUnion rate · Carpenters Local 314 · effective Jun 2, 2025CARPENTER, INCLUDING DRYWALL HANGING, ACOUSTICAL WORK: PILEDRIVERMANOvertime 1.5× $66.68 · Double time 2× $88.90 · Benefits /hr $28.78 | $44.45 | $66.68 | $88.90 | $28.78 | $73.23 |
| BoilermakersUnion rate · Boilermakers Local 107 · effective Jan 1, 2025BOILERMAKER (BOILERMAKER)Overtime 1.5× $69.78 · Double time 2× $93.04 · Benefits /hr $34.63 | $46.52 | $69.78 | $93.04 | $34.63 | $81.15 |
| InsulatorsUnion rate · Heat and Frost Insulators Local 19 · effective Jun 1, 2025ASBESTOS WORKERS/INSULATOR: INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTE…Overtime 1.5× $68.82 · Double time 2× $91.76 · Benefits /hr $38.15 | $45.88 | $68.82 | $91.76 | $38.15 | $84.03 |
| InsulatorsUnion rate · Heat and Frost Insulators Local 127 · effective Jun 1, 2025HEAT AND FROST INSULATOR: INCLUDES THE APPLICATION OF ALL INSULATING MATERIALS, PROTECT…Overtime 1.5× $67.86 · Double time 2× $90.48 · Benefits /hr $30.56 | $45.24 | $67.86 | $90.48 | $30.56 | $75.80 |
| PaintersNon-union survey rate · effective Jan 23, 2002 · old ratePAINTERS: SPRAYOvertime 1.5× $20.58 · Double time 2× $27.44 · Benefits /hr $2.25 | $13.72 | $20.58 | $27.44 | $2.25 | $15.97 |
| RoofersNon-union survey rate · effective Jan 23, 2002 · old rateROOFEROvertime 1.5× $23.28 · Double time 2× $31.04 · Benefits /hr $3.21 | $15.52 | $23.28 | $31.04 | $3.21 | $18.73 |
| Teamsters (drivers)Non-union survey rate · effective Jan 23, 2002 · old rateTRUCK DRIVER (3-AXLE)Overtime 1.5× $22.92 · Double time 2× $30.56 · Benefits /hr $4.78 | $15.28 | $22.92 | $30.56 | $4.78 | $20.06 |
- Wage:
- the hourly pay in the worker's paycheck, before taxes, at straight time.
- Overtime and double time:
- the wage × 1.5 and × 2. Federal contracts require time and a half after 40 hours a week; when double time applies (for example Sundays, holidays or after 10–12 hours) is set by each union contract.
- Benefits:
- paid by the employer on top of the wage into the worker's health insurance, pension and annuity, and apprenticeship training funds (sometimes vacation and holiday pay). Not in the paycheck.
- Total comp:
- wage + benefits for one straight-time hour.
Journeyman rates only; shift premiums and per diem are not included. Source: Davis-Bacon general wage determinations on SAM.gov.
Apprentices: rates above are for journeymen. Apprentices are usually paid a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40–60% and rising about 10 percentage points every 6 months to a year until they reach the full rate. Exact steps vary by trade and local.
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination WI20260011 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
Per diem reported
Typical per diem reported · Beaver Dam
$125–$133 /day
Range $125–$140 · 3 reports
Per diem is a daily allowance for meals and lodging. It is usually paid only to travelers, often those who live 50+ miles from the job, and it varies by contractor. These are amounts reported in job posts, union job boards and worker posts for this area: they are not guaranteed. "Typical" is the middle half of the reports.
| Job | Per day |
|---|---|
| Journeyman / master electricianJob listing · Arnor Systems (per email domain) · Facebook (group: Per Diem Electrical Jobs) · Jul 14, 2026 | $125 |
| Traveling journeyman electricianJob listing · Kidwell · Job board (jobs.usoln.org) · View post (opens in a new tab) | $140 |
| Journeyman electricianJob listing · Queue · Energy Job Shop · View post (opens in a new tab) | $125 |
Weekly amounts are divided by 7 and monthly amounts by 30. Not counted: shift-completion bonuses ("incentives"), per diem built into the hourly wage, jobs with lodging provided, and office or safety roles. Posts on personal social media profiles are counted but not linked.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public sources:
- Construction Dive (opens in a new tab)constructiondive.com · News
- ENR (opens in a new tab)enr.com · News
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (WI) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- Wisconsin Labor History Society (opens in a new tab)wisconsinlaborhistory.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination WI20260011 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
- WISN (opens in a new tab)wisn.com · News
- Area Development (opens in a new tab)areadevelopment.com · News
- Wisconsin Public Radio (opens in a new tab)wpr.org · News
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