Most Likely Locations for New Data Centers in the Next 10 Years

By Evan Comen  •  October 29, 2025
https://climate-crisis-247-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/28174337/County-Power-System-Vulnerability-And-Projected-Data-Center-Locations-150x150.png

As the AI arms race drives up power demand across the United States, technology companies are forecast to build thousands of new data centers across the country. Data center load growth has more than tripled over the past decade, and is projected to triple again in the next several years.

In a study published last month, researchers from the IM3 project of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory modeled factors like water access, land use, population growth, and existing electricity infrastructure to map where new data centers are most likely to be built over the next 10 years. While existing electricity demand is a factor in data center suitability, researchers forecast that many new data centers will be added to counties where power grid vulnerability is already high, pushing power demand to dangerous highs. A closer look at the data reveals where researchers predict the most new data centers will be built in the next 10 years.

To determine the most likely locations for new data centers in the next 10 years, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data from the IM3 project of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. Counties were ranked based on the number of new data centers projected to be built from 2025 to 2035. Supplemental data on forecast population change is from the University of Illinois Chicago and are based on the SSP2 shared social pathway scenario, a "middle-of-the-road" scenario in which demographic and economic trends largely continue in line with historical trends. Data on Power Stress Vulnerability Index score are from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

25. Newton County, GA

Photo by Beau Carpenter on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +30 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +11,652 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 48.6/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Covington
 

24. Utah County, UT

Photo by Aubrey Odom on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +31 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +129,361 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 71.4/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Provo
 

23. DuPage County, IL

Photo by Jimmy T on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +31 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +7,127 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 93.7/100 (major)
  • County seat: Wheaton
 

22. Fairfax County, VA

Photo by Venkatesan P on Pexels

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +33 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +76,790 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 96.9/100 (major)
  • County seat: Fairfax
 

21. Santa Clara County, CA

Photo by Bhargav Shah on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +33 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +239,954 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 99.4/100 (severe)
  • County seat: San Jose
 

20. Hanover County, VA

Photo by LuAnn Hunt on Pexels

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +34 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +6,727 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 71.2/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Hanover
 

19. Rockland County, NY

Photo by İsmail Enes Ayhan on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +42 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +12,299 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 92.3/100 (major)
  • County seat: New City
 

18. Clark County, NV

Photo by Ryan Hafey on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +42 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +376,039 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 98.0/100 (severe)
  • County seat: Las Vegas
 

17. Dallas County, TX

Photo by Erin Hervey on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +43 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +426,942 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 99.2/100 (severe)
  • County seat: Dallas
 

16. Orange County, VA

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +46 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +3,246 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 14.6/100 (minor)
  • County seat: Orange
 

15. Cass County, ND

Photo by Sunil GC on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +48 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +57,067 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 83.9/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Fargo
 

14. Cook County, IL

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +49 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +4,119 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 98.4/100 (severe)
  • County seat: Chicago
 

13. Sarpy County, NE

Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +49 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +35,037 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 55.0/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Papillion
 

12. Loudoun County, VA

Photo by Teslariu Mihai on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +54 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +131,365 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 92.5/100 (major)
  • County seat: Leesburg
 

11. Washington County, OR

Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava on Pexels

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +55 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +94,352 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 92.0/100 (major)
  • County seat: Hillsboro
 

10. Franklin County, PA

Photo by Judith Chambers on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +56 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +1,717 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 85.8/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Chambersburg
 

9. Mecklenburg County, VA

Photo by Ivan Mani on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +59 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +-3,249 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 47.4/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Boydton
 

8. Denton County, TX

Photo by Yash Mannepalli on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +60 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +279,672 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 90.5/100 (major)
  • County seat: Denton
 

7. Sacramento County, CA

Photo by Leo_Visions on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +63 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +138,598 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 99.1/100 (severe)
  • County seat: Sacramento
 

6. Bexar County, TX

Photo by weston m on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +63 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +451,940 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 98.4/100 (severe)
  • County seat: San Antonio
 

5. Grant County, WA

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +64 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +5,726 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 78.4/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Ephrata
 

4. Polk County, IA

Photo by Niko Vassios on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +76 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +81,543 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 88.5/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Des Moines
 

3. Maricopa County, AZ

Photo by Ian Dziuk on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +77 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +793,628 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 99.3/100 (severe)
  • County seat: Phoenix
 

2. Tarrant County, TX

Photo by Dan Formsma on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +80 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +397,879 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 99.0/100 (severe)
  • County seat: Fort Worth
 

1. Rockingham County, VA

Photo by Christina Telep on Unsplash

  • Projected new data centers, 2025 to 2035: +90 additional locations
  • Forecast population change, 2025 to 2035: +3,208 residents
  • Power Stress Vulnerability Index score: 82.2/100 (moderate)
  • County seat: Harrisonburg
 

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