As data centers are being built in more U.S. localities to meet demand for generative AI, they are consuming massive amounts of energy, increasing electricity costs for consumers, and driving debates about land use. A range of data sources and types of expertise can deepen your coverage of these centers and how they will impact your community.
Epoch AI, a nonprofit research institute, offers data-based insights related to data centers that explain stats on the increase in AI capabilities and how fast global AI computing capacity is growing, among other points of analysis.
The Pew Research Center collected information on U.S. data centers’ energy use and energy sources in an October 2025 report, as well as Americans’ views on AI’s environmental impact.
The Lawrence Berkeley National Lab published a report on U.S. data centers’ energy use in December 2024 that includes data through 2023 and projections to 2028.
Angles for your reporting:
The World Resources Institute outlines local consequences of data centers in a 2026 report, including local water demand, air pollution, and noise.
Data centers are often large sources of tax revenue in localities where they’re concentrated. For example, Loudoun County, Virginia, gets $26 in tax revenue for every dollar in services it provides to data centers, according to the county’s site.
Jobs: The U.S. Census Bureau’s QWI Explorer tracks growth in the 5182 industry group (a job category including data processing, web hosting, and related services that economists have used to study data center employment). For example, the tool can show your county’s percentage of state job growth in this category. NPR reporting noted that it takes many people to build data centers, but fewer people work there later.
Rising electricity costs: Data centers are inflating consumer energy bills, according to New York Times reporting. Average revenue per kilowatt-hour in each state is tracked monthly by the Energy Information Administration to give an idea of electricity prices, but many factors influence prices. Researchers’ projections published in July 2025 suggest that electricity costs could increase by more than 25% by 2030 in parts of Virginia, but that these costs will vary dramatically across the various regional markets.
Strain on the grid: The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s January 2026 report deems five of 13 assessment areas on the continent to be high-risk over the coming five years, citing data centers as a major cause of energy demand increases. In July 2025, the Department of Energy released a report explaining electrical grid vulnerability and expectations for energy demand, including demand from data centers. It calls the status quo “unsustainable.”
