Data center construction is shifting toward rural America. At the same time, rural residents report greater concern than urban and suburban Americans about what those projects could mean for their electricity costs and farmland use.
That’s according to a survey released June 26 by researchers at the University of Illinois and Purdue University. The survey of about 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted in February, found rural residents expressed the highest average level of concern overall. Their greatest concern was rising electricity costs, followed by the use of agricultural land for data centers and overuse of water.
“Many unknowns remain about the full impacts associated with data center growth and expansion,” according to researchers.
By 2030, the energy requirements for data centers are projected to more than double in Illinois and triple in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, researchers added, citing the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
Investigate Midwest’s Oklahoma reporter Juan Vassallo has been taking a closer look at data center impacts. Stay tuned for his upcoming investigation by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
According to a separate April analysis of mapping data by the Pew Research Center, a major shift is underway. Nearly 90% of all existing data centers are in urban areas, but 67% of planned facilities are slated for rural communities and 39% are planned in counties without an existing data center.
More than 1,500 data centers are in development nationwide, according to PRC. Virginia leads the way with 398 operating and 287 planned; Illinois is the top Midwest state with 139 operating and 123 planned, according to the April analysis. The nonpartisan thinktank reported that the Midwest has 419 planned data centers and 655 existing ones – a 64% increase from its current total. The South leads the way — with more than 750 planned data centers and 1,209 existing ones.
The findings come as more data center proposals target rural communities, where local officials often have fewer resources to evaluate complex development agreements, U of I researchers pointed out. Large companies that operate AI-scale data centers “can bring specialized lawyers, engineers, and financial analysts” to structure these projects and decide on site locations.
“By contrast, many rural communities have limited decision-making capacity due to budget and staffing constraints, and they often rely on volunteer mayors or part-time elected officials. Often, they are simply not equipped to make these informed decisions or to effectively negotiate with companies that own data centers,” researchers said.
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