10 States Getting Rich And Adding Jobs From AI Data Centers

Artificial intelligence is still in its nascent phase, but already, it appears to have the potential to become among the most disruptive and consequential technological developments in modern history. Perhaps not surprisingly, American tech giants are betting big on AI’s future. According to a recent report from Goldman Sachs, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are projected to spend a combined $5.3 trillion between 2025 and 2030 on AI data centers – massive, resource intensive facilities that power the technology. 

As of 2025, there were approximately 4,150 AI data centers in the United States, and another 2,800 slated to come online in the near future, according to the industry advocacy group American Edge Project. A single data center can house thousands of servers that require millions of gallons of water each day and enough electricity to power tens of thousands of households. As a result, the data center construction boom is expected to send energy demand surging, while putting upward pressure on wholesale electricity prices and household utility bills. 

In addition to driving up the cost of living in the United States, the presence of data centers can also detract meaningfully from quality of life in the communities that host them. The physical footprint of a single data center can exceed one square mile, potentially reducing public-access green space. The noise, additional traffic, and aesthetics of these facilities can also harm local property values. 

Many of the drawbacks associated with these data centers have drawn widespread criticism from the American public, and in communities across the country, voters from across the political spectrum are increasingly opposed to new data center construction. Still, state and local governments have their own incentives to attract tech investment and new data center construction, as these facilities are expected to generate hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars in tax revenue over the next decade. 

Using data from the American Edge Project’s report America’s AI Surge, Climate Crisis 247 identified the states getting rich off of AI data centers. States are ranked on their total projected tax revenue from new data centers over the next decade. Supplemental figures on data center employment and total existing and planned data centers by state are also from the report. Projected, 10-year state and local data center tax revenue as a share of total annual state revenue were calculated using 2024 data from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Total employment figures used to calculate data center jobs as a share of the labor force are 2025 estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

10. Illinois

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $924.0 million (0.8% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 374 ( 62.0% existing, 38.0% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 239,696 (2.9% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 35,500 (0.4% of total employment)

9. Pennsylvania

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $953.0 million (0.8% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 282 ( 34.8% existing, 65.2% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 310,592 (3.8% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 46,000 (0.6% of total employment)

8. Arkansas

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $1.0 billion (3.3% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 13 ( 46.2% existing, 53.8% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 11,816 (0.7% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 1,750 (0.1% of total employment)

7. South Dakota

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $1.0 billion (15.5% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 7 ( 71.4% existing, 28.6% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 3,376 (0.5% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 500 (0.1% of total employment)

6. Mississippi

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $1.1 billion (4.3% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 48 ( 20.8% existing, 79.2% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 64,144 (3.7% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 9,500 (0.6% of total employment)

5. Texas

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $1.7 billion (0.7% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 847 ( 47.8% existing, 52.2% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 746,096 (3.6% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 110,500 (0.5% of total employment)

4. Indiana

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $1.8 billion (3.6% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 135 ( 55.6% existing, 44.4% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 101,280 (2.4% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 15,000 (0.4% of total employment)

3. Delaware

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $2.0 billion (14.0% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 30 ( 63.3% existing, 36.7% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 18,568 (2.8% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 2,750 (0.4% of total employment)

2. Arizona

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $2.6 billion (4.2% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 313 ( 52.4% existing, 47.6% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 251,512 (5.6% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 37,250 (0.8% of total employment)

1. Virginia

• State and local tax revenue from data centers, 10-year projection: $4.2 billion (5.7% of annual state revenue)
• Data centers in state: 1,258 ( 52.7% existing, 47.3% planned)
• Temporary new data center construction jobs in state: 1,004,360 (17.4% of total employment)
• Permanent new data center jobs in state: 148,750 (2.6% of total employment)